Starbucks Rose Street

Inverness Foodstuff’s mission is to support people who are homeless or vulnerable, tackle social isolation, challenge food poverty, combat food waste, reduce harm, and enable people to improve their health and wellbeing. We do this by providing nutritious, three-course vegetarian lunches three days a week at our café with a difference, based at Ness Bank Church in Inverness. Our lunches are prepared predominantly using donated surplus food from local supermarkets e.g. three mornings each week, our wonderful volunteer driver, John, collects surplus fruit, vegetables, bread and other food from Lidl in Inverness. Our cook and volunteers then transform these ingredients into nutritious and delicious three-course vegetarian meals. Because we never know what surplus food will be available each day, our cooks are often faced with a creative challenge when deciding what to prepare. They always rise to the occasion! For example, surplus turnips and mangoes were once transformed into a turnip, mango and sweet chilli soup – which was delicious! Inverness Foodstuff also provides lunches two days a week at Hilton Community Centre. This project aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness, while also addressing food poverty. Across our two locations, Inverness Foodstuff provides an average of 1,300 three-course lunches every month to approximately 300 to 400 people. We are supported by 82 wonderful volunteers, who contribute an average of 950 hours every month and play an essential role in every aspect of our operations. While it all starts with food, Inverness Foodstuff is much more than just a meal! We offer practical support to people who are homeless or vulnerable, including clothing and shoes, haircuts, tents, sleeping bags and pods, shower and laundry vouchers, food to take away etc. Through our partnership work, we also provide access to a range of essential services on site e.g. the homeless healthcare team, money and debt advice etc. Many of the people who use our services are living in temporary homeless accommodation, predominantly houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) with shared or limited facilities. Others may be sofa surfing, sleeping rough, or be at risk of homelessness. Often shunned by society many have experienced significant disadvantage and social exclusion and are living in poverty, often alongside additional challenges such as substance use, poor mental or physical health, disability, or a combination of these factors. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect. Inverness Foodstuff provides safe, welcoming and non-judgemental spaces where everyone is accepted, listened to and valued. Our aim is not only to provide food, but to create a place where people feel safe, respected and connected – a place where they can begin to rebuild their health, wellbeing and sense of belonging