What began as a shared taste for food, has now become a key community pillar.

By Zhenreenah Muhxinga

Our Community Cares, the community organisation in Canning Town which works with some of Newham’s most vulnerable women, particularly those who are isolated, illiterate or non-speakers of English, has found that cooking is a delicious way to help women learn, make friends, and broaden their horizons.

To date the OCC’s most successful project has been Food with a Story, which used cooking as a way of communicating and connecting across cultural boundaries.

Established around 2010, OCC is the brainchild of Rose Small, who was working as an English teacher in Newham. Rose found that many of the women she was working with often had very limited or no English and were suffering without space to
express themselves and grow outside of the home. Some were even victims of domestic abuse.

The group meets in the Keir Hardie Methodist Church, Canning Town, though the organisation has no religious affiliation.

What began as quite a small, informal organisation quickly grew into something bigger and In 2013 the idea for the Food with a Story project was born.

The project came from the very simple realisation that food, and particularly cooking it, is a fantastic way to communicate across cultural boundaries and breaks down language barriers. For 12 months the women took it in turns to cook lunch, drawing on the recipes and specialities of their own cultural heritage for the rest of the group in the church’s small kitchen.

The women were cooking familiar recipes, often handed down from mothers and grandmothers, and the process created a safe, restful space in which they felt comfortable sharing. The project culminated in the production of a recipe book.

OCC plans to expand their services and launch new projects, including one to develop IT skills amongst older members of the community.

The group has also opened another food bank/club at the Memorial Community Church Barking Road London E12 8AL. Every Wednesday from 11am to 1pm. Contact Rose on 0786 164 7346 or email info@ourcommunitycares.co.uk.

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