Cooking good if you need some hot food
KIND-HEARTED DARREN RUSTLING UP FREE MEALS AT HOTEL
A BURTON man who knows all too well what it is like to go to bed hungry has set up a community kitchen to help people struggling to put food on the table.
Darren Clarke, who grew up in the town, says when he was younger he would often have to go without food due to issues including drugs problems.
Now he is cooking and personally delivering free freshly cooked hot meals from his community kitchen at the Grail Court Hotel, in Station Street, to people in need, with the blessing of the hotel’s owners.
The kitchen was out of use, so Darren built a new one.
He is currently paying for the food himself, but has set up a Gofundme page which he hopes people will back so he can keep his enterprise going.
He has experience of cooking and says all social distancing rules will be adhered to when meals are delivered to homes.
He wants the community kitchen to not be just about a meal, but be a place where people who are struggling can meet once social distancing rules allow.
The 53-year-old, who lives in Mickleover, said: “The community kitchen hub is here to support the vulnerable families and children in some of the more impoverished areas around Burton.
“I have experience of being hungry and going to sleep on a hungry stomach, which can be a very damaging experience, especially for young children.
“I will be preparing free hot meals on a daily basis, and, after starting the kitchen on Friday, November 6, I have already had some interest from people living in the area.
“Sometimes the pride of parents can get in the way, but I want my community kitchen to be for everyone and I will make sure those using it are kept anonymous and the fact that they are using the service is between me and them.
“The Gofundme page will hopefully bring in some key donations and help keep the kitchen going.
“These funds are required as soon as possible as the Covid pandemic has increased the need for a much wider supply.
“The pandemic has taught a lot of us that there are a lot of people who need our support and it’s vitally important to stick together and look out for one another.
He is making contact with needy people via his Community Kitchen Hub Facebook page.