Aviva Community Fund provided £1,075 of match funding
Transforming Lives Meal by Meal
London, England, United Kingdom
Aim
Helping the families of emergency service and armed forces veterans to get back on their feet by providing healthy food aid & cooking skills
Venner is a new kind of food support that helps vulnerable families by not only providing plant-based food boxes but also teaching cooking skills, offering nutrition advice and giving access to 100’s of easy-to-follow healthy recipes.
We believe that giving families the skills and tools they need to be able to prepare meals affordably, that are also environmentally friendly, will improve their physical and mental well-being for the long-term.
Who are you Helping if you Donate?
The families you will be supporting with your donation are veterans and emergency service staff that have been identified by the FirstLight Trust. Many are single parents that have fallen on hard times, suffer from PTSD, depression or have other physical or mental health issues.
Cooking can have a very positive impact on their mental health and recovery from trauma as it’s a calming activity, while the low-sugar food in the plant-based boxes can be extremely supportive of mood and the emotional wellbeing of the participants.
Building Confidence & Having a Positive Impact on Mental Health
Children in these families often suffer doubly.
Sadly, children are often doubly affected because they not only live with the effects of a traumatised parent but also having a poor diet due to the difficult financial situation.
A poor diet is directly linked to compromised physical health, mental-wellbeing, and reduced immunity. It can also delay the child’s development, cause risk of chronic illnesses like asthma and anaemia and behavioural problems. Teaching kids the importance of healthy food and how to cook at an early age has been shown to have a long term positive impact.
How it Works
Once the families are identified, Venner delivers 3 plant-based boxes over 3 months. Each box contains recipes and a meal planner, so each family knows exactly how to use all the ingredients, removing all the planning stress. They can also access cooking skills videos, additional recipes and nutritional facts to help with all their other food planning and preparation.
The 12-week program gives the plant-based skills and confidence to plan and cook healthy, affordable meals for themselves and their children - now and in the future.
Every Penny Counts
We’ve worked hard to drive down the cost of a box to £40.
This feeds a family of 4 for 5 days, including breakfast for the kids, snacks, fruits, and hot evening meals.
It costs only £2 per person per day to provide the food aid and educational support needed to help get families back up on their feet.
£120 will help support a family for the whole 12-week program and allow them to have ongoing unlimited access to the online recipes and plant-based cooking skills videos that are needed to provide advice and support long-term, changing patterns.
Having a Positive Impact on Depression
"I got my first Venner Nutrition Box a week ago. It exceeded my expectations. I've been diagnosed with depression and because of that, even small decisions can be hard to make. The meals have been so tasty, and easy to prepare. The fact I only have to follow the recipe, and all the ingredients are ready, has taken a big part of my daily burden away. For the first time in a long time I have enjoyed cooking, and that is a lovely thing!...
One thing I've been really delighted about is that despite the poor economic situation I have now been able to offer my friends meals and I've been able to share the good I was lucky to receive myself.
Thank you so much Venner!"
This project successfully funded on 21st September 2021