Prime Minster Boris Johnson has written to Our Kitchen on the Isle of Thanet founder Sharon Goodyer to say he is “lost in admiration” for the work she and her team carries out.
Our Kitchen is a community interest company headed up by Ramsgate resident Sharon and run with input from trustees, staff and volunteers.
It has hosted Summer Kitchen sessions since 2018 – serving some 1,642 meals to families in that first year – based at Drapers Mills primary and Dame Janet primary; worked with food banks and FareShare delivering over 2,000 free food bags to make sure vulnerable people and families were fed during the pandemic and has now opened Our Shop in Margate High Street – a ‘social supermarket’ offering meal kits, chances to learn new recipes, useful information sessions on nutrition and opportunities to taste new products as well as cheap, but healthy, foods to buy.
The work has now earned Sharon a Point of Light award from the PM. Every day Boris Johnson awards an outstanding volunteer for their inspirational service as a ‘Point of Light‘.
During these challenging times, he is particularly recognising those who are supporting communities through the battle with Coronavirus.
In a letter to Sharon, the PM said: ““I am lost in admiration for your fantastic endeavour to deliver over two thousand free bags of nutritious food every week to support the vulnerable and those who have been isolating in Thanet.
“Our Kitchen” is a wonderful example of the solidarity and community spirit that defines the very best of Britain.”
Sharon is the UK’s 1471st Point of Light honouree.
She said: “I think the idea of recognising one volunteer every day is encouraging and supportive. I am delighted to have been given this Point of Light award by the Prime Minister on September 10. There are currently under 1500 awardees so this is special. I join a family of other volunteer awardees whom I look forward to learning from and developing new ideas with.
“It has to be obvious that although my name is the one being honoured, in this case it is simply as the lead of a very large group of extremely hard working, reliable, compassionate and giving volunteers. Those free food bags were as good as we could make them. The number we delivered increased every single week but they were so heavy some of us had to have a little sit down!”
Our Shop, at 51 High Street, is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am- 3pm.
