Aim

We are raising money to provide free plant-based meals and cookery classes for people facing food poverty and isolation.

We want a future where everyone can access healthy, affordable food and feel confident cooking it. With your support, you help us maintain this vision: one meal, one class, and one community at a time.

About Made In Hackney

We are a London-based community cookery school and environmental charity using food as a practical tool to tackle inequality, improve health, and strengthen community connection.

We provide you with free plant-based meals and free and subsidised cookery and growing classes, and welcoming food gatherings for a range of different communities facing food poverty, poor health, or social isolation. Our work goes beyond emergency support. We focus on giving you dignity, confidence, and long-term skills so you can cook affordable, nutritious meals for yourself and your family.

Why this matters

Our work responds to urgent need. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 14.4 million people in the UK are living in poverty, including 4.2 million children. Rising living costs mean many households are skipping meals or relying on emergency food support. At the same time, climate pressures are increasing food system instability and driving up food prices, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities.

 “This is the second time I have done this course. It has already helped me because my husband is a dialysis patient and eating plant-based food has helped with his health – his heart has also improved.” 2026 class participant

"I’m extremely grateful for your support as I’m too sick to care and cook for myself. So thank you" 2025 Meal Recipient from our meal service "Community Made

What we do

We combine immediate support with long-term resilience through our community kitchen model, which provides a meal service and builds practical budget and zero-waste cooking skills, reduces reliance on processed foods, and supports healthier, lower-cost living. 

What your support makes possible

With your help, we combine immediate relief with long-term change through our community kitchen model. You help us deliver practical, budget-friendly and zero-waste cooking skills that reduce reliance on processed food and support healthier, lower-cost living. Our volunteers work alongside us to prepare  meals to people who are housebound or struggling to afford food, making sure no one is left behind.

• £20 – Could provide a low-income family of four with hot, nourishing meals. (About the cost of a month’s takeaway coffees.)
• £50 - Could supply ingredients for a cookery class helping people with Type 2 Diabetes take control of their health. (Equivalent to the average household’s monthly food waste.)
• £100 – Could maintain a safe, welcoming space where older adults facing isolation can cook, connect, and thrive. (Equivalent to the water wasted per person each year from avoidable food waste.)
• £250 - Could fund a joyful class for 12 schoolchildren to learn healthy, sustainable cooking skills. (A lifetime skill that nourishes the next generation).

“I need to expand my cooking skills and you meet lots of local people here. I keep coming back because I’m learning new things all the time. I keep all the recipes and redo them.” 2026 Class participant

on behalf of MIH Chefs Thank you for your support!

Charity number:  1176690

If we reach our target, all funds will continue to support areas of greatest need, including free meals, community activities, and year-round community support.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 24th August 2026 at 12:00pm