Celebration Church

Strengthening families through cooking

Celebrate Family Food, delivered by Celebration Church, is a community food initiative helping families across Kent cook healthy, affordable meals together. Over the past year, the project has supported more than 70 families to develop practical cooking skills, improve budgeting confidence and enjoy positive time together in the kitchen. Families are referred by local primary schools and family support services due to financial pressures or the need for more opportunities to connect at home.

Each week, families receive pre-portioned ingredients and simple, family-friendly recipes designed to involve children as active helpers. By turning meal preparation into a shared activity, Celebrate Family Food helps reduce stress around mealtimes and builds lifelong habits that support wellbeing, connection and healthier eating.

Funding awarded to Celebration Church

£3,000

Lawson Endowment Fund for Kent

£7,500

The Vanquis Social Impact Fund

Project based in

Maidstone

Our support

Kent Community Foundation funded core costs for Celebrate Family Food, helping Celebration Church run weekly courses, provide quality ingredients, and produce simple recipe cards that build families’ confidence to cook on a budget.

The difference made

The programme has become a trusted, inclusive space where families feel supported and part of a community. Parents report less mealtime stress, children trying new foods, and greater confidence cooking from scratch. Many continue attending wider activities, building friendships and support networks.

Local partnerships have strengthened too, with referrals from schools, the council, and charities. Volunteers contributed more than 1,600 hours, helping families facing wider wellbeing and housing challenges.

Project achievements

With support from Kent Community Foundation, Celebration Church delivered six courses over 12 months, supporting 124 families (439 people). Families cooked 36 affordable recipes, saving around £800 per course thanks to ingredients provided, plus further savings from improved budgeting.

Participants reported:

increased cooking confidence
reduced mealtime stress
trying new foods
children eating a wider range of meals
better budgeting
stronger community connections
greater sense of belonging

“We loved seeing what was in the box each week — we’d never tried avocado, leeks or chickpeas before. The boys helped prepare meals, and we all found new dishes we now cook regularly. My oldest even tried dumplings for the first time! The boxes helped us save money, eat better and enjoy cooking together as a family. We’re no longer stuck with the same meals — now we’ve got a whole folder of ‘winner dinners'."
One family's story

This story reflects the wider impact of the project: families gaining confidence, cooking together and finding joy in healthy, affordable meals.