In September, five volunteers from Barratt Redrow’s Company Secretary team spent an afternoon in Nottingham supporting SaSh Kitchen, part of Warm Welcome- one of our new Grant Partners.
The team rolled up their sleeves alongside regular volunteers and Ellie Palmer from Warm Welcome, helping to prepare and serve meals in a space that offers comfort and community to those who need it most.
It was an inspiring, heart-warming, and moving experience.
Read more about their day below:
Outside Salaam Shalom (SaSh) Kitchen in Nottingham, the neighbourhood faces many challenges, but inside the doors there’s warmth, kindness, and life in abundance. The air buzzes with activity: volunteers bustling between the kitchen and the storeroom, supermarket trolleys being unloaded from the FareShare scheme, and Jo, the space coordinator, greeting everyone with energy and kindness.
When I visited with the volunteer team from Barratt Redrow, what might have been chaos was instead a brilliant display of how to best harness volunteer dedication and care. Volunteers unpacked crates of fruit and vegetables: bananas, melons, mangoes, potatoes, broccoli, herbs, and garlic. They checked the quality, setting everything out like a shop display. Mountains of bread and boxes of cakes and doughnuts, rescued from being thrown away by the supermarkets, were arranged alongside sacks of rice, oats, and pasta carefully portioned into equal shares. Everything was displayed beautifully and set out for choice.
In the kitchen, the Muslim Women’s Group prepared the day’s hot meal with Chef Tali, whose legendary rice and years of dedication have made her a community favourite. As onions were chopped and spices fried, the air filled with both aromas and laughter. Mugs of steaming Desi tea kept spirits high while volunteers worked side by side, chatting easily about all sorts (I picked up some good tv recommendations!) and encouraging one another.
Justyna, a volunteer who had been coming to support the space every week for several years told me, “Coming here makes me feel better about the world. I feel like I make a difference.” and Esther, another regular volunteer said, “Doing such a tiny thing – I couldn’t think of better way to help bring communities together.”
Before the doors opened, we were briefed on how to serve fairly; how many items per person and how to manage the long queue that grew at the door. When the guests began arriving, the space transformed again. Families, students, older people, those experiencing homelessness, people of every background and culture, were greeted with warmth and guided through the food tables. There was a sense of real need, but no stigma around coming into the space. Only warmth, respect, and humanity.
After “shopping,” guests sat down at tables laid in the centre of the room to share a hot curry together. Conversations blossomed across divides; strangers became neighbours over the communal meal. For those who couldn’t stay, takeaway boxes were ready. Special food parcels were set aside for people who had no cooking facilities, ensuring they too had something nourishing to take away.
If one moment left an indelible memory it was a nine-year-old girl leaving with a bunch of flowers that a supermarket had donated rather than sent to waste. She beamed with delight, clutching them proudly as she left with her parents. The flowers, an unexpected treat, carried as much meaning as the food she took home.
By the end of the day, around 120 people had been served. The volunteers were tired but fulfilled, knowing their time had been used for something vital. Guests had arrived in need; they left with food, dignity, and a renewed sense of belonging.
Volunteering at the SaSh Kitchen felt like being part of something far more important than the news cycle or the daily grind. It was about hope, about people supporting one another in the most practical and human way.
To give your time at a Warm Welcome space like Sash Kitchen isn’t about serving food. It’s about providing community, dignity, and joy. And it is a gift, not only for our guests to receive, but also for our volunteers.
- Ellie Palmer, Development Director, Warm Welcome
Tina Bains, Company Secretary for Barratt Redrow and Trustee of the Barratt Redrow Foundation, said:
“Volunteering at the SaSh Kitchen was an incredibly heart-warming experience. SaSh Kitchen not only provides fresh food and goods for people to take home, they also prepare warm, nutritious meals that can be enjoyed at the kitchen or as a take-away.
From start to finish, we worked alongside a dedicated team of volunteers – sorting through donated food, setting up the space, and then helping to ensure that the food was distributed in a fair way ensuring all guests received a variety of foods. It was amazing to see a diverse cross-section of the community including families in need, people facing homelessness, students and many other people from across all generations.
The atmosphere was filled with warmth, appreciation, and a genuine sense of community spirit. It was humbling and inspiring to be part of a project that provides not just essential nourishment, but also connection, care, and dignity. It reminded us how vital these spaces are, and how powerful it is when people come together with team spirit to support their local community. We would encourage all colleagues across the Barratt Redrow network to get involved with their local Warm Welcome space.”
