DENS is proud to run The Kitchen Café in partnership with another local charity, Sunnyside Rural Trust.
The Kitchen is based in the atrium of the Forum on The Marlowes in Hemel Hempstead, with the building being home to Dacorum Borough Council. The café sells hot drinks, snacks, sandwiches and sweet treats to council staff and visitors, Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm.
The café provides opportunities for DENS clients to learn customer service and food preparation skills, and to build their confidence in a supportive environment. Alongside experienced staff from Sunnyside Rural Trust, they help to run the café, with all the profits going back into the project.
The café aims to reduce food waste by making use of food items donated to DENS, and ingredients grown by Sunnyside Rural Trust at their Hemel Food Garden site. Any surplus is donated back to DENS, and we also have a ‘pay it forward’ board, where customers can buy hot food or drinks which can be passed on to someone in need.
In the future we plan to open an additional venue in our new DENS Centre once construction is complete. Keep an eye on our social media for all the latest news!