Charity Partnership: A new kitchen for Galway Simon Community
Cash & Carry Kitchens is proud of its "Helping Homes" charity partnership with Simon Communities of Ireland. Here's how we helped the Galway Simon Community.
A Galway kitchen
In late 2023, Cash & Carry Kitchens fitted a kitchen in a large Simon Communities of Ireland accommodation service in Galway. The centre houses up to 16 people who are experiencing homelessness at any one time. This Augusta Graphite kitchen was fitted with functionality, and accessibility in mind and has already had a profound effect on the people that reside here. We plan to donate a number of further kitchens to outreach centres across the country as part of this charity partnership.
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The old kitchen
"Before the renovation, the kitchen was old. It was grey. It was not fit for purpose", explains Peter Stapleton, Service Manager with Galway Simon Community's emergency accommodation. "What we were looking for in a new kitchen was to maintain what we had in terms of community space but then have a real streamlined, easy to clean, modern environment".
"We were looking for a streamlined, easy to clean, modern environment"
The new kitchen
"The new kitchen meets our needs much better", says Peter. "It's now a properly integrated space". Some key features in the new kitchen included integrated ovens and microwaves, a ceramic hob, a dishwasher and a four-door fridge freezer. It also came with integrated bins. Meanwhile, the kitchen island can be used for food prep, dining, and storage.
Integrated ovens and microwaves
A Kitchen to Cook and Socialise
By donating kitchens we will have an immediate impact on people’s lives. New kitchens will bring independence to outreach centres where individuals and families can gather to cook meals or use them as a social space. These will also be hugely beneficial to Simon Communities as they continue to deal with the challenges of covering the costs of ongoing maintenance and upgrades.
New kitchens will bring independence to outreach centres
A really important partnership
"This is a really important partnership for the Simon Communities of Ireland", says Wayne Stanley the Executive Director of Simon Communities of Ireland. "By providing us with quality kitchens in our services and in our homes for people, Cash & Carry Kitchens are providing the sort of respectful warm environment that people who are experiencing the trauma of homelessness need and deserve".
Providing a respectful warm environment for people who are experiencing the trauma of homelessness
