The year is halfway over and the Community Kitchen has prepared 137,340 warm, nourishing meals for refugees since January.
Our small, three-person cooking team works seven days a week, 365 days a year to provide food to asylum seekers through our humanitarian partners. Each week, we serve just under 5,000 portions to support our vision that no one in Brussels should go hungry.
“Since starting at the Community Kitchen in 2021, I’ve seen our programs flourish,” said Akkara, Kitchen Manager of the Community Kitchen. “It feels incredible knowing we serve those in Brussels who need it the most.”
As a nonprofit organization relying on the generosity of volunteers and donors, we’re limited in time and cost. We aim for 30 cents per portion and we have two hours of prep time for each round of lunch and dinner.
Our strategy for nutrition on a budget incorporates plant-based proteins like chickpeas and lentils, which keep your body strong, and complex starches from rice and pasta to provide long-lasting energy. Vegetables contribute much-needed vitamins and fibre.
Finally, we sprinkle in a hearty amount of herbs and spices to satisfy the tastebuds as much as the belly.
Around 100 volunteers each week help prepare or portion food into individual containers for serving. This includes corporate volunteering groups and individual volunteers who participate through Serve the City.
Volunteer drivers then transport our meals with care — destined for clients of the Red Cross Humanitarian HUB, Centre Croix-Rouge Belliard and Project Le Phare at the Salvation Army.
To further our mission, our weekly Food Bank program provides around 100 community members with quality food to put on the table for their families. While they wait, clients enjoy a welcoming, dignified space, chatting over free hot coffee from our Cafe.
We’re excited to keep serving thousands of weekly meals in the second half of 2025. No matter your background, we all need to eat. And the Community Kitchen is here to cook.
Did you know? A donation of €10 funds the ingredients to make 30 meals. We depend on donations to keep feeding our city. You can make a monthly or one-time donation here.
