A CAFE has launched a scheme to provide free, healthy breakfasts to residents in Grangetown in order to alleviate food poverty in the community.
The Breakfast Club, a daily event held at The Hideout café, is a free service available to anyone who needs it, including those financially affected by COVID-19.
The Hideout is in the new Grange Pavilion community centre, which secured National Lottery Awards for All funding for the Breakfast Club, in partnership with Cardiff University’s Community Gateway.
Residents’ groups in Grangetown served free lunches to families throughout the summer holidays.
The new initiative at The Hideout will run from Monday to Friday for 10 weeks.
Zara Ali, manager at The Hideout, described the response in the local community as “very supporting”.
“The best part has been meeting the locals,” she said.
“As a business, it’s not that great because we were open the first week before lockdown and then lockdown happened and we had to close.
We just take each day as it comes. Our main aim is to do the breakfast club and help the people who come here.”
Grangetown is one of the most deprived wards in Cardiff with some of the highest rates of child poverty.
“I think it’s a good thing that they do it because some parents can’t afford to give their kids breakfast and at least here they’re getting something to eat,” said Kathryn, a Grangetown resident.
“And like the breakfast club at the schools, they don’t do that any more so this is ideal.”
Lynne Thomas, Community Gateway project manager, hopes the Breakfast Club will encourage members of the community to volunteer.
“The Breakfast Club project will support Grangetown residents financially impacted and emotionally impacted by COVID-19 by providing a free food service and social interaction / check-in,” she said.
“Beneficiaries will also be signposted to other services and projects partnered with Grange Pavilion, such as the Friends and Neighbours groups and the Grangetown COVID-19 support network.”
