A new cafe, shop and community hub in Peckham has been inspired by its founder’s ‘difficult’ food bank experience.
Communitea, launched at the Trinity College on April 11, is a one-stop shop for all the community’s needs, open every Thursday.
Visitors can buy essentials for knockdown prices, relax at the affordable cafe, and access cost-of-living support services.
There are free hampers containing food and essentials for those who need them but founder Norissa Gayle says the centre’s focus on “empowerment” and “dignity” makes it different from food banks.
Remembering her own visit to a food bank during a difficult period, she said: “It wasn’t a very positive experience. No matter how kind they were trying to be, I didn’t feel dignified in it.”
She said the visit made her feel helpless – the food given to her wasn’t suitable for her kids and she wasn’t referred to other services.
“Somebody shouted: ‘Food bank this way love!’. There was this moment where you wanted the ground to swallow you whole. I realised there were a lot of people who had these feelings about this,” she said.
So Norissa founded Share The Cost Global (STCG), a community interest company providing people with cheap essentials.
Importantly, STCG refers people to employment, healthcare and financial support services, giving them the leg-up they need during the cost-of-living crisis.
Norissa said: “It’s all about treating people with as much dignity as possible and making sure that everyone, whether they pay for things or not, gets a high level of service.
“We also realised there was a real need for access to services and even though Southwark has an abundance the community doesn’t know how to access them.”
STCG began as an advice service at The Green community centre in Nunhead. The number of people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis made Norissa realise there was “demand for a face-to-face, human-to-human” support service.
Since being set up, STCG has supported over 2,700 people and Norissa hopes their new permanent space will help them expand further.
Southwark Deputy Mayor Naima Ali, who cut the ribbon on the new centre, said: “These kinds of things bring the community together.
“Some people struggling with the cost of living have become disconnected so this kind of centre can give them a sense of power.”