We are a social enterprise cafe based by the seaside in Whitstable. Our passion is serving good food that everyone, from all walks of life, can enjoy; our purpose is combating social isolation and being a hub for the community. It’s that combination of passion and purpose that makes us unique and gets us out of the bed in the morning. But due to Coronavirus all that is under threat.

Despite looking into every possible angle, the cafe isn't going to receive any Government-backed assistance. We have applied for funding, but there’s no guarantee that we will receive any. So, we’re asking you, if you can, to donate to ensure our survival. It will mean we can continue to help people right now AND be in a position to re-open and support the community again in the coming months. Here are some of the initiatives under threat if we don’t reach our target:

- 100 free meals a week delivered to isolated and vulnerable people and families within the CT5 area– we are working in partnership with Whitstable Umbrella Centre and Food Friends as a side project of the Red Zebra Covid-19 emergency response.

- Pay it forward –this vital scheme welcomes a wide demographic into our cafe and ensures vulnerable people from rough sleepers to single parents are able to access a free, nutritious meal in comfortable & friendly surroundings (during the Coronavirus crisis all donations to our Pay if forward scheme are being divertedto the free meals project with Food Friends).

- Supported placements with local colleges and The Shaw Trust -students with sensory learning conditions join our team and are able to undertake supervised work in the kitchen and cafe and gain confidence and employment skills.

- Jobs for our wonderful team –we have the best staff who go above and beyond for our cafe, customers and students. We want to ensure they have jobs to come back when this crisis ends. Your donation will also help us to part cover staff salaries during March when our revenue fell by 50% due to the crisis.

- Our wonderful community café –we want to continue serving our community and have a vibrant space where people from all walks of life are welcome. When this crisis ends, there will still be so much work to do, and if we don’t cover our overheads now, we won’t be able to re-open and help our community get back on its feet.

We know this is a worrying time for all of us and you might not be able to afford to donate right now. You can help us by spreading the word 😊THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support!

You can find out more about us:

Website:https://theumbrellacafe.co.uk/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/theumbrellacafe

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theumbrellacafe/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/umbrella_cafe

What if we get funding/raise more than our initial target?

Our target is a moveable, so if we receive all the funding we have collaboratively applied for we will be able to decrease the total amount. If there is any surplus on the crowd funder we will put this towards our pay it forward scheme, which during the Coronavirus crisis is being used for the free meals project with Food Friends. We have applied for enough funding to cover 12 weeks, but it is now clear that the crisis will last longer. Additional funds will allow us to continue the project beyond 12 weeks before needing to apply for further emergency funding.