Edinburgh charity Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts 'blown away' by response to urgent appeal as they receive new van

An Edinburgh charity which is a lifeline service providing nutritious food for Capital residents struggling to feed themselves during the coronavirus pandemic has had an overwhelming response following an urgent appeal for a new van last week.

Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts, set up by founding director and professional chef Lewis McLachlan, set up the charity to turn surplus food into healthy meals for those who need them.

The charity had been using a van loaned to them by an Edinburgh resident, but now with lockdown measures lifting and people able to begin going back to work, the van was required back leaving the charity without wheels to deliver essential supplies.

On Wednesday (Jul 15) Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts, who provide more than 11,000 free meals each week for those in need, made an urgent appeal on their social media for a replacement van and have had an overwhelming response.

Hatty Webster, a volunteer who covers marketing for Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts said: “We’ve been blown away with the response - not just offers for vans, but so many people in the community sharing it, Ian Rankin giving it a boost.

“Stoats have said that they could lend us a van and they’ve helped out enormously. They already work with us providing oats but they’ve made sure that there’s no gap and we can keep delivering meals.

“Since moving to Leith Theatre we’ve seen a rise of providing around 1000 meals a day, to 1500.

“It’s not a celebration, it’s a sad state of affairs that in Scotland in 2020 that so many people can’t afford to feed themselves. We were founded because of coronavirus, but it’s clear that even after this we will be needed. We couldn’t do what we do without the help of the community and the use of the Stoats van.

“With hospitality businesses reopening, we are going to lose some volunteers which is great for them to go back to work, but the help is still needed.

“The response following the appeal has been amazing, we would have been snookered without it. It is amazing to see the local community coming together and shouting about it to help out.”

Olivia Stone, Marketing Director of Stoats said: “We’ve been working alongside the initiative since the beginning of the pandemic, supplying them with oats and other core ingredients for their meals.

“When we saw the tweet on Friday it was a no brainer, we would absolutely do what we can to help.

“Stoats is born and bred in Edinburgh and we will always do what we can to support local.”

In addition to Stoats providing a van for the charity to use, dog day care business Citidogs is also fundraising to help towards a new van for the charity.

On their JustGiving page, Sarah McLean of Citidogs wrote: “Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts are a Leith-based charity, run entirely by volunteers. They have dished out over 90,000 meals across the Capital during lockdown. They rely entirely on donations.

“Up until now, they have been relying on a borrowed van to help with this, which has now been returned to its owner. They are not in a position to purchase a van and urgently need one in order to keep up their good work.

“We have agreed to loan them one in the interim and then sell them a van and assist with a charity drive to help them pay for it.

“The van has been valued at £3,300 and Citidogs has agreed to donate £800 towards this and cover any further shortfall in costs. We ask you all please just to dip into your pockets for this worthy cause.”

Their target of fundraising has surpassed £1,500, but those wishing to add do the donations can do so on the Just Giving Page.