Donate and Make a Difference
Donate today and help Plateful Cafe make a tangible difference to the lives of local refugees and asylum seekers
Join us in fostering a more inclusive community
Refugees and people seeking asylum often face significant barriers to building a stable future in the UK. Whether through restrictions on the right to work, language barriers or difficulties having their qualifications recognised, too many are prevented from reaching their full potential. Being unable to provide for themselves and their families can negatively affect their mental health and ability to build a future.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to rebuild their life through meaningful work. At Plateful Cafe, we provide training, mentorship and paid work opportunities that help refugees and people seeking asylum develop skills that lead to their independence. Unlike traditional top-down approaches, Plateful Cafe aims to meet people where they are, and walk alongside them to support them.
But delivering our mission isn’t easy! The cost of hiring commercial kitchens and employing experienced staff means we can’t always meet the growing demand for our training and paid placements.
Your generous donation enables us to support more refugee chefs through paid opportunities and widen our community reach.
Our Mission
Our Vision
A community where everyone, regardless of their journey, finds belonging, dignity, and purpose through the unifying power of food and creativity.
Our Mission
To empower refugees by providing meaningful employment opportunities in a welcoming café environment, fostering community connections, breaking down barriers, and celebrating diverse cultures through the shared language of food.
Donate
Your Donation Makes a Difference
Your donations ensure we can continue our work empowering refugees and asylum seekers, and breaking down cultural barriers through the shared language of food.
How You Can Support Us
Book or Recommend Our Catering
Help us grow by recommending Plateful Cafe for corporate events, weddings, private celebrations and community gatherings. Every catering booking directly creates paid opportunities for our chefs.
Fund More Training Opportunities
Your donation helps cover the cost of commercial kitchen hire, training materials and experienced staff who deliver our professional culinary programmes. Every contribution enables us to train more refugees and expand paid work opportunities.
Volunteer With Us
Plateful Cafe is ran entirely by volunteers. Whether you can help at markets and events or lend your professional skills, you’ll play an important role in helping our community thrive.
Our Impact
Creating Opportunities Through Food
In 2025, Plateful Cafe generated £41.4k in income through our work, made 1,097 sales at local markets, and catered for 26 events across London. Through this work, we provided approximately 664 hours of paid employment for refugee chefs, creating meaningful opportunities to gain experience, earn an income and rebuild confidence.
