A couple of weeks ago, we hosted an Iranian meal private fundraising event for 18 people to raise funds for Plateful. It was such a pleasure to work alongside this charity and enjoy having people round our table that all shared a desire to help refugees in the UK. It was held in our house in Brockley. The idea originated from a conversation with Iolanda a few months ago following a small party they had catered for at Christmas. We had previously attended a similar event in the café in Hilly Fields Park and then thought why not do the same at home. We thought it was such a great idea and in retrospect we feel that it was a lovely evening and little effort on our part. Not only that, but we raised about £700. Once we’d decided we wanted Iranian vegetarian food for about 16 people, Iolanda and I agreed the menu and then a volunteer designed a lovely poster with the invitation including the details, menu, cost etc. We were offering a 3-course meal at £35 to start at 7pm. We decided to offer drinks; however, it is also possible to ask people to bring drinks. Furthermore, we sent the poster invitation to friends and family, our street What’s App group and other potentially interested people. On the day, we just laid the table (although if you don’t have a big table, a buffet style would work well). We borrowed some crockery and cutlery and some chairs. Of the 18, some were neighbours (some of whom we barely knew), family and friends. We even received a donation from 2 people who could not attend. We asked people to pre-pay via our own bank account and then sent the donations to the Plateful account. Our lovely Iranian refugee arrived at 10am with Iolanda and the ingredients. She cooked and chatted and prepared fantastic food (aubergine and egg dish, samosas and bread to start, bean and herb stew with rice and salad, and fruit, dates and nuts to finish). We were able to offer pans and dishes, although again, this is not essential and can be provided by the charity. The cook left in the early afternoon. At 6.30 another refugee came with Iolanda to heat the food, cook the samosas and serve the food once the guests had arrived. Everyone came on time and was very friendly. We decided to go round and introduce ourselves during the meal, however again this is not essential. Iolanda had left some crafts and non-perishable foods to sell in aid of Plateful. Almost all the goods were taken, and Iolanda trusted people to pay afterwards by bank transfer. After the guests left, our job was to clear up and discuss the success of the evening. We had caught up with old friends and met new ones. We had some very positive feedback and loads of food left over that we shared with our family. Altogether, this was a lovely experience, and we highly recommend you offering to host such an event. Iolanda is very flexible and full of great ideas. She is lovely to work with and wants to make these events both popular as a fundraiser and to publicise the charity.
Iolanda’s Thoughts Dear Readers At the start of a gloomy and rainy first week of October here we are reflecting on our achievements and looking forward to the celebrations to mark the end of the year of the year and the festive season. As we speak we are busy packaging our Christmas products ready to be photographed and launched by second week of October. We aim to sell them online by preorder and also at markets and events we will attend from now to December. As a sneak preview there will be our best-selling hamper with a selection of our jams, truffles, biscuits and cheese as well as our tea towel, artwork etc. They will be available to preorder from middle of October. We are very pleased to announce that our Syrian dinner at Pistachio in the Park sold out in two weeks and by popular demand we are now offering another Syrian Feast at Stansted Lodge in November and also a Syrian themed Christmas lunch at Star of Greenwich. We can offer the same at your place of work or for your family festive season celebrations. Please book your Syrian festive meal through our website. I am honoured to be nominated for the Mayor of Lewisham’s Community Award in the Community or faith group/organisation category. The Community Awards scheme was launched in 2017 to champion all those who are going above and beyond for their communities. This could be through helping a neighbour in need, coaching a sports team, running a community choir, giving up their free time to volunteer, performing incredible acts of selflessness, donating food, and more. The council will film me and feature the film on their website promoting our charity. I am also very pleased about the official launch of the book in the UK and America “Silent rebellion,becoming a modern leader” and the good reviews on Amazon. We are hopeful that you will explore this impactful resource. Please share it with those who want to learn more about leadership and more about my struggles and motivation to set Plateful up and keep it going despite all odds. Our partnership with Team Lewis is also continuing with our artwork being exhibited in their new Headquarters on Millbank. We are discussing the details as we speak and will reveal more in the next issue. Our search for a commercial kitchen of our own continues and perhaps you have leads in southeast London we could explore? Our external catering for events and special occasions continues to be popular with the local public and organisations and we are planning to be the caterer in residence at Magdalen Hall in SE1.The hall is well used by the local community for weddings, birthdays, etc without an in-house caterer. Lets hope their kitchen will be fit-for-purpose once refurbished. We will try it out in October. We are working on new menus from Sudan, Chad and Iran to feature in our community dinners and catering in the new year showcasing world flavours by refugee chefs. As usual the best way to be kept up-to-date is through our social media and signing up to our newsletter to be the first to know about our news! A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteer teams who work tirelessly to keep our charity going and keep growing. Truly and honestly you are the lifeblood of Plateful! !A rough calculation estimates the total number of volunteer hours to 150 per week!!
