Homeless veterans have been benefitting greatly from an on-site bakery at a veterans’ service.
The Veterans’ Artisan Bakery is a community bakery supporting service residents and their families, staff, and local charitable organisations.
Cooking is a skill that many veterans struggle with when they first leave the Armed Forces. The service residents enjoy learning to cook new things and have fun interacting with others. They find that baking takes your mind off other problems, and helps with stress on a bad day.
Keen cooks can take further courses such as Food Hygiene, compete in bake-off and cooking challenges, or volunteer to deliver baked items in the van. Some have since gone on to paid work using this experience.
Veterans at the scheme have also used cooking classes to recreate favourite childhood dishes, and spend time with their children, who love learning and completing activities with their parents.
Former residents are able to access the bakery to develop or improve their food preparation and cooking skills. It provides an opportunity for social interaction for those who live alone.
The bakery provides regular lunches, Sunday dinners, and food for seasonal celebrations, as well as birthday cakes for every resident.
