Community Kitchen FAQ

	A	B	C
1	Category	Question	Answer

2	Donate / Donations	Can I hand over money personally as a donation?	Yes, you can! Please visit the Voice for Voiceless office in Rajagiriya 1st Floor, Bethany CLC 465 Sri Jayawardenepura Mawatha, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Or speak to one of the community kitchen coordinators Rajagiriya - 077 251 2374 (Akash) Kadawatha - 077 233 6745 (Name) Negombo - 077 618 2930 (Name) Batticaloa - ‭077 401 0688‬ (Name) Jaffna - 077 979 2156 (Name)
3	Donate / Donations	I would like to donate financially to Community Kitchen - how can I do that?	Each meal costs Rs.200 and we are grateful for donations of any amount. Acc name - Voice Foundation Acc num - 101000432815 Bank - National Development Bank (NDB) Branch - Battaramulla Swift - NDBSLKLX REF - Community Kitchen Please Whatsapp a screenshot or photo of the transfer details to our accountant who will issue a receipt for your donation. Aruni +94 (77) 320 6501 Please allow up to 72 hours for an issue of a receipt. Everyone is hands-on at the Community Kitchen and some days are incredibly busy.
4	Donate / Donations	I have a contact that could help with food / equipment / gas etc. - who can they speak to?	If you know an individual or company that could provide these items free of charge, please connect them with - Aruni (+94 77 320 6501) Akash (+94 77 251 2374)
5	General	Can I share this on my social media?	Please do! You can find shareable posts on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/VforVFoundation If you would like to create your own post to share that would be great! Share it on the WhatsApp General Groups so a volunteer moderator can check if all the information is a-ok
6	General	How many meals do you serve every day?	We try to serve at least: 150 meals - Rajagiriya 50 meals - Kadawatha 150 meals - Negombo 50 meals - Batticaloa‬ 100 meals - Jaffna 150 meals - St Marie's Girls School We update daily numbers on Whatsapp group.
7	General	Is the Community Kitchen aligned with any political, religious or other such movements?	We are not a political group, a religious group or a movement involved in any hidden or malicious agenda. Our intentions are clear - feed the hungry and be there for them.
8	General	Is there a menu prepared for each day?	No, we do not prepare a menu, instead, we cook the items we are able to source for that particular day. We will always provide a minimum of 3 vegetables and a protein item (Soya meat, Dry Fish, Fresh Fish, Chicken, Egg etc.)
9	General	Is there transparency on how donations are used? / How do I know my donations are used for this project?	Voice for Voiceless is a government-registered charity, and we run many projects, including - 11 Education centres - 2 Elders homes - 1 Widow empowerment centre - 1 Preschool - 1 Safehouse Plus 13 Individual sponsorships for schools We have three paid staff with volunteers who assist us every day, which helps us keep our administrative costs low. Our annual budget averages Rs.35 million. This is used for expenses across our various projects and is funded by donations from the public. As we are a government-registered charity, our financials are audited annually. We are also transparent with our donors on where their donations are allocated and provide receipts as well as project codes that allow us to send funds to the appropriate project. The Community Kitchen is a new project which started on the 1st of June this year out of the current need in our country for such a project. We are working on the best way to efficiently provide the public with transparent financials for this. For more information on Voice for Voiceless foundation, visit www.vforv.org
10	General	What can I do to help?	There are lots of ways you can help out the Community Kitchen: Donate: Each meal costs Rs.200 and we are grateful for donations of any amount. Acc name - Voice Foundation Acc num - 101000432815 Bank - National Development Bank (NDB) Branch - Battaramulla Swift - NDBSLKLX REF - Community Kitchen Connect: Help us source food items, cooking equipment and utensils, cooking gas, fertiliser and seeds. If you know an individual or company that could provide these items free of charge, please connect them with us - Aruni (+94 77 320 6501) Akash (+94 77 251 2374) Volunteer: Join our team of volunteers to help cook, serve and clean up at any of our CK outposts currently located in Rajagiriya, Kadawatha, Negombo, Batticaloa and Jaffna. Monday - Friday 9:30 am - 2:30 pm (including public holidays) Cook 9:30 am - 12 pm Serve 12:30 pm - 2 pm Clean 2 pm - 2:30 pm Share: Help spread the word by sharing a Community Kitchen post on social media. https://tinyurl.com/yhxv2958
11	General	What days/times does the kitchen operate?	Community Kitchen is open for serving Monday to Friday (including public holidays) from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm. Anyone is welcome to have a meal at any of our centres. Join the Whatsapp group in the area closest to you to connect with volunteers and find out more details. Kadawatha https://chat.whatsapp.com/CTV3zVH8th02sGDKZtt6xM Batticlaoa https://chat.whatsapp.com/HXU7t7CKjX80bEvYYfOpZ6 Jaffna https://chat.whatsapp.com/BYX5rIl1nK35pZRb4yWBR6 St Maries Girls School (not a volunteer site, donations only) https://chat.whatsapp.com/D1SjdbTrCV9FjqLr4ygHSh Negombo https://chat.whatsapp.com/FkgicgoMxp4HET8Zp3g9Zx Rajagiriya https://chat.whatsapp.com/IxeEeA3koQW8tJxJRCgLYd If there's no Community Kitchen in your area yet, stay updated on the General groups. If Group 1 is full please try Group 2. General Group 1 https://chat.whatsapp.com/I6Ml6nyYVzD8MGUv4ee0Yz General Group 2 https://chat.whatsapp.com/FpdZFHjXiDJBqlkVYLYUvR
12	General	When did the Community Kitchen start?	We started serving lunch on June 1st, 2022 at our first location in Rajagiriya thanks to the support of Bethany CLC in providing a location, Keells in providing us free produce, and the many other volunteers and supporters who came forward to make this happen.
13	General	Who is organising this project and what are the funds used for?	Community Kitchen is an initiative by Voice for Voiceless foundation with the support of community volunteers and donors. This project commenced on the 1st of June, 2022. All donations collected for the Community Kitchen are used to source, prepare and serve meals to anyone who walks through the doors of any of our locations around Sri Lanka.
14	General	Who is the coordinator of this project? How can I contact them?	Community Kitchen currently has 6 locations (5 volunteer sites) around Sri Lanka. Please use the information below to contact the relevant volunteer coordinator. Rajagiriya - 077 251 2374 (Akash) Kadawatha - 077 233 6745 (Name) Negombo - 077 618 2930 (Name) Batticaloa - ‭077 401 0688‬ (Name) Jaffna - 077 979 2156 (Name)
15	General	Why don't you update your required equipment list weekly? / Are you updating the needed equipment weekly?	This is a new project run by volunteers and we're still streamlining and working on solutions as we can. If you would like to help us out with this please contact project coordinator Akash on +94 77 251 2374
16	Volunteer	Can I bring vegetables when I come to volunteer?	Yes you can! Please contact the center coordinator beforehand so we can make sure your items can be put to best use that day.
17	Volunteer	Can I volunteer on the weekends / Saturdays and Sundays?	Not right now, but soon! We're currently only operating for lunch on weekdays (even public holidays!), but we'll update everyone once we can start on weekends.
18	Volunteer	Do I need to bring anything when I come to volunteer?	You don't have to bring anything with you to volunteer, but here are a few things that would be useful: - Electric coconut scraper - Sharp chopping knife - Big pans / pots for cooking - Medium/Large Basins or containers for chopped items - Medium/Large Basins or containers for storing cooked food - Cooking gas / fuel alternatives
19	Volunteer	Do I need to inform anyone before I come to volunteer?	We would appreciate if you can inform the centre coordinator before coming: Rajagiriya - 077 251 2374 (Akash) Kadawatha - 077 233 6745 (Name) Negombo - 077 618 2930 (Name) Batticaloa - ‭077 401 0688‬ (Name) Jaffna - 077 979 2156 (Name)
20	Volunteer	Where can I go to volunteer? / How can I volunteer?	To volunteer, you can go to the Community Kitchen center closest to you and help out with Cooking, Serving and Cleaning from 9:30 am to 2:30pm every Monday to Friday including public holidays (not on weekends yet). Rajagiriya (Bethany Church Premises) ☎️ 077 251 2374 (Akash) 📍465 Sri Jayawardenepura Mawatha, Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte https://maps.app.goo.gl/kTWS6JXN6YQE1F9Q6 Kadawatha (Bethany Church Premises) ☎️ 077 233 6745 📍 https://maps.app.goo.gl/r64bmxVbeWY6DyMJ7 Negombo (to be updated) ☎️ 077 618 2930 📍 Batticaloa (Voice Activity Centre) ☎️ 077 401 0688 📍 10 Trincomalee Hwy, Chenkaladi, Batticaloa https://goo.gl/maps/PRb3L7w1shZPWX4y5 Jaffna (to be updated) ☎️ 077 979 2156 📍 It's not required but we would appreciate if you can inform the centre coordinator before coming - even a WhatsApp message would be fine.
21	Volunteer	How can I help remotely? How can I help to organise?	to be updated. check back soon!
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