Annette Kite, her husband Nathan and son Jack, were busy over the VE Day bank holiday, preparing meals for 45 households in Ripon.

Every Sunday since the coronavirus crisis meant many people in the city had to go into self isolation, the family has been preparing meals that have been delivered free of charge to pensioners, families with limited income, people caught in food poverty and cancer sufferers.

The Monday evening meals-on-wheels-type service has grown week by week after Annette and Nathan, with assistance from trainee chef Jack, first started helping neighbours in their 90s, who were facing difficulties as COVID-19 saw them stuck at home.

The Stray Ferret joined the couple, as deliveries were made discreetly to avoid any embarrassment for the recipients, and it was clear that the the bags containing hot meals and other food items were most welcome.

Annette said:

“Nathan and I make some of the home deliveries and we also have volunteers who collect packs from us to deliver to their neighbours who are in need of help. We are very careful to ensure that social distancing is observed, both in collections made from our home and deliveries that we and the volunteers make “

The free service has been made possible because of donations in cash and kind; gifts of goods and the support of numerous businesses in Ripon, including Bambuda oriental restaurant, Southgate Fish and Chip Shop, Spa Gardens Cafe, Cafe Tempo, Wakeman House Cafe, Love Boutique, Booths and Morrisons supermarkets, Marley’s Butchers, Appleton’s and Spilmans.

Annette pointed out:

“We would not be able to do this without the fabulous support that we have received, ranging from hot meals provided by Bambuda and Southgate Fish and Chip Shop, production of puddings by Caroline Bentham and baking by Deborah Chalmers and our friends at Cafe Tempo and Wakeman House.”

The demand for the service has grown through word of mouth and posts on Facebook and underlines the fact that the coronavirus crisis has unveiled the scale of food poverty that exists in Ripon and surrounding rural areas.

As previously reported by The Stray Ferret, Marley’s Butchers – which is helping Annette and Nathan with the provision of meat at heavily discounted prices – is running its own weekly delivery of meat packs to families and individuals who are in dire need.