What started as a children’s yoga class in Stonehaven has grown to a community wellbeing space with a fully equipped yoga studio, healing room and mindful room with 25 people working from The Haven offering 45 wellbeing activities weekly. However the recent pandemic has seen us transform the yoga studio into a community larder to help those most vulnerable in the area. The service gives members of the public access to food and toiletries with no questions asked. We focus on reducing food waste in our community and are in partnership with Coop Foodshare and Cfine Fareshare.

How you can support The Haven Community Larder.

USE IT: If everyone uses it than everyone feels comfortable using it. The best way you can support a community larder is to use it. Even if you believe you do not need too. By going to our community larder you are giving permission for other people to use it. You are helping to reduce food poverty stigma so that there is no shame or guilt in accessing food. Often people do not access food because they feel they do not “qualify” or they need permission.

REDUCE FOOD WASTE: We collect daily from local stores to redistribute food that would otherwise be thrown away. This is for anyone in the community to use.

SWAP SHOP: Most likely there are some items in your cupboard already that are perfectly fine but not too your tastes. Bring these items to the community larder and feel free to swap them out for items you may use.

DONATE: We put up a weekly Larder Wish List so please keep an eye out for how to support. We also welcome monetary donations to help with our running costs.

SPREAD THE WORD: We need to make sure that everyone in our community knows about the Haven Community Larder. You can help by bringing it up in conversation to everyone and explaining to them why it is important to support it. Share the posts on social media and tag The Haven so people can find us. Be proud of using the community larder and share when you use it.