Almost a year ago, For Starters’ founder and visionary Lauren Fried hosted an incredible cross-communal charity event which saw almost 200 sign ups for a honey cake masterclass, raising thousands of pounds for Jewish Care, UJIA, GIFT, Norwood, Jami and Leket.Having led the successful event for Jewish young professionals , Lauren felt passionate about working together with GIFT to set up ‘The Giving Kitchen’, a new initiative, created in response to rising food poverty in our community. GIFT has piloted this project for 6 weeks, cooking and delivering hundreds of fresh, nutritious meals to those most in need. Lauren explained “GIFT found a creative way to respond to the current food poverty crisis by simultaneously getting volunteers engaged in cooking whilst helping to feed those most vulnerable in our community at the same time.”

A range of amazing gifts are now on sale to help support this initiative. All honey cakes have a Federation hechsher and can be delivered locally. The range of gifts start at just £10 for ‘The GIFT’, which comprises a delicious honey cake, especially prepared for GIFT by The Treat Factory. Other options include ‘A Sweet GIFT’,  a delicious honey cake with a jar of honey; the ‘Taste of Giving’ , a honey cake together with honey, served on an elegant platter; ‘Give it with Flowers’, a honey cake with a beautiful white orchid; ‘Seeds of Giving’, a honey cake, scented candle, herbal teas and fresh pomegranates and ‘Give a L’Chaim’,  a honey cake served with a fine single malt whisky. These gifts will be available in various kosher stores in North West London or can be ordered from the GIFT website.

To order your Rosh Hashanah gifts with a difference, go to www.jgift.org/thegivingkitchen and Give the GIFT that makes a difference. To get involved with this exciting new initiative, please email givingkitchen@jgift.org or call 0208 457 4429.

GIFT’s mission is to inspire and enable lifelong giving. It’s vision is a community engaged, supported and empowered by the gift of giving.