A spotlight on ace of clubs and key4life
As a company, we feel very passionate about giving back to our local community and it is something we like to focus on, particularly in our quieter months. Ace of Clubs and Key4Life are two charities we work closely with.
Ace Of Clubs
Over the last couple of months our team have been spending some time at Ace of Clubs, a local homeless charity, committed to making a difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness or living in unstable conditions. With the help of the volunteers, multiple hot food options are available to choose from for those utilising the service. Our time involves more than just serving meals and coffee, its about engagement and putting a smile on those who otherwise find themselves in a desperate position.
With a mission centered on compassion and empowerment, Ace of Clubs goes beyond offering immediate relief by addressing the root causes of homelessness and working towards sustainable solutions. The charity ensures that those in need are not only fed and sheltered but also connected with essential services such as healthcare, education, and employment opportunities.
Our team have started monthly donations to the charity in the form of necessities to help them save costs as much as possible. This alongside the volunteering days we hope will be beneficial for all involved.
Key4Life
Key4Life is another remarkable charity we have been working with for the past five years. Their mission is to reduce the rate of young men reoffending through providing a rehabilitation programme both in and outside of prison. This combines mentoring, employability training, and emotional resilience workshops.
The statistics to have come out of the work of this charity are beyond incomparable to the national average. The reoffending rate is 14% after going through Key4Life’s programme, a stark contrast to the national rate of 64%.
Back in November 2023, we catered for the annual Key4Life gala for 300 people comprising of a canapé reception followed by a two course meal. An auction and raffle took place throughout the evening raising a great deal of money to help transform the lives of the young men.
Our team were lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend a day in prison, meeting the young men who are taking the seven steps through the programme.
This involved one on one mentor chats going through CV’s, mock interviews and the ‘dragons den’ approach to get ideas circulating for their future years. It was an unforgettable experience and one we hope other companies will get involved with. We have just hosted a group of ex young offenders at our unit for cooking days this might just be the skill they didn’t know they had. We love to give the men opportunities to have experience in our kitchen and work alongside our chefs.
The success stories and positive outcomes attributed to Key4Life highlight the charity’s efficacy in making a lasting impact on the lives of the individuals it serves.
A few kind words from Eva, the founder of Key4Life:
“We have worked with the amazing Doggart & Squash for over 5 years now and they are the best catering company in the country! We had the most amazing time at our gala that they helped organised and catered for. It has been wonderful to have some of our young men into their kitchen for a day of cooking! Thank you Doggart & Squash”.