7 Oxford cafes that give back
I find Oxford to be a gorgeous city, as it’s full of historic buildings. The city centre has a look of grandeur, but much of it is owned by university colleges and off-limits to anyone who isn’t involved in the university. In that sense, there is quite a divide between students and other inhabitants of Oxford. But if you know where to look, you will find lots of initiatives that do benefit the less well-off locals. In this blog, I’m therefore highlighting 7 Oxford cafes that give back to the local community. If you’re looking for more initiatives like this around the world, have a look at the Give Back Guide database.
1. Common Ground Cafe
This sustainable cafe provides a free co-working space, good coffee and a place for artists and charity organisations to host exhibitions, workshops, music events and more. Common Ground is housed in a previously disused building and works together with local suppliers for food and drinks.
When I walked in, I instantly felt at home due to the laidback living room vibe. The cafe has lots of cozy corners, and many of the guests and staff seemed to know each other. There are a few racks of second-hand vintage clothes for sale, as well as books. In short, it’s a friendly place to support local initiatives.
2. Damascus Rose Kitchen
Located in the Old Fire Station (an exhibition space and theater), Damascus Rose Kitchen sells Middle Eastern Food that supports refugee women. An additional ‘pay it forward’ donation helps others get a free drink if they otherwise can’t afford one.
The cafe is a nice space with plenty of seating, and a little free library. There are several vegan options on the otherwise fully vegetarian menu, though I have to admit I had higher expectations for the food. The meals are flavourful but very simple. The moussaka for example was mostly tomato with a few pieces of aubergine and no carbs, so it didn’t really fill me up. I would go back just for a drink or to try the hummus, though!
3. Oxford Community Action Cafe
On Tuesdays, OCA Kitchen gives out free meals during lunch. During the rest of the week, your purchase funds these free meals as well as children’s activities and employability training. Households that cannot afford nourishing meals can sign up for emergency food packages, and those who don’t have access to the outdoors can join organised hikes and camping trips with OCA.
What’s more, OCA conducts research into community wellbeing. They have researched topics such as the impact of poor housing, diabetes and cost of living. As a result, OCA has for example helped translate food labels into languages like Arabic and Swahili to make sure immigrants have access to health information displayed on food packaging. All of this means that having a sandwich at the Oxford Community Action Cafe is an easy way to leave a positive impact during your visit.
4. Flo’s Cafe
Flo’s The Place in the Park is a community space that is home to a plastic-free refill shop, an activity area and nursery for young families with financial insecurity, a gardening group that supports biodiversity, and a meeting place for other small organisations. The cafe also offers Monday meals on a ‘pay as you can’ basis.
Flo’s is community-owned and largely run by volunteers. They have set up initiatives around Oxford, really making it a prime example of an Oxford cafe that gives back. In fact, Flo’s has helped set up both Damascus Rose Kitchen and OCA Kitchen. With their OX4 Food initiative, they aim to leave no one in Oxford hungry. So whenever you order a hot drink or meal at Flo’s cafe, you will be supporting food security projects.
5. Vintage Refresh
Vintage Refresh Cafe is a social enterprise promoting wellbeing and recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. It offers a place for volunteers who come from socially excluded backgrounds to gain work experience and rebuild their lives. The cafe is run by Turning Point Road to Recovery.
Visitors are welcome at Vintage Refresh on Wednesdays and Thursdays for a coffee and cake. At other times during the week, clients are invited to explore training options, attend AA sessions or simply make use of the WiFi to access health services online.
6. Yellow Submarine
(Found via @givebackguide)
As a training provider for young people with learning distabilities and autism, Yellow Submarine allows its trainee bakers to gain valuable work experience. The bakery operates as a social enterprise, using 100% of its profits to train more people and run a youth club.
On their website, you can find lots of information about how Yellow Submarine runs its business as ethically as possible whilst providing you with ‘Life Changing Bakes’. The cakes, cookies, sandwiches, soup and salads on the menu are all prepared on site, but Yellow Submarine also does wholesale and catering. Even if you’re not in Oxford, you can order some of their products online with delivery throughout the UK.
7. Restore Garden Cafe
Praised for its delicious food, Restore Garden Cafe serves homemade lunch dishes, cakes and Fairtrade coffee. The food is made from locally sourced surplus ingredients wherever possible. As the name suggests, the cafe has a lovely garden, where you can also buy some plants. Inside, there is a small gift shop called ‘the Beehive’ selling handmade crafts, including postcards, toys and stationary.
So what makes this one of the Oxford cafes that give back? Well, Restore is a charitable organisation that helps locals with mental health problems. The charity runs recovery groups, 1-to-1 coaching sessions and formal mental health improvement trainings. Since being founded in 1977, Restore has helped thousands of people across Oxfordshire. Whatever you buy at their cafe and gift shop will allow them to help even more locals who struggle with their mental health.