A new Cromwell community initiative is using shared cooking and meals to strengthen local connections, particularly for young families and people new to town.

Kai Connect is a monthly programme run by Cromwell Community House, bringing people together to prepare food, share a meal, and support others through donated excess food.

Cromwell Community House programmes facilitator Sandra O’Callaghan said the idea grew from a trend she and her colleagues had noticed in the growing town.

“We try to close a loop in the community. That’s what we’re always looking out for,” Sandra said.

“Something that we feel is missing in the community is a real sense of connection and a safe place that people can come together.”

She said food was an accessible and inclusive way to create that connection across ages, backgrounds and abilities.

“Everybody’s on the same level,” she said.

“So, whether you’re a chef, or whether you can’t cook at all, or you just want to come along and have a meal, that’s fine.”

Kai Connect is centred on preparing food together before sharing a communal meal, with any surplus saved and distributed to others.

“All they have to bring is themselves,” Sandra said of people curious to come along.

“We prepare the food there, connect over it and share it, and then if there’s any excess food, we put that into a community freezer, which we put out to people in need.” 

Participants can be involved in different ways, from helping with food preparation to simply arriving for the shared meal.

“We just kind of want to add a little bit of warmth to people’s Wednesdays,” she said.

Sandra said the need for connection was especially evident among young families who had moved to Cromwell without established support networks.

“A lot of them come here and they don’t have that family here, they don’t have that support,” she said.

“So, connection is quite important.”

Kai Connect runs on the third Wednesday of each month from 10am to 1pm - starting tomorrow (Wednesday January 21) - at the Scout Den, 31 Ortive Street, Cromwell.

People can arrive from 10am to help prepare food, or from about 11.30am to join the shared meal.