Author: Tina Cutler

Christmas treats such as biscuits and chocolates are something that many of us take for granted. For those more vulnerable and marginalised in Stroud this may not be so easy. We were therefore delighted to be able to give out a hamper of goodies to our guests again this year. The festive bags contained cheese, chocolates, biscuits, coffee and sugar …

We would like to put a great big Thank You out to all of our supporters and volunteers who have helped us make it to the end of 2021 (nearly!) In particular, thank you to Nuview Ltd for our Christmas meal, Waitrose for their ongoing support and Julia and Hans Rausing Trust for funding the Christmas hampers.

We are looking for someone who can assist with the administration work at Marah. Approximately 8 hours a week, on a flexible basis, you will be familiar with office applications. Assistance is needed in tasks such as: Handling emails Data entry of weekly statistics such as collating volunteer hours and guest meal numbers Supporting the drop-in manager Updating our Website …

Marah took part in the annual festival which returned to St Lawrence’s Church this year. Our theme for the tree this year highlighted the gifts that Marah offers our guests every time they visit. Little parcels of ‘conversation’, ‘humanity’ and ‘companionship’, to name but a few.

Two girls, Freya & Olivia  spent part of their school holidays baking cakes and then holding a sale in the village of Box and Minchinhampton. As well as the cakes, they sold some of their old books, toys and dvds. They raised an amazing £370 !! Many thanks to the friends and neighbours in Box. They felt that lockdown was …

We think we know our guests pretty well, but from time to time we like to get an independent view of what we do and who we help. We enlisted independent help and they asked our guests a range of questions.  We surveyed 57 guests and discovered that 30% of respondents indicated they don’t have regular access to cooked food …

A short video showing how we support our guests

Marah is looking for volunteers to help prepare and serve nutritious meals to our guests. We have vacancies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We are looking for people who can work as part of a team, without judging others. All volunteers will need to be able to attend the drop-in at least twice a month.    Drop-in volunteers either arrive …

Since the start of lockdown last year, demand for Marah’s food has increased by 100%.  We have gone from serving around  50 takeaway meals per session in May 2020 to the present figure of up to 100 meals.  People are collecting meals for others in their household or for family and friends who can’t make it to the drop-in. We have …

Our Christmas Meal was a little different this year. There’s no place like home for a freshly cooked Turkey meal with all the trimmings so we boxed up our dinners and gave away 109 hot meals along with cake to our guests. Over 50 guests came in person to our doors and took away meals for themselves and their family. …