From the very beginning of the cooperative, we have tried to provide assistance to our members with residence card applications, visas for family members, access to medical care, finding housing and other challenges faced by people experiencing migration. In March2022, we started partnering with the international humanitarian organization Mercy Corps.

The first mini-grant we received from them was used in its entirety on food products for meals for refugees arriving in Poland at that time. In the following months, we expanded our scope of business. In addition to the hundreds of meals we delivered to hostels and community centers, we started building internal structures to provide other forms of support. Bringing together our areas of expertise, we created a team of assistants, provided access to legal assistance and focused on creating a place that will serve a wider function than just a kitchen. Since mid-August, Słuszna Bistro at al. Armii Ludowej 12 has been hosting 100-150 people every day. These are often seniors from Ukraine who not only enjoy vegan food (based on their feedback, a vegan diet has had a great impact on their health), but also love the opportunity to meet other people, participate in language classes, support groups, celebrate holidays together or the possibility to obtain advice from an assistant on site. This year, we also managed to launch a project financed by the Norwegian Refugee Council that focuses on expanding access to information, providing advice and support in dealing with official matters, as well as creating educational and integration activities.