Inbar Nonprofit Kft. operates a homeless shelter and runs a kitchen in partnership with the Hungarian Calvary Chapel in the heart of Budapest. It seeks to scale up its catering services in order to obtain extra financial sources for developing the shelter.
The homeless shelter was established about twenty years ago. As well as a stable and secure environment, the shelter provides various services to vulnerable people in the area (e.g. a daily meal, leisure activities, access to washing facilities etc.). The shelter also provides tailored support to its beneficiaries in order to help their reintegration into society and the labour market. The shelter offers valuable opportunities for numerous homeless people to recover from their crisis and move forward with their lives.
Inbar recognised that the shelter’s kitchen could provide catering services for external customers and its expansion could generate additional income for the shelter. In addition, the kitchen could provide transitional employment opportunities for its beneficiaries, contributing to their skills development, restoring their self-esteem and providing a job reference. After its initial success, Inbar applied to Badur’s Hatchery Programme in 2019 to develop a detailed business plan focusing on the scale up of its catering services. The business plan highlighted three areas that are necessary for the expansion: i) to increase online food sales, ii) to upgrade its marketing activities, iii) to develop kitchen equipment. The financial calculations were very promising, so Badur Trustees awarded a loan to implement the business concept.
While the scaling up process was stalled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the expansion started in the second half of 2020. Inbar’s catering services aim to target three main business areas: community and business events, school-canteens and food delivery services. As the first step, the website will be developed to ensure Inbar can handle increased demand for its food services on a professional level. The Foundation will support further development phases as needed.
Banner photo credit: Nordwood Themes on Unsplash
