The MAZI Project

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The MAZI Project aims to tackle food insecurity for 16 - 25 year olds living in supported accommodation in Bristol.

From care leavers to young asylum seekers and youth recovering from homelessness.

07/10/2026

🎓 Last Wednesday, I handed in my Masters dissertation at the University of Bristol.

📖 Behind the Statistics: How poverty and marginalisation shape the lives, hopes and futures of today’s 18-26-year-olds

1 million young people in the UK are NEET. By 20, more than 40 per cent of care leavers are.

I asked eight 18 to 26 year old MAZI members, six of them care experienced, all from areas of significant deprivation, how poverty and the institutions meant to protect them have shaped their self-worth and aspirations, what barriers they face after 18, and what they want changed.

What they told me:
→ Abuse and trauma, so often born out of poverty, shaped their lives more than anything else. → Housing and poorly trained staff in schools, social services and children’s homes failed them. → They question if the private sector is truly equipped to support them into work whilst they work tirelessly to confront their trauma 💪

At the end of one two-hour interview, Annie said:

“It’s kind of an honour when people pick you for things, isn’t it? It’s not an easy thing to discuss, but at the same time, it’s a sign that you care enough to listen.” ❤️

Their message for change: embed lived experience and trauma-informed approaches across education, welfare and the private sector.

It’s time we listen. 👂

P.S: Sorry for the swear words, it was a big moment….eeek

06/10/2026

The Bake Off bakers have some real competition now! 🎂

Our professional cake decorating class was a roaring success, with MAZI members getting hands-on and creating their own colourful, bespoke designs.

We loved seeing everyone’s ideas come to life, and the finished cakes look almost too good to eat! 💛

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make it happen. Which cake would you choose? 👇

30/09/2026

Meet Matty Grove, head chef at Caper and Cure and one half of our next special At The Table collaboration 🍽️✨

This October, Caper & Cure are joining forces with Farro for a one-off evening in the MAZI Community Kitchen, bringing together two brilliant Bristol names for a surprise three-course menu.

And there are only a few tickets left, so grab them while you can! 👀

All while supporting The MAZI Project and the work we do with young people across Bristol 💛

📅 Thursday 15 October
📍 The MAZI Project Community Kitchen

24/09/2026

✨ TWO Bristol favourites. ONE very special night. ✨

Our next At The Table brings together Caper and Cure and for an intimate three-course feast in The MAZI Project Community Kitchen 🍽️

Chef Matty Groves has made Caper & Cure one of Bristol’s go-to spots for brilliant modern European cooking, earning a place in The Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants along the way.

And Farro? One of Bristol’s most-loved bakeries, bringing their freshly milled, locally grown flour and unmistakable Farro magic to the menu. 🥖✨

Together, they’ll be creating a surprise three-course sharing menu, served banquet-style under candlelight and fairy lights in our Bedminster home.

You’re a spoilt bunch, aren’t ye?! 👀

And, as always, every ticket sold directly supports The MAZI Project and our work using food to reduce isolation, build confidence and help young people aged 16–25 feel seen, valued and extraordinary. 💛

🎟️ Book via the link in our bio.

Generously supported by Mevalco, Bristol B**r Factory and Spiegel and Peach

23/09/2026

Christmas parties that do a little more 🎄✨

This festive season, bring your friends, family, team or colleagues together at The MAZI Project Community Kitchen for an aMAZIng Christmas celebration.

Choose from:
✨ Private three-course dining for 40–60 guests
🎉 A festive buffet party for 40–80 guests
🍽️ Or join us for Magic Christmas Dining on 17th & 18th December, with no minimum group size

Expect brilliant food, a warm Bristol welcome and plenty of festive magic.

And the best bit? Every booking supports The MAZI Project, helping us create employment and culinary training opportunities for young people in Bristol ❤️

Ready to get Christmas in the diary?
🔗 Book via the link in our bio.

22/09/2026

Food support shouldn’t only be there in a crisis. 💛

Recently, we took part in the Alliance for Dignified Food Support ‘s Week of Action, calling for a future where people experiencing food insecurity have access to more than emergency support alone. 🥕✨

Food banks play a vital role, but we also need long-term, dignified ways of supporting people, approaches that give people choice and consistency. 🤝

That’s what we’re working to create at MAZI.

For the young people we support, MAZI isn’t a one-off food parcel or a single meal, we’re a constant in their lives. Through our meal kits, Community Kitchen, cooking opportunities and education programmes, we build relationships that can last months and years. 🍲🌱

Knowing that support isn’t going to disappear once the immediate crisis has passed can make a huge difference. It creates space to build trust and confidence over time, and gives young people a community they know they can come back to. 💛

If you believe in long-term, dignified food support too, you can help us keep showing up for Bristol’s young people by donating, volunteering with us, or booking one of our events. 🙌✨

15/09/2026

We loved welcoming the Ovation Finance team to our community kitchen for their quarterly team day last week 💛

After hosting their morning meeting, we shared more about The MAZI Project’s mission and our work with young people across Bristol, before rounding off the morning with a delicious three-course lunch 🍽️

“The team were suitably blown away by the truly delicious food - a perfect way to round off the morning, the help-yourself/sit-down combo worked really well.” — Melanie Hill, Ovation Finance

A huge thank you to the whole team for choosing to spend the day with us and support our work 💛

Looking for somewhere a little different for your next team meeting or away day? You can hire our community kitchen and let us take care of the catering, all while supporting our work making sure every young person feels love through food!

Get in touch at [email protected] to find out more 💌

14/09/2026

🎨 Last week, some of our MAZI members spent the afternoon exploring Arnolfini!

We visited Polly Braden ‘Against the Tide’, before heading into ‘Held’, which ended up capturing everyone’s attention through its colour, textures, scale and surreal nature.

For all of the young people who joined us, it was their first time visiting Arnolfini. For one, it was their first ever art exhibition ❤️

We want the young people we work with to feel like Bristol is theirs to explore too, giving them opportunities to experience new places, discover new interests, build confidence and learn through doing.

After plenty of looking, chatting, drawing and exploring, we finished the day in the only appropriate way… with fish & chips! 🍟

A huge thank you to Arnolfini for welcoming us!

We’re always looking for more Bristol businesses, venues and organisations who’d like to open their doors to our young people, so if you think you could give our members a new experience of Bristol, we’d love to hear from you 💛

09/09/2026

Huge shoutout to Nic, who raised £560 by running the Wales Marathon as part of the Long Course Weekend in Pembrokeshire, West Wales! 🏃‍♂️💚

That’s 176 nourishing meals going directly to our young members across Bristol. 🍲✨

Nic shared:
“I chose to raise money for Mazi because I’ve had the privilege of seeing the charity grow since its genesis and witnessing the amazing outcomes it has created, all through the simple but powerful vehicles of food and love.

I wanted to raise funds for this important charity because I’ve seen first-hand how a small act of kindness can provide not only immediate support, but also a sense of independence, dignity and hope to people who truly need it. The impact of Mazi goes so much further than simply providing a box of nutritious food. It demonstrates how food can be a powerful tool for change, connection and growth, helping people feel supported while giving them the foundations to build a more independent future.”

Whether you love running, cycling, swimming or taking on a completely new challenge, you can help turn your passion (or a personal challenge) into food, dignity and hope for young people who need it most. 💪🌱

👉 Find out how to get involved via our website, or reach out to us to explore your fundraising options

07/09/2026

💛 This International Day of Charity, we’re reflecting on what charity can, and should, look like 💛

During Alliance for Dignified Food Support Week of Action, we’ve been imagining a future where people don’t have to rely on food banks. A future where we instead invest in community projects that bring people together around food and tackle food insecurity with dignity.

We use food to tackle not only hunger, but also the psychological impact of poverty, including isolation, a loss of confidence and a lack of control. At the same time, we work with local growers, producers, chefs and businesses to help build a stronger, more resilient food system 🌱

Through our meal kits, community kitchen and cooking programmes, we:
🥕give young people choice over the food they eat
🧠create opportunities to learn new skills
🤝provide welcoming spaces where they can connect with others.

We don’t just want to ease the effects of food insecurity. We want to help tackle its root causes and create sustainable long-term change ✨

Want to help create that future?
Head to Alliance for Dignified Food Support to learn more about the Week of Action, or support MAZI directly by donating or booking a ticket for one of our upcoming At The Table events through the link in our bio. Every donation and ticket helps us keep this work going 💛

Address

Bristol

Website

http://www.themaziproject.com/

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