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A place of welcome since 2000
Crossroads began in June 2000 with a simple but powerful idea: provide a free, two-course evening meal for anyone who needed it, no strings attached.
Originally known as John’s Kitchen, the initiative was launched by Wesley Church and led by community champion Yvonne Dasler. Meals were first served in The Foundry on John Street, with food sourced through donations and generosity from local businesses and gardeners. From the beginning, Crossroads was built on koha, kindness and community spirit.
By the mid-2000s, around 80 people were gathering each Wednesday evening. Alongside the meal service, Urban Harvest was established to collect and distribute surplus food throughout the community. In 2007, the work was recognised with a Health and Wellbeing Award at the Trustpower Community Awards.
Growing to Meet Community Need
In 2008, Crossroads was formally established as a charitable trust and moved to 2 Redwood Street, Blenheim. This provided space not only for John’s Kitchen, but also for Urban Harvest and the Koha Café, expanding Crossroads from a weekly meal into a broader community hub.
Over time, Crossroads has:
· Advocated for people experiencing homelessness
· Supported low-cost health initiatives
· Built strong partnerships with social services and charities
· Provided food security support across Marlborough
The organisation has always adapted to meet emerging needs — whether that meant increasing meals, creating activity programmes, or strengthening links with other agencies.
Responding in Times of Crisis
Crossroads has played a vital role during major regional and national events.
Following the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, Crossroads worked with the Red Cross and Work and Income to assist displaced families who relocated to Blenheim. The centre provided hot meals, refreshments, and a welcoming daytime refuge.
After the Seddon earthquake in 2013 and the Kaikōura earthquake in 2016, Crossroads coordinated closely with Civil Defence, delivering meals, setting up food support hubs, and assisting affected families across the district.
During COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Crossroads shifted rapidly from in-house meals to frozen meal production and contactless takeaway services, ensuring continuity of care when it was needed most.
Leadership and Legacy
The heart of Crossroads has always been its people.
Yvonne Dasler’s leadership in establishing John’s Kitchen and guiding Crossroads in its early years laid the foundation for everything that followed. In 2011 she was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) in recognition of her service to the community.
Since then, dedicated managers, staff, board members and volunteers have continued to grow the organisation, strengthening volunteer teams, expanding food capability, improving facilities, and building partnerships across Marlborough.
Crossroads remains deeply supported by local businesses, charitable trusts, community funders, and individual donors whose generosity keeps the doors open each day.
Today and Into the Future
From a single weekly meal in 2000 to a multi-faceted community hub, Crossroads continues to:
· Provide welcoming spaces and shared meals
· Rescue and redistribute food through Urban Harvest
· Support vulnerable individuals and families
· Work alongside other community organisations
· Strengthen food security in Marlborough
The vision remains the same as it was at the beginning: a place where anyone can walk through the door and feel welcome.
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