Food glorious food for homeless and needy
A church charity united with a mobile restaurant to serve festive gourmet meals to the homeless and vulnerable.
Riverside Community Trust ( RCT) offered the takeaway street food as part of their Care & Share service- a drop- in for people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or in need of some support and companionship.
The team at The Ghillie Dhu M Mobile Scullery kindly offered to s set up in the church carpark on John S Street, Ayr and provide a delicious l lunch for Care & Share members.
Regulars tucked into a meal of burgers, chips and debatable festive favourites- brussels sprouts.
Michael O’Neil, of The Ghillie Dhu, said: “We got a real buzz from helping out. The staff all gave their time to come out.”
Lizzie Adrain, RCT Development Worker, said: “It was really generous of Michael and the team to provide meals to the people we help at Care & Share. It was humbling that even in these times when small local businesses are finding things tough and unpredictable, there is still a desire to help people who have less.”
Riverside Pastor Ian Gall added: “This really was a special Christmas treat. A huge thanks to Michael and all the team from The Ghillie Dhu.”
RCT adapted their usual projects to help those in need throughout the community during the pandemic. The Care & Share service changed to offer a takeaway service of hot soup, tea/ coffee and a sandwich plus a small food parcel to those in need. Since reopening, in a reduced capacity, they have been able to offer access to services including NHS addiction team, Seascape & NHOS Oral Health. The RCT team opened a temporary foodbank, which saw over 1000 food parcels helping 1200 adults and 300 children over a sevenmonth period.
Peer Support Workers Mark Maxwell and Karen Alexander took to the streets in the High Street and in Wallacetown checking in with between 30- 40 people a week, offering packed lunches and practical help with phone calls to lifeline services, providing clothing, toiletries and gas/ electricity top ups.