‘Cans’ Film Festival helps restock food bank’s shelves
‘I couldn’t be happier with how the event went’
The world renowned Cannes Film Festival showcases movies of all genres from around the world but Campbeltown Picture House’s inaugural ‘Cans’ Film Festival turned the spotlight on issues much closer to home.
On Sunday afternoon the cinema hosted a screening of perennial favourite The Greatest Showman in aid of Kintyre Food Bank – instead of paying for tickets, customers exchanged items of food for entry, with all the food then taken to the food bank.
Kintyre Food Bank, serving Campbeltown and the surrounding area, runs a referral scheme whereby anyone facing food poverty can receive food parcels. The food bank’s aim is to provide people with sufficient food to provide three meals for three days, for an individual, a couple, or a family.
Sunday’s screening completely sold out screen one and generated a large amount of food for the charity.
Ellen Mainwood, general manager of Campbeltown Picture House, said: ‘We were expecting people to be generous but were overwhelmed with the amount of food and toiletries that were donated.
‘People came along with carrier bags full of donations. Even people who didn’t manage to secure tickets to the screening were dropping off donations.
I couldn’t be happier with how the event went. We hope to make this an annual event.’
Lewis Nelson of Munch Café, which covered the licence cost of screening the film, said: ‘I was really pleased to see just how much food was collected on Sunday and how well supported the event was. Hats off to Ellen for making it happen.’
Mary Anne Stewart, chairperson of Kintyre Food Bank, said: ‘The generosity, as usual, from Campbeltown people was huge. I would like to express the thanks of the committee as well as the clients who use the food bank.’
Mrs Stewart also thanked everyone at the cinema and Lewis Nelson from Munch, without whom the screening would not have been possible. She added that there had been a huge increase week-on-week in the number of people using the food bank. She estimates that a month ago about 10 people used its services each week; now that number is more than 30. She added that she believed delays and sanctions for those receiving Universal Credit was a reason for the increase in usage.
Mrs Stewart added that the food bank was always grateful for donations of in-date food items which could be placed in the designated baskets in the town’s Tesco and Co-op stores. If anyone would like to visit the food bank at Unit 3, Mull of Kintyre Industrial Estate, Albyn Road, it is open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 11am to noon. People can use its services once, after which a referral is needed.