Food bank in running for vital cash boost
Tesco grant hopes
An East Kilbride food bank is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from a supermarket charity fund.
EK Community Food Bank – run by a partnership of churches in the town – is one of the groups on the shortlist for funding from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.
The supermarket giant has teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme which sees grants of £4000, £2000 and £1000 raised from carrier bag sales in stores awarded to local community projects.
Shoppers can head to a Tesco store and vote, with Karen Dornan from East Kilbride Community Food Bank hoping people will give them their backing.
She told the News: “EK Food Bank will use any funds received for community meals.
“As part of an extension to the services we provide through our community store and cafe, we would love to be able to involve food bank users in making and serving community lunches once a month to help develop people’s cookery skills on a budget.
“We want to introduce the community meals and cooking on a budget programme as it would equip users with basic life skills that can be passed on to their children and hopefully further reduce their dependency on the food bank.
“It also promotes a healthier lifestyle and habits.”
The demand on food banks has rocketed in recent years with more and more families struggling to make ends meet.
Tony McElroy, Tesco’s head of communications in Scotland, said: “There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see these come to life.”
Voting is open in all Tesco stores throughout May and June.
Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the till each time they shop.