Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Needy queue for parcels amid soar in demand at foodbanks
A FOODBANK which was formed less than three months ago has already handed out more than 900 pa rcels to needy families in Dundee.
After some services across the city reported people queueing up an hour before foodbanks open to get much-needed food for their families, the Kirkton Community Larder has revealed the extent of the poverty crisis.
Some of the most vulnerable are forced to make repeated visits to foodbanks across the city, with some even travelling in from as far afield as Coupar Angus to use the service,
The Kirkton facility launched at the end of June and has already seen a large uptake in its service.
Meanwhile, in the same period, the city-wide Dundee Foodbank distributed 1,350 parcels which have fed 2,800 people. The volunteers that run the service predict they will distribute as many as 10,000 this year.
And the Lochee Community Larder, which was launched seven weeks ago, has handed out around 350 bags in that time.
The Kirkton service offers people the chance to take up to 13 items at the cost of £2 for a bag and has already proved a lifeline to many people.
Eddie Baines, one of the volunteers that helps to run the larder, said: “We are not making profits, it goes back into the food larder.
“We get a lot of people that are working coming through the system. It’s sad to see people that are doing full-time jobs that are still struggling with bills.”
Samantha Bruce runs the Food For Thought service in Charleston and recently helped launch the Lochee Community Larder.
The service has been open for seven weeks with Sam saying they have handed out roughly 350 bags in that time.
She said: “It’s been busy, I knew it was going to be.
“We did know how much of a need there was and that was why we opened up the
Lochee.”
Edna Molloy, 58, from Ardler, uses both Kirkton’s larder and the service in Lochee because she is unable to work because of epilepsy.
She said both initiatives helped her cut down her £50 food bill.
Morgan Gray, 19, from Lochee, also attends both services.
She said: “It’s great. We’ve got kids. You get quite a lot out of it.”
Mother and daughter Susan
larder
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