Help is at hand for families thanks to kind Rekz

A kindly shopkeeper is reminding Buddies of the ‘fridge benefits’ available to vulnerable people.

Rekz Afzal, 32, operates a Community Fridge and Cabinet at his store, RSA Newsagents in the town’s Moss Street, which distributes free food and essentials to poverty-stricken folk.

He has handed out of thousands of items to eligible punters since setting up the life-line project more than a year ago.

Kindhearted businesses including Tesco Fareshare, poverty campaigners Bl u e p r i nt S c o t l a n d , international chari t y Human Appeal, Subway and Victim Support Scotland are working with him.

And smaller groups such as The Grow Up Project ( Ferguslie), Nineteen Canteen Deli ( Renfrew), Sugar Cube Cafe (Paisley), Frenchy’s Cafe ( Paisley) Underheugh Farm (Gourock) and Rana’s Newsagents ( Glasgow) are also on board with the community fridge.

Rekz said: “We provide needy people with food, hygiene products and toiletries donated by local businesses and charities.

“The service helps people who have fallen through the cracks of society.

“Our clients are people who have suffered from an austere welfare system, or are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

“The system is an evolution of the foodbank model.

“It is a disgrace today folk cannot afford to feed their families, when their benefits don’t cover essential living costs.”

He also invited individuals and businesses to considering donating to the project, for which he was recently honoured with a Provost’s award for his work in helping alleviate poverty.

Rekz also recent l y set up a winter energy bank at his store to help struggling families top up their meter payment cards with £ 5 worth of credit.