Rutherglen Reformer

Rotary club help people to get a new start in life

- EMYLIE HOWIE

The Rotary Club of Cambuslang have made a generous donation to a specialist local charity.

This summer, the Cambuslang group chose to support the Starter Packs charity, who are based in Govan.

Past president, Robert Dickie, delivered £486 worth of plates and crockery sets, which will be used to make up starter packs for individual­s and families moving into homeless accommodat­ion.

The charity have been busier than ever during the coronaviru­s pandemic and in the 12 months from August 2020 to July 21, they delivered 1629 starter packs across the city, supporting 2318

people in local communitie­s making it the busiest year in their 21-year history.

A spokesman for the Rotary told the Reformer: “We had a speaker from Starter Packs back in September 2008 and we all felt it was such an inspiring charity that we wanted to get involved.

“They collect and recycle various household items and make these up into specialist packs for homeless families and individual­s about to move into new tenancies.

“When we contacted them to see how we could help. Starter Packs asked if we could buy saucepans and frying pans – for safety reasons these are always supplied brand new to their clients.”

The Rotary have supported the charity for a number of years.

Their spokesman added: “In the first

year we set aside £250 and used that to order boxed sets of pots and pans.

“We have continued to do that every year since.

“We’ve also donated other good quality second hand items such as cutlery, towels, and kitchen items, which our members have collected.

“Knowing how challengin­g the pandemic had been, this year we decided to increase the amount to £500.

“When we approached Starter Packs they asked if we could purchase crockery sets as these were items they were particular­ly short of.

“We hope to continue working with Starter Packs going forward as we feel they offer such a vital and practical support to some of the most vulnerable in our communitie­s.”

 ??  ?? Starter packs Past President Robert Dickie is pictured with Stacey Gallacher from Starter Packs
Starter packs Past President Robert Dickie is pictured with Stacey Gallacher from Starter Packs

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