Staff step up to help Start Up
Warm-hearted Stirling workers are encouraging people to help disadvantaged families through the summer holidays.
The team from the Stirling office of SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) is handing over a bumper collection of items to foodbank charity Start Up Stirling.
And the generous staff, who have also donated a treasure trove of toys over several Christmases to the Stirling Observer’s Give A Gift Appeal, are hoping to lead by example and persuade others to donate what they can.
Hilary Flett from SEPA said:“The items donated have come from the SEPA Tuck Shop charity fund and from staff at SEPA’s Strathallan House office in Stirling. We offered to help Start Up Stirling again this summer by providing some basic food items for their foodbank, especially during the school holiday period when children, who are normally fed at school, will need meals at home.
“They are in desperate need of jars of cooking sauces and tins of vegetables so that families can make meals from these items – they have lots of dry pasta at the moment. A sauce can really improve a simple bowl of pasta or rice.
“Other items in need are canned protein (meat/fish), canned fruit, meals in a tin (spaghetti, baked beans, soup, stew, chilli, etc.), UHT milk, condiments (such as tomato ketchup and brown sauce), biscuits (sweet & savoury) and rice.”
Colleague Anne Neill added: “Anyone can reach crisis point. Foodbanks provide emergency food during crisis situations such as redundancy, family breakdown, benefit delays or receiving an unexpected bill. Just over 12 per cent of people in Stirling live in a household suffering from income deprivation.
“Start Up Stirling support over 700 households in Stirling, providing a lifeline to many who would otherwise go hungry, cold or fall into debt.
“At this time of year not only are children having to have more meals at home, but some people who regularly donate to the food bank may be away on holiday. The more support given now and all year round the better.”