More people than ever bank on Fort charity for Christmas food
THE NUMBER of people relying on Lochaber Food Bank this Christmas almost doubled compared to last year.
The Fort William-based charity dished out 1,062 meals to 118 people during December, compared to 68 people in the same month of 2014.
These are the highest figures since the food bank opened in December 2013.
Volunteers also managed to include extras and gifts with food parcels, thanks to the ‘unbelievable generosity’ of those who donated.
Food bank manager Alex MacConnachie said: ‘ We fed a lot more people this year. I think it’s a mixture of more people needing help and also people being more aware of what we do.
‘We wouldn’t be able to do it without the people of
Lochaber and the generosity people have shown has been unbelievable. We were able to include chocolate and biscuits, as well as presents for kids. I could really see the thought people had put into donating. One woman even brought in a bag full of presents, all wrapped already. I can’t thank everyone enough.’
Alex went on to describe the desperate situation some people in the area found themselves in, saying: ‘ The Tuesday before Christmas I had a phonecall from the Fishermen’s Mission in Mallaig. They had met people who had absolutely nothing to eat so we loaded up a van and sent it to them first thing the next morning.
‘I hate to think about anyone having nothing to eat, especially at Christmas when most people have loads of food.’
Thanks to donations over Christmas the food bank has plenty of food but Alex encouraged people not to become complacent with donating. He said: ‘ We still have a lot of food but donations tend to slow down in January. I don’t like to get too relaxed and say we don’t need anything because we never know when we’re going to get a burst of people coming in.’
Lochaber Food Bank is open between noon and 2pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
We fed a lot more people this year
Alex MacConnachie
Food bank manager