West Lohian shops join ‘Viral Kindness’ group

A project to bring together local groups and volunteers across Scotland is helping people in West Lothian struggling during the coronavirus outbreak.

Viral Kindness Scotland has been contacted more than 5000 times since the start of the crisis, with more than 750 local businesses and organisations in Scotland registered to be part of the communityled project.

The initiative has partnered with convenience stores in West Lothian to ensure there is food available for the vulnerable.

West Lothian stores taking part include Day-Today Express stores in West Calder, Howden, Pumpherston, Boghall and Bathgate, the Uphall Store, Day-Today stores in Bathgate, Fauldhouse, Stoneyburn, Blackburn and Armadale, The Gothenburg store in East Whitburn and Blackburn Green Grocers.

Viral Kindness Scotland is building an army of volunteers to deliver vital goods or provide a friendly voice to talk to, as well as identifying vulnerable people who need help, and making vital connections with local volunteers, businesses and charities.

The service is designed to complement the Scottish Government’s national volunteering campaign, focusing on being a community-led hub to build connections.

The project includes convenience stores across West Lothian from the Day-Today and USave chains, which are securing essential goods for those in need and connecting people locally.

National contact centre Go-Centric, which has set up a 24-hour freephone helpline, website and digital channels, providing its own call-handlers for the project.

Also 250,000 Viral Kindness Scotland postcards which have been distributed to stores by the Sarwar Foundation for consumers and shopkeepers to identify vulnerable people in their local communities, which can be returned to the charity by freepost and ap lea for an army of volunteers to deliver shopping packages to vulnerable residents or offer a friendly chat to help prevent loneliness.

Anas Sarwar, Labour MSP for Glasgow and President of the Sarwar Foundation which is a founding partner in Viral Kindness Scotland, said:

“The response from individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in Scotland has been overwhelming.