Cleric laments need for foodbanks

Rt Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, is currently visiting Kirkcaldy Presbytery and has reflected on the church’s work in tackling food poverty.

She was invited to visit Kirkcaldy Foodbank, which works towards helping local people and families in crisis by providing emergency food parcels to people in need.

The foodbank has attracted great interest and real encouragement from a wide cross-section of the community, ranging from churches and faith groups, voluntary and statutory welfare organisations, local businesses, politicians and many concerned individuals.

“There are invitations I receive as moderator I wish I was not getting,” she said.

“The invitations I wish I was not getting are requests to visit foodbanks.

“It is not that I don’t want to visit these much needed, social necessities. It is more a case of wishing they were not much-needed or necessary.

“I am currently visiting Kirkcaldy Presbytery and there in Dysart St Clair Church, the congregation has generously given over space so that food can be stored before being sorted and distributed to five different outlets within the area. The team doing all the hard work of fundraising, food-raising and then bag packing, with the help of others doing Community Payback, are doing an amazing job that calls on a lot of their time and their energy and a great deal of commitment.

“They do it because they know that in this day and age, one slight change in circumstances could mean they too could be in need of such help.

“People who are working but who don’t earn enough to put food on the table for their families are turning up at foodbanks. Pensioners who can’t make their pension stretch to heating and to food are turning up. Those who, in the transition to the new benefits system are being left without anything while things are sorted out, are turning up at foodbanks.

“To those who volunteer and organise and dare to get involved – an enormous thank you from me and from the many you help with such dignity and love.

“But I still wish with all my heart that your efforts were not needed and I will commit to praying that one day that may be so. I hope others too will work and pray for that day.”

Rt Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.