Membership quadruples

● Project is first of its type in Scotland – and proves how much it is needed in area

Anew pantry-style food bank has quadrupled its membership in six months since its opening. The Woodside Pantry project is the first of its kind in Scotland, selling discounted products to people who are struggling financially.

It was established in the Woodside Community Centre by the CFine foodbank charity and its partners – including the Fersands and Fountain Community Project and FareShare UK – with funding from the Scottish Government.

Its design enables staff to give those in need “a hand-up instead of a handout” and to design a “dignified” way for individuals to access food.

Claire Whyte, a development worker at the project, said the scheme was proposed after a meeting with CFine.

A small team travelled to Manchester where a similar pantry-style initiative had been launched.

She said: “We took a few things from them and brought that back with us to Aberdeen.

“We looked at how it worked and how to run it ourselves, especially since this would be helping us tackle food waste and the stigma of going to a food bank.

“The ethos of the project is bringing dignity back to those who might need extra help.”

The project was officially launched in February and, nearly six months later, membership has quadrupled.

Around 30 Woodside residents joined at that time, but the centre is now sitting at 122 members. The fee to join the pantry is £3 a year, with the addition of £2.50 per shop.

Every member can shop once a week, but the shopper or the household representative must be present at the visit.

The cost of the items in the pantry

are determined by value. This way, all members equally receive meat or fish, fruit and vegetables and canned food every week.

Goods are distinguished with triangle and circle labels. Each member is entitled to seven red circle items and three blue triangle items every week.

Mrs Whyte said: “Before we were seeing a lot of males using the foodbank service and we would rarely see families or pensioners. We felt like we weren’t accessing an entire demographic, just men in their mid-40s.

“Since the opening of the pantry we’re now seeing those over 55 and mothers with children.

“We try to bring that supermarket experience back to people. They get a raffle

“The ethos of the project is bringing dignity back to those who might need extra help”

number and only allow the shop at a time.

“We want it all to be equal. They can take their time shopping, look around and place things inside their basket.

“People using the pantry also have access to foods they usually won’t have at a food bank, like meat or fish or chilled items.

“More importantly, we’re trying to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables because getting your five-a-day can be pretty expensive. The pantry can help with that.”

CFine bosses acknowledge food banks are needed, but can “create dependency, and change fundamentally nothing”.

However, there are plans to roll out another pantry in Peterhead and in its Aberdeen base at Poyernook Road. three people in