RBS foodbank volunteers geared up for business donations

● Parcels galore and staff join charity workers to send out much-needed goods

Royal Bank of Scotland volunteers will be staffing the foodbank distribution centre set up at their Gogarburn headquarters just outside Edinburgh all weekend so businesses can deliver donations.

The bank is using its conference centre to collect nonperishable foods and hygiene products to pass on to food poverty charities the Trussell Trust and Social Bite.

The Scotsman and its sister paper the Evening News are backing the initiative.

The first donations made yesterday included tinned foods, cereal bars, crisps and Tunnocks teacakes.

One of the earliest contributions came from RBS’S own catering contractors.

Neil Bird, operations director at Baxterstorey, said: “We are delighted to be supporting RBS as they provide much needed support to some of our region’s most vulnerable people.

“We have donated cold beverages, bottles of water and snack items that would have otherwise been sitting in vending machines.”

Douglas Bain, facilities manager at RBS, said staff were enthusiastic about the temporary foodbank distribution centre and had eagerly volunteered to help.

He said: “We’ve got a list of phone numbers over the weekend.

“If we start to get more donations being delivered we can get people out to help and if it gets really busy we’ll start a rota.

“We’re conscious it’s got to be done in a safe way so we’re keeping everyone socially distanced from each other.

“We’ve got gloves and aprons and lots of gel and some masks.”

The idea of using the bank’s headquarters as a centre to help some of the poorest people in Edinburgh came from Sheena Hales, a programme manager at Gogarburn.

She was among a group of women who stepped in after 350 workers lost their jobs at Livingston factory Kaiam just before Christmas 2018 and raised money for food and presents for those affected.

Ms Hales, from East Calder, had heard of the logistical problems faced by Social Bite in trying to respond to the current crisis.

RBS hopes businesses with stocks of food which are now not being used as workplaces close due to the crisis will consider donating them.

However, donations from the public cannot be accepted at Gogarburn because of social distancing rules.

People are urged to donate instead at existing supermarket collection points.

Laura Ferguson, operations manager at the Trussell Trust, said foodbanks were a lifeline for people in crisis during the coronavirus pandemic. She said: “We’re extremely grateful for the support from RBS which helps us remain agile to respond to the changing situation and deploy resources to support people who don’t have enough money for the essentials throughout this time.

“We couldn’t continue to do what we do without this kind of support.”