Estimated Price

£1,000

Summary

Arran Churches Together Food Bank was set up in 2011 when a concerned resident made a local minister aware that a local family had struggled to put food on the table during the Christmas period. No-one should experience food or fuel poverty however there are more than 2,000 foodbanks across the UK supporting those in need. Our foodbank on Arran provides emergency food for local people who require additional support. The Arran foodbank is independent and requires no referral - anonimity and dignity are very important and can be a problem, particularly in rural communities. The food bank can be accessed in the vestibule of Brodick Church which is open 24/7. The ACT Foodbank is the only foodbank on Arran. Our island can be a costly place to live - lack of affordable housing pushes many families into private lets which can be costly; there is no mains gas on the island, homes are heated by electricity, oil, wood or coal; food shopping is done at either local village shops or Co-op supermarket, there is no option to shop in budget supermarkets. We are aware that in recent times, there are families on Arran with people in employment having to use the foodbank 

Our local supermarket displays a basket for collection of donated long life food items - these are collected by volunteers who use them to keep the food bank shelves, at Brodick Church, well stocked. Although the Arran community continue to be generous with  donations, the volunteers often have to buy food to keep things topped up. Money used for these shops is taken from a fund made up of monetary donations from local individuals and organisations. However the increased cost of food shopping, means we are going through this fund very quickly.

Description

Our request for funding from NAC Participatory Budget would help our volunteers to ensure that there was sufficiient stock on our food bank shelves. We anticipate that over the winter months, when households are having to cover the cost of heating, that food bank usage will increase - we need to be able to support anyone in need. 

Monetary donations from local people and organisations allow ACT volunteers to purchase further food, allowing us to keep the shelves stocked. All donations - monetary and food - are made by local residents; we receive no support from other sources. We are currently spending around £300 each week to enable foodbank demand to be met. Our request for £1,000 from Locality Fund PB would ensure that ACT Food bank can make adequate provision for approximately one month. 

Long-life food shop      -       £300 per week.

                                             £1,000 per month