We’re excited to announce a new partnership with The Cumberland Building Society to help tackle food poverty in Dumfries and Galloway.
The partnership aims to benefit thousands of people and families struggling with the cost of living.
The building society have teamed up with our FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland service to distribute a £27,000 donation to our network of frontline charities and community groups. The organisations set to benefit are Kate’s Kitchen, Summerhill Community Centre, Oasis Youth Centre, Apex Scotland, and River of Life Church.
Our FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland service supports 18 community food projects in Dumfries and Galloway which provided 530,963 meal portions over the last year alone. In the process, more than 223 tonnes of surplus food was saved and reused.
Jim Burns, FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland Director of Operations, said:
“We share The Cumberland’s passion for supporting people across South West Scotland to overcome the daily challenge of food poverty.
“The devastating double blow of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis means that many families are struggling like never before.
“This includes working people who have previously never accessed emergency food aid but are now forced to reach out for help.
“We have been running FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland for over 10 years now and this is the highest demand for food assistance we have ever seen.
“Support from The Cumberland will alleviate some of the strain on charities and community groups, who are feeling the pressure of increased demand and reduced income, which will enable them to sustain and even enhance their offer for local people.”
Claire Deekes, Chief Customer Officer at The Cumberland, said:
“I have been involved in Kinder Kind of Kitchens since we launched it in June last year.
“It was humbling to visit the food projects, meet volunteers, and see first-hand the vital support they provide to local people and how our donation helped them continue or even expand their work.
“This year it is clear once again that many people are struggling to afford the basics, and demand remains high at food projects across the areas we serve. So, we took the decision to continue Kinder Kind of Kitchens and extend its reach.
“We are a mutual, owned by our members, and looking out for our communities is really important to us.”
As part of the Kinder Kind of Kitchens initiative, in partnership with both FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland, and FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria, has published The Kinder Cookbook. It is full of recipes shared by the organisers and volunteers from food projects across the region and showcases the power of food to bring people together and the impact that partnerships and kindness can have.
One of the food projects which will be featured in The Kinder Cookbook is Kate’s Kitchen in Annan, which provides a vital service for local people. Kate’s Kitchen receives a supply of surplus food from our FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland service.
Organiser Hazel Thompson said:
“Our Community Café is open four days a week serving free food and drinks but the support we offer goes far deeper than a free meal. We also run a well-being group, gardening club and activity days. We are one big family and everyone is welcome.
“This support is a lifeline for us, providing free food every week to cook and serve in our café. We also give out food parcels and run a Meals on Wheels service for those who are housebound and vulnerable.
“We use lots of surplus food and nothing is wasted. Encouraging people to grow food with us and learn to cook on a budget are all things that we do to create sustainable communities.”