1st May 2020
In response to the current crisis we have suspended our community meal and all other face to face group activities. However many of our staff and volunteers are still working to support people who are affected both by the lockdown and by difficulties arising from their migration status.
Our food bank has still been running, after we revised our operations to allow for adequate social distancing. In recent weeks we have been shifting our priorities towards enabling the most vulnerable people to stay at home, and have shifted the majority of our food parcels from collection to deliveries. We support people referred to us by partner organisations, both old and new, who are working with refugees and asylum seekers. We thank the supermarkets and others who have made some large donations of food. In addition we have managed to secure additional funding to purchase supermarket vouchers for some community members, to help them source their food locally and as safely as possible.
We have also been phoning service users to ask about and share information that is useful to others surviving on a low income or in destitution under lock down conditions. Our creative writing group is continuing its work on Facebook. We also hope to open ‘virtual drop-in sessions’ for those who have access to the internet. One of our next priorities will be to find ways of increasing access to those who struggle with this. We have set up a networking group that meets once a week with members of the team at Nourish Scotland and other small community food projects, where we exchange knowledge of available funds and reflect on ways of continuing our work with a social justice and empowerment ethos.