Food aid provided by these East Ren organisations

The fight against hunger in East Renfrewshire is on battle that is being taken seriously by the area’s churches and community volunteers. They have established food pantries that provide aid to local families.

When financial difficulties occur, many people have to make difficult decisions. Many will choose to pay the rent and electricity but may skip a meal if they don’t have enough money. While this is not a wrong choice, it is a tough one.

To help people get through economic hardship, the citizens of East Renfrewshire have established food banks. These facilities accept donations from businesses and neighbours so that they may be distributed to the people that need them most, provided they have a voucher.

East Renfrewshire Foodbank opened in 2013 as a Christian organisation. Spirit of Life Church was a leading force in establishing the new entity. Now their efforts are backed by the Trussell Trust, which is a national aid agency that administers a network including hundreds of similar food pantries.

Volunteers collect donated food items that are then given to poor and unfortunate people living nearby. Each aid parcel provides the family with three meals a day for each of three days. A voucher gives the family the right to one parcel, and they are given to clients of doctors or social workers based on needs of the household. Money advisers and the Citizens Advice Bureau are also common sources of vouchers. This system is used to make sure that people that have multiple needs are getting the proper help to fix their problems. It is an acknowledgement that skipped meals are often a sign that the person is having serious money problems. Those could be the result of a hardship situation such as job loss or medical concerns.

Anyone can find out how they may receive a voucher referral by contacting the East Ren Foodbank using email info@eastrenfrewshire.foodbank.org.uk. It is hosted by the United Reformed Church which is located on Arthurlie Street in Barrhead. Vouchers are redeemed for food items at the URC Community Cafe, which the church maintains on nearby Lowndes Street.

Directions to the location can be found on the voucher, which will be required in order to obtain a parcel pick up. Parcels are available on Tuesdays from 12-2pm and Fridays 3-5pm. Additional enquiries are promptly answered using the above email.

The Thornliebank Foodbank is operated by the ultimate volunteers. Adults with additional support needs are normally thought of as recipients of charities. These superstars provide the heavy lifting, taking ownership of the operation to feed the public. This is very much taking a social enterprise approach to the process. It allows the workers to become more independent, showing them that they are capable of many things as they work to help others.

Workers arrange donations into individual food hampers. Each emergency aid parcel contains supplies to meet nutritional needs for three days. The exact components of each parcel may vary based on the availability of donations.

A voucher is required in order to receive aid. The East Ren Money Advice and Citizens Advice specialists can provide these to their clients. Voluntary Action on 56 Kelburn Street and the Clarkston Social Work office can also provide vouchers.

Vouchers may be redeemed for food at the Thornliebank Resource Centre on Robslee Drive. Residents may contact the centre on 0141 577 4535 to find out more about picking up aid or for volunteering. Hours for pick ups are Thursdays from 12:30-2:30pm.

East Renfrewshire may suffer less from unemployment and other problems faced by other areas which can make it easy to forget that many people still have financial problems here. Fortunately these donation services are here to meet the needs of area families.