B&Q Paisley

Crookston Early Years support children and families ranging from 0-5 years old. We are looking for food surplus to support families in providing children with a healthy and varied diet. We are also looking for resource donations to develop nursery environments and provide children with broad and a variety of learning experiences. Both resources could be used to create a home link with families to increase parental engagement.

GALA Ministry aims to promote love, nurture fellowship, and foster unity among families in Paisley. Through our welcome, worship, and community initiatives, we reflect the love we preach to humanity and the world. Our goal is to share God's love practically, serve those in need, restore dignity, and revive hope, with our support available at no cost to everyone in the community. Our project, ‘We Care Initiative’, offers free food to all who attend, along with a listening ear and support. Our mission is to redistribute food donations and promote food waste reduction for environmental and social good. In addition to serving refreshments on Sunday mornings, our team of volunteers works diligently behind the scenes to provide weekly grocery parcels from the food donations, which include tinned foods, cereals, cupboard essentials, and other non-perishable items to families facing financial hardship, socio-economic deprivation, and anyone else in need. The Food Bank team, alongside our Hospitality/Welfare team, goes the extra mile to identify people in dire need, particularly families with children, and refer them for priority support. We understand what it means to be in need without hope for tomorrow; that is why we do not judge anyone or apportion blame, but seek creative and sustainable ways to put smiles on people’s faces. We believe no one should go hungry. We support the less privileged and homeless in our community, including the elderly, the vulnerable, and those on low incomes, providing food when necessary and donating other cupboard essentials, toiletries, clothing, and bedding wherever help is needed. The area in which we work is ranked among the 10% most deprived regions in Scotland. We mentor the families we engage with to lead by example and be the change they want to see in the community, while also encouraging them to live sustainably and promoting broader actions to mitigate climate change and protect our planet, as we are all stewards of nature. We signpost people to appropriate agencies to get help, and also engage in activities that seek to support people in improving their situation and seeing them lift themselves out of poverty.

Lochwinnoch Food Committee is a dignified food project with a Pantry distributing surplus food from supermarkets four days per week. We deliver parcels to vulnerable houses on a fifth day, and out Community Fridge/Freezer is open 24/7 for members. Membership is free and we operate on a pay-what-you can donation basis. We have nearly 2000 members and more than 70 volunteers aged from 12 to 80! The aims of the projects are to tackle food insecurity locally as well as the climate emergency. We grow our own food too in local sites. The Larder is about more than just food though - it's a social hub where friendships form and people connect. We're reducing social isolation and also helping to signpost people to other support services; it's easy to fall through the gaps when living rurally. People from across Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire access the project - all are welcome! We also run free cooking classes as fermenting demonstrations. We also have two sister-projects: the Feel Good Festival is a programme of wellbeing events designed to help build community, connect people and tackle mental health. We also have Diggin' It which is an initiative supporting people to grow their own food from their own homes. It includes a free Seed Library and a garden equipment swap-shop. We are also developing a new project idea to help us become more financially sustainable. the idea is for this to be a retail space and Community Hub. We hope to develop a community kitchen, charity shop and pop-up eatery which we can use for all the projects and could also help generate some income. Between the projects, we can use pretty much any kind of surplus - food, kitchen equipment, homeware, clothes, decorating equipment and tools, gardening equipment and plants.