Sainsbury's Darnley

We have been actively running a Pantry based in Greater Pollok with over 1000 member to date. The Pantry is struggling to keep up with the demand and could do with any help it can get. It means families can access food in a dignified manner as they get to choose the items that they actually want instead of getting food that is no use.

We are a small independent foodbank established to support people in need within East Renfrewshire. Our service is not means tested and is open to all – no questions asked. We have over 100 clients and on average deliver to 60-70 families and households a week. We are very proud to have been awarded charitable status and hope this will help us to continue in our work. While there are several food poverty support mechanisms available through both health and social care services and other local authority organisations, what we discovered was that there are gaps within that provision. Through FERN Foodbank we want to provide an alternative service to meet the needs of our community where they cannot be met by other food poverty organisations. Working households and those who do not qualify for benefits are often left with no option when their money runs out. For example (not an exhaustive list); • The cost-of-living crisis has put so many more individuals, couples and families into food poverty. Put simply, households trying to meet the ever-growing financial pressures of today’s society will have to make hard choices about which bills to pay, with the overarching priority for most is to keep a roof over their head. • Post Covid many families found themselves in significant debt, their incomes had suffered during the pandemic and that has led to severe financial hardship. • Increasing rates of divorce has seen the number of single parent families increase. • Ill health or disability often means that those who are working find themselves on half or even no pay, yet still seen as employed. • Women who have fled domestic violence are often in crisis when they first leave and may be too scared to seek support that requires them to give their name. • Those who have fled war in other countries and arrive in Scotland with nothing do not always have anyone to turn to. • Failings in our Social Security system, for which the Trussell Trust are advocating change, often see people with nothing through no fault of their own. Situations like these is where FERN Foodbank can step in – no formal records and no questions asked. We are entirely volunteer run and rely solely on donations and funding from our local community to survive.

In our elderly and youth club those are participating they are mostly from disadvantage, ethnic minority people and we can also distribute these foods here. For past 15 years we are serving our community for their wellbeing and healthier lifestyle through music, dance, sports, providing healthy food and many more healthy activities. These food distribution will make their life more happy and joyful and also helps to save their money and this savings they can use for their other social activities for their wellbeing. Also, our organisation's purposes are: the advancement of the arts, heritage and culture through staging public exhibitions, giving presentation and/or performances for the public to raise awareness of the history and traditions of south indian classical music and dance the advancement of education through the teaching of the art form and style of south indian classical music and dance, raising the artistic standards of the art form and by providing educational programmes to the public.