A community fridge that helped Paisley people make ends meet is lying empty after a shop takeover.
It has emerged that, despite the service still being emblazoned on the front of the Paisley grocers, there is no free grub for the vulnerable.
Rekz Afzal,the previous owner of the RSA store in Moss Street, had to sell the business in December for personal reasons.
And Rekz, who was honoured by Renfrewshire’s Provost for his community service, said yesterday: “ I hope it can get sorted.
“The money was raised for the community fridge by the community. The new owner had agreed to run the services.
“It’s why it was kept there.”
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The community chiller and adjacent shelving cabinet was set up in 2017 and helped up to 125 people in poverty.
In its first ten months it provided 3,500 free items of food for the hungry.
The shelves were packed with tins, pasta, rice, coffee and fruit brought in by well-wishers.
And the cooler was loaded with milk, sandwiches, yoghurt and ready meals.
One concerned customer said: “If they are not going to keep it going then the fridge should go elsewhere.
“And it is completely disingenuous to still be promoting it on the shop front.”
Rekz was handed a Distinction Award by Provost Lorraine Cameron in reward for his work in the town.
He said: “The new owner had agreed to run services in relation to the community fridge and had done so.
“I have moved forward after conducting the service for over four years to a top standard. “
This week the shelves were still empty, though the shop front boasts “Community Cabinet Paisley” and “Community Fridge Paisley”.
Provost Cameron said she was sad to see Rex leave his store in Moss Street.
She told us: "He has been a big support to the community and given inspiration to a lot of people. I understand he is experiencing poor mental health just now due to some personal issues, and I feel sorry that we cant help him after he has given so much help to others.
"The community fridge was paid for with donations from local people, for the purpose of being used to store food for distribution to people who were down on their luck. I consider that it should remain for that use, whether in the store or another location.
"There is a new pantry open within the RAMH superstore and I’m sure they could’ve used it but I believe they have already purchased fridges. However, Active Communities and the STAR Project are planning to provide the same service so consideration could be made to donate the fridge to either of them. I hope the new owner considers this carefully."
The new owner Aram Omar is currently outside the UK.
But his assistant insisted: “He wants to run it again and continue like before.
“Community food will go back in the community fridge.
“We would welcome donations again from people, so they can be put in the fridge.”
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