A new community food hub opens its doors at Cornton Baptist Church next week.
The Larder at Cornton has been set up by the team who run the Larder at Bridge of Allan and will take place every Tuesday, beginning on January 26, from 10.30am until 12.30pm.
Like the successful Bridge of Allan initiative, the Larder at Cornton is open to anyone who needs help and the volunteers are especially keen to support those who are struggling financially just now.
A wide range of non-perishable tinned goods, rice and pasta will be available as well as toiletries and fresh produce including bread, milk, fruit and vegetables.
Meanwhile, the Larder at Bridge of Allan, based at Bridge of Allan Parish Church, will continue to run weekly - but will now be open solely on a Friday morning.
Local councillors Douglas Dodds and Alasdair Tollemache are among the volunteers at the Larder which opened last May under the auspices of Bridge of Allan Community Council.
Cllr Dodds said: “The Larder has been widely used in Bridge of Allan but we also realised others in the local community could benefit from our help.
“With that in mind, we’re now diversifying the project to provide a hub in both Bridge of Allan and Cornton every week.
“We’ll now be in Cornton on a Tuesday and Bridge of Allan on a Friday and, of course, both Larders are open to anyone from the local area who wants to come along.”
Cllr Tollemache said: “The community spirit in Bridge of Allan and now at the Baptist Church in Cornton is great to see.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to all our volunteers and we’re pleased to be able to offer the Larder in both Cornton and Bridge of Allan.”
The Rev Hamish Wishart, of Cornton Baptist Church, is delighted with the partnership.
He said: “There is a real need for a food programme of this kind in Cornton and it’s something we’ve been looking at and discussing within the community for a while.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to be able to work with the Larder at Bridge of Allan since the team already have a network and procedures in place and we think this will be a really positive partnership. We now look forward to welcoming anyone who needs the help we can provide.”
The first session of the Larder at Cornton takes place on Tuesday, January 26 between 10.30am and 12.30pm and the usual Covid-19 precautions, including face coverings and physical distancing measures, will be in place.
From the week beginning Monday, January 25, the Larder at Bridge of Allan will open on Fridays only at the usual time of 11am until 12.30pm. The Larder is supported by a wide range of supermarkets, businesses and members of the community who are generous with both cash and food donations.
Recent donations have been made by families from local primary schools – Cornton, Bridge of Allan and Fairview International – and Stirling firm FES who all collected crates filled with non-perishable goods.
Meanwhile, the Meadowpark Pub and Kitchen in Bridge of Allan donated £100 following a collection among customers who picked up free Christmas trees given to them by Stirling firm Ultimate Insulation Supplies.
The idea for the Larder initially came from the Bridge of Allan Cares Community Group and was set up with the help of Bridge of Allan Community Council, local councillors and other volunteers.
A team of volunteers staff the project and have been feeding around 30 families every week at the Bridge of Allan hub.
They also spend time collecting food from many partner organisations including Stirling Community Fridge; Start Up Stirling; the FareShare food poverty charity; the Heart of Braehead food project; Morrisons supermarket in Stirling; Graham’s the Family Dairy; Tesco Express and Co-op in Bridge of Allan and Bridge of Allan-based John Cullens Family Butcher.
For more information on the Larder, visit www.facebook.com/ccbridgeofallan
