A Dumfries foodbank boss is celebrating a bumper early Christmas gift in the shape of a £10,000 donation.
First Base’s project manager, Mark Frankland, was delighted with the financial support from Scottish Power.
He said: “They always give their staff a budget for Christmas parties, when you could hold them in the days before they were stopped.
“And this year the staff said that instead of a Christmas party why not donate to a choice of a local charity and the Scottish Power South West of Scotland gave us a cheque for £10,000.
“I nearly fell off my chair when I was told that.
“The staff voted for it and I am delighted and very grateful.”
He added: “We also received donations from Wood Fuel Co-op in Dumfries who sell eco-friendly products and people who join them give a donation which comes to us. That amounted to £700 this month.
“And the EoN power station near Lockerbie gave us £1,000. We also had a lady who wrote children’s books during lockdown give us something as well.”
Foodbanks nationally have been gearing up for a tough festive period as rising demand combined with a drop in public donations appears to be heading for a crunch time.
According to a survey by community giving platform Neighbourly - which surpermarket Aldi supports to distribute surplus food from its stores – 67 per cent of foodbanks, charities and community causes in Scotland are worried about not having enough supplies to support people this festive period.
Neighbourly polled more than 600 foodbanks and community causes nationwide and found that 89 per cent in Scotland expect this Christmas to be their busiest yet, with more people than ever needing their help.
The survey also revealed that 71 per cent of foodbanks in the region have witnessed a drop in donations in recent months – with the fallout of the pandemic and rising cost of living continuing to impact contributions.
Steve Butterworth, chief executive of Neighbourly, added: “The findings of our latest survey highlight that the continued impact of the pandemic, combined with increased inflation, is being very much felt by communities up and down the country, with charities and local causes feeling the effects too.
“We’d encourage anyone who is able to give back in the coming weeks to do so.”
A spokeswoman for Aldi said: “We know that our customers in Scotland want to help too. If you feel you are in a position to help, your donation could make all the difference to foodbanks this Christmas.”
However, according to Mr Frankland, the region is bucking the trend highlighted in the survey.
The most in-demand items, according to Neighbourly, include tinned food, festive treats, toiletries, tea and coffee, biscuits and snacks, breakfast cereals, juices and soft drinks, UHT milk, laundry and cleaning products, dry packaged food, cooking sauces, children’s toys, crafts and games plus sanitary items.
