A community pantry that provides a lifeline to vulnerable Renfrewshire families during lockdown has been handed a bumper £25,000 funding boost.
The STAR Project's Shortroods fridge has proved vital to the people in the area since it opened in 2019.
The initiative will now receive a cash boost as Renfrewshire Council looks to help groups in their post Covid-19 recovery.
RAMH and Active Communities will also receive £25,000 each to support their plans to establish two new community pantries at the Restore superstore in Paisley and the former Johnstone police station.
Sharon McAulay, manager of STAR Project, said: “Our Community Fridge and Pantry is the beating heart of our community and a lifeline that can be adapted to whatever the community needs.
"It not only gives food to those who need it and challenges the stigma associated with food insecurity, it also encourages zero food waste and provides information around storing, cooking, shopping and budgeting.”
Sharon says the pantry, which was set up in 2019, has been a lot busier during the pandemic.
RAMH and Active Communities will also receive £25,000 each to support their plans to establish two new community pantries at the Restore superstore in Paisley and the former Johnstone police station.
Sharon said: “We think it’s vital to have pantries across Renfrewshire.
“This funding will ensure our Community Fridge and Pantry can continue to respond to the needs of our community.
“Our Community Fridge and Pantry is a very local solution to a national problem. We believe its impact could be far reaching, leaving a legacy of sustainable change with community at its heart.”
The next stage of our plan to support communities in the wake of Covid-19 also includes £25,000 to establish a Renfrewshire Community Food Fund, £50,000 to provide advice and support to people struggling with fuel costs and £50,000 to help people access benefits and affordable credit.
