Mandy Galloway, right, said she was too “proud” to accept food aid .
The 39-year-old said: “I really needed but couldn’t bring myself to do it even though I knew I should. I was shocked how many people felt the same.”
Mandy, a single mum of four, decided to make a difference with two other volunteers, Beverly Sword and Laura Cramb, at a food co-op in Methil Industrial Estate, Fife.
They were approached to take the idea forward by A Menu for Change.
The not-for-profit project – called It’s Your Choice – is set up like an ordinary shop. Customers join by paying a £5 annual fee which gives them “points” towards weekly purchases. The goods are dropped off by charity FareShare then sold at the same low-cost price. People who can’t afford to pay can buy “on-tick”.
Mandy added: “The idea started as a sort of community fridge but we wanted it to feel like a proper shop. We wanted to avoid a community centre, too, to make it open to everyone rather than maybe making people feel it’s not for them.”
The co-op is used by working families and single working people struggling on zero-hour contracts and sick pay, underlining the reality of the UK’s low-wage scandal.
About 10 people sign up to the co-op every week and that membership currently stands at about 360.
Mandy fell foul of the benefits cap which caused serious hardship once she suddenly had to start covering almost all of her high private rental costs. She was left with about £20 to pay for all bills and food.
