A local community group claims changes to the benefit system and shrinking local services are driving an urgent need for support and funding.
The Tamfourhill Centre in Falkirk (pictured above) opened its food bank service in early 2020 to help residents who were struggling during the pandemic and has continued to serve the area’s needs since then.
Following Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, staff say that demand for their food support has skyrocketed once more.
“There was a period after the pandemic when the need began to decrease,” said
Laraine Sutherland, a volunteer for the centre and one of the many who help run the
food bank and their weekly café service.
“Yet over the past year or so, it’s grown again, due to the cost-of-living crisis, the change from tax credits to Universal Credit, and local service cuts.”
The community café now serves as both a social hub and a warm space for those
facing fuel poverty and isolation.
“With other local community’s provisions being cut due to council budgets, and local
bus services being at a minimum, people are struggling.” Laraine added.
“It is affecting individuals’ health and social interactions. We are seeing a real increase in the need for warm spaces and safety barriers including food provisions.”
Despite ongoing support from FareShare and donations from local supermarkets
such as Aldi and Tesco, the centre affirms that resources are far stretched.
“Financial challenges are constant, bringing in enough stock and just keeping the
lights on at time is a battle,” she explained. “And without secure funding to employ
staff, we are fully dependent on volunteers, who are doing their best to keep up with
the growing demand.”
Further strain has been placed on the community since the asset transfer from the
Falkirk Council over to the centre’s committee, meaning responsibility for the facility
and its services now lies entirely with the local volunteers.
“Communities like ours have been left with withdrawn services and an aging building,
yet we are still serving an oversubscribed community need.”
Figures from the Trussel Trust show that over 262,400 emergency food parcels were
distributed within Scotland between 2023 to 2024, and typical use staying at the
record levels which had been recorded the year prior. These figures show a 21%
increase than that which was being distributed five years ago before the pandemic.
Laraine believes that long-term investment is urgently needed to move forward.
“Funding from the government is essential; we need to address this inequality locally
and nationally. That means putting money into services and community buildings so
people can thrive.”
Click on the video below to hear more from Laraine and why so many people rely on the centre.
Read More At: Trussel Trust – Emergency food parcel distribution in Scotland 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
