Simply put, food banks distribute parcels of food to people who cannot purchase enough for themselves and their families to avoid hunger. The Galashiels Food Bank started some 18 months ago and for the first few months dealt with a couple of requests for assistance per month. Demand has increased significantly over the last year demand has increased, mainly due to changes to the benefits system, to an average of 7 per week with some weeks seeing 15 requests.
The bank is run by the Galashiels Fellowship of Churches and co-ordinated by Clovenfords’ resident Moira Shanks. Referrals are taken from agencies such as social work, Citizens Advice, the community addiction team, Penumbra and, more recently, from schools and housing associations.
A basic parcel consists of dried and tinned goods which should last an individual for 4-5 days and fresh produce is added just before delivery, e.g. eggs, milk, bread. Food (dried and tinned) is donated from local people, mainly through churches and schools, and money is also collected to buy the fresh produce. The demand for these parcels has risen from a few per month in the early days to anything up to 15 per week although the average is 6-8 per week.
In general, it’s better to buy a larger quantity of value food than a smaller quantity of premium food. And avoid anything with a short shelf life, fresh food is purchased with cash donations just before the parcels are delivered.