MORE than a tonne of food has been donated to support cash-strapped East Renfrewshire families through a summer supermarket collection.

The three-day event saw volunteers from East Renfrewshire Foodbank stationed at the Tesco store in Barrhead to collect donations.

And there was no shortage of shoppers willing to hand over tinned goods and other supplies to help others who are struggling to put food on the table.
Volunteers were also on hand to transport the food from the Tesco store to the foodbank’s warehouse so it could be weighed, sorted and stacked in preparation for distribution to those who are in need.

East Renfrewshire Foodbank administrator Ag Law has said the organisation is extremely grateful for the donations received.

She told the Barrhead News: “Twice a year we do a Tesco collection in collaboration with the Trussell Trust, giving us this great opportunity to uplift food.

“This event in particular was a great success and we are extremely appreciative of the support from Barrhead and outlying districts.

“Collections like this boost our stock to a huge extent.”

East Renfrewshire Foodbank was established in 2013 and is supported by the Trussell Trust, as well as a number of local schools and churches.

Run entirely by volunteers, it exists primarily to provide assistance and three days’ worth of nutritionally-balanced food to local people who are in poverty or crisis.

Donations are sought all year round, with permanent collection baskets located at the Tesco store in Barrhead and the Waitrose store in Newton Mearns.

The foodbank itself is open at St Andrew’s Church, in Barrhead, on Tuesdays, from noon until 2pm, and on Fridays, from 3pm to 5pm.