DEDICATED staff from East Renfrewshire Council have delivered around 35,000 free school meals to local pupils since classrooms closed due to coronavirus.

The majority of schools in the Barrhead area shut their doors on Friday, March 20, with only the children of key workers, such as nurses, still able to go to lessons.

For other youngsters, home schooling has become the new normal.

However, council staff have been working hard to ensure that those children who are entitled to a free school meal don’t go hungry during the Covid-19 lockdown.

As soon as schools closed, a food hub was quickly established at Maidenhill Primary, in Newton Mearns, to provide a central distribution point for school meals.

Each week, including over the spring holiday period, the packs have been provided to homes across East Renfrewshire, at all times taking into account the children’s dietary requirements.

A committed team of 12 catering staff work daily to put together the packs and these are then delivered by the council’s environment staff.

Each pack contains fresh, nutritious food, as well as recipe cards to help families make meals from the ingredients supplied.

Councillor Paul O’Kane, East Renfrewshire’s education and equalities convener, said: “The hard work and dedication of the staff supporting these families with food packs is unbelievable.

“I have been so impressed by the many council staff going above and beyond and this is just one example of how we are working tirelessly to support our residents.

“During these challenging times, ensuring all our children and young people are able to eat healthy and nutritious meals is so important.

“This work to deliver these vital food packs to homes across East Renfrewshire is absolutely fantastic. Well done to everyone involved and keep up the good work.”

For more information on the support being provided to East Renfrewshire residents by the council during the Covid-19 lockdown, visit here.