THE uptake of meals for the vulnerable in Scotland has nearly trebled during lockdown.
FareShare Scotland has said that more than 1.8m meals have been provided to those most in need between March and September this year in the north east of Scotland alone.
That uptake is a rise of 278% in those six months compared to last year.
And it is a similiar story in the west of Scotland, where the demand for food has trebled.
Operated by the charity Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE), FareShare Scotland said it delivered 784 tonnes of food in the six months to third sector organisations supporting vulnerable people across North Scotland.
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The organisation takes surplus food from right across the food industry and redistributes it to groups that support the most vulnerable, including children, the homeless, refugees and elderly people.
Graeme Robbie, FareShare Manager at CFINE, said: “Coronavirus has had a significant impact on people’s lives; thousands of individuals and families found themselves in a position where they can’t afford adequate food.
“Thanks to the food purchased with funding from the Scottish Government and donated by supermarkets, we were able to distribute over 1.8 million meals to people in need across the North of Scotland."
FINE operates FareShare Scotland in seven local authorities: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.
In the west of Scotland a record four million meals have gone to people in need - the equivalent of 1681 tonnes of food - during lockdown.
FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland, run by homelessness prevention charity Move On, has been providing food right across the region, from Dumfries and Galloway to Mull.
The charity estimates that since lockdown restrictions came into place, as many as 72,000 people are now accessing food provided by this FareShare branch each week.
Director of operations, Jim Burns, said “Many more individuals and families are finding themselves in really difficult circumstances because of the lockdown restrictions, and demand for our food has risen steeply.
“It’s been really heartening to see the community come together during the crisis to help make sure vulnerable people don’t go hungry.”
Food deliveries are made up of non-perishable, food purchased with funding from the Scottish Government, food donated by supermarkets directly to FareShare and in-date surplus food redirected from the food industry.
It is redistributed to charities and community groups such as breakfast clubs, day centres for older people, domestic violence refuges, homeless shelters and drug and alcohol rehabilitation units.
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