Children as young as three joined hundreds of others queuing for a meal on Christmas Day, according to a Glasgow soup kitchen, with volunteers left 'heartbroken' by the problems people are facing.
Volunteers at the Homeless Project Scotland (HPS) served 410 meals on Christmas Day to families struggling to make ends meet at McChuills Bar on High Street and a further 150 meals on New Year's Day at Central Bridge courtesy of the Busby Hotel.
Staff said events over the festive period left some volunteers struggling to cope with their emotions, as they saw parents with babies in prams turning to the soup kitchen for food and even feeding their hungry children on the Argyle Street pavement once they had been served.
The increasing demand for food has been described as extremely sad by Colin McInnes, chairman of the HPS.
Mr McInnes said: “We are continuing our seven days a week service.
“The demand for food is increasing and the amount of children coming to the soup kitchen is extremely sad. We are now seeing a lot of children as young as three-years-old in the queue, as well as babies in prams.
“Mothers and fathers are taking food off our hands and feeding their children on the pavement beside us. They aren’t even waiting until they get home.
“We have now had to put a system in place which means any children attending the soup kitchen are brought to the front and served quicker so they are not waiting for long.
“This has been very challenging for our volunteers and some feel unable to return as they say it is too heartbreaking to watch children queuing for food in this day and age.”
Over the next couple of months the HPS is now hoping to launch its food truck which will allow them to serve people in communities unable to attend the service at Central Bridge.
Mr McInnes added: “We are hoping to launch our new food truck van which will be seen on the roads within the next four to five weeks.
“We have spent just under £100,000 on buying a van and converting it so it can take food into communities.
“The truck will pull up on the kerbside and feed anyone that comes along. It is basically a soup kitchen on wheels.”
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