A food bank in Crookston is feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis as donations drop. An increase in grocery costs, fuel prices and energy bills means people are not able to give as much as they used to.
That's impacting food banks across the country who rely on public donations to keep them afloat.
One of those affected is the Crookston Community Group (CCG), an independent charity that's been supporting locals for a decade.
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The charity was put together by families in the community with a mission to make life better. Since then, the charity has grown and they now have a team of 35 volunteers who run a daily food bank - amongst other projects including coffee mornings, kids clubs and a pantry.
GlasgowLive visited the charity, in Beltrees Road, to see the incredible work they do.
We were told the harrowing story of a young man who’d gone to the food bank after not having eaten for four days.
“We sat him down and made sure he had something hot to eat and gave him food to take away with him. He was so grateful for everything”, project manager Karen Neary said.
“We had a lady who had never used us before, she is a single mother and has worked all her life and always coped. She was in tears because she felt like a failure.
“Regardless of your financial situation, everyone’s bills have changed. People are on a limited budget and their budget is not rising to meet the cost of living - it’s leaving them with a huge deficit.
“We’ve had a lot of people come in who need to make a choice between heating and eating. It’s a horrible situation and it makes us sad.”
The CCG works with different organisations including mental health charities, housing associations and GP practices to offer their support to those who need it - including asylum seekers and refugees.
The pantry is open daily, from 12pm to 2pm, where customers can buy food for as little as 25p. They also sell Halal meat at affordable prices.
Karen says the amount of food bank users the CCG gets has risen to more than 60 per cent this year and they’ve seen donations drop as a result of the cost of living crisis.
She added: “We are watching this happening from the frontline and are genuinely worried that this is the tip of the iceberg. We’re a small independent charity and a lot of our donations come from the public and we are noticing our donations dwindling.
“We are having to solicit more donations and do more food drives and ask for more help. Sometimes we can’t do what we want to do or need to do because we are trying to juggle the way things are.
“If we never got another donation from now until the New Year then I reckon we would probably run out before Christmas. It would be devastating.
“We try our very best to make sure no one is hungry in our community or needs to feel so undignified. Everyone needs help at some point and there is no shame in getting help.
“It’s not a hand-out, it's a hand-up and everyone needs it every now and then. That’s what we are trying to offer.”
The food bank at Crookston Community Group is open from Monday to Friday between 10am and 3pm. Whether you’ve been referred or just want to walk in - everybody who needs help is welcome.
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