A Glasgow charity which helps the elderly community faces closure as its council funding ends today, Friday March 31.
Food Train Glasgow has been deemed as a 'lifeline' for it's benefactors, as volunteers and staff are desperately seeking ways to keep the shopping delivery service in the city going as concerns of its potential closure become a reality.
Glasgow City Council has funded the bulk of the charity's operations since it launched a decade ago. The team now fear that this will have a 'disastrous' impact on older people across the city because sometimes the volunteers are the only people the elderly see.
In January, the council rejected the charity's latest three-year funding application. The final day of its financial support is Friday, March 31.
Supporters have since been rallying to stave off closure as the charity, which delivers food and groceries to 400 people across Glasgow, is working tirelessly to find longer term funding sources.
In the past month, more than £7,000 has been raised through a Crowdfunder campaign. As donations are still welcome, in desperation, Food Train has also sold its minibus to buy some extra time for the shopping operation.
Food Train Glasgow manager Chris Curtis said: “Every pound we receive is critical in keeping our service going for as long as we possibly can. Our crowdfunder is affording us time to explore every other possible funding opportunity.
“Without us, so many older people are going to be in dire straits. People who we see on a daily basis tell us about how worried they are about what’s going to happen if we weren’t to be here.
“As a team of staff and volunteers, we feel we’ve got an obligation to do what we can. Our members need us because they have no other local support system or family nearby, they are going to struggle without us.”
In the past 10 years, Govanhill-based Food Train Glasgow has made more than 67,000 grocery deliveries, helping thousands that are isolated across the city.
Douglas McCallister has been a volunteer with the charity for the past two years, collecting shopping in supermarkets and delivering them to members.
He said: “Closure would be disastrous. The older people we support are often housebound, isolated and overlooked by others. These people have no other way to get their shopping done - and would miss the positive difference that Food Train makes to their lives, even just by interacting with them.
“Members are asking us daily for updates on how long we can stay open, it really has become apparent to me how dependent they are on Food Train.”
As part of the campaign for funding, Food Train volunteers have continually highlighted their fears for older people in Glasgow, asking: “Who will they turn to if we’re not there?”
Allyson Ralph works as a volunteer, as well as speaking to members daily - as part of her work as the charity’s development officer in Glasgow.
She said: “Every day since the funding decision, we’ve had members on the phone who’ve no-one else to turn to, in total panic that they will have no-one to get them food. They might have no family or friends - no social care support. We are the only people who go to them every week. Without us to deliver to them, they have no-one.”
In the aftermath of the council funding cut decision over 5,000 people also signed a petition calling on authorities to find some way of supporting Food Train’s work in Glasgow.
Food Train works with more than 3,000 older people each year across Scotland.
Volunteers with its shopping service - including that in Glasgow - take weekly grocery lists from members, collect their shopping in the supermarket and deliver them to their homes.
To support the Food Train Glasgow Crowdfunder, click the link here.
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