Two Balloch pubs are offering vulnerable locals free hot drinks and soup amid growing concerns over the cost of living crisis.
The Glenroy Bar and the Doghouse Bar have each started their own initiatives, with The Glenroy Bar offering free soup and The Doghouse Bar handing out free tea and coffee.
Haldane local and head chef at the Glenroy Bar, Daniel Walker, has been with the bar for over two years and launched the initiative last Monday.
Anyone struggling will be able to come along and enjoy free hot soup between 11am and 4pm every day.
Daniel said: “Before I started, the pub used to do free soup for the older customers and the regulars. It was just to make sure that the wee old guys had somewhere to come and have something to eat.
“We want to spread the word about this to help as many people as possible.
“In places like Dumbarton, you see quite a lot of people sitting in the streets, so we want to be able to reach them.
“Rather than sitting outside Greggs, they can come down to the pub and get something to eat for absolutely nothing whilst having a bit of company and getting a heat.
“It’s available for everyone, and we hope to be running this for as long as we possibly can.
“It is nice for those who may be having a tough time to come down and get something for free to eat because not much is free in this world.
“There are cheaper things we could give out, but we want to be able to provide something for folk that need it, especially with the cost of living.”
This isn’t the first charitable thing the Glenroy bar has done in the past few weeks, even running a Macmillan coffee morning to raise money for the cancer charity, alongside giving cakes out to those homeless in the area.
However, Daniel admits he couldn’t have started the free soup plan without the support of new owners Alok Singh and Deepak Yadav.
He added: “The new owners have been great and supported me 100 percent with this.”
Meanwhile, it was the owner of the Doghouse Bar, Ozgur Koca, who started the pub’s plan to give out free tea and coffee.
The local community have even donated biscuits and chocolates to the pub for those using their service.
Ozgur has spearheaded numerous charitable actions, including free Christmas dinners, and free pints for loyal customers through lockdown.
He said: “Many people cannot afford to heat their homes. So, during the day when kids are at school, they can come here and order a doghouse tea or coffee and get a heat without spending any money whatsoever.
“During the day, we are not so busy, and we have lots of empty tables, so I would rather we do something good for the community
“If we can just help one person, then that would be great. We are saving some people from having a terrible time in their own houses, having to wear three jumpers, just to keep warm.
“That is not how you should be living life. It is shocking.”
