Food initiative in Highlands eases pressure on families as devastating impact of coronavirus crisis bites hard; Highland Council collaboration with Community Food Initiative North East has seen 374 tonnes of food supplied to region
A FOOD initiative aiming to ease the burden on families during the coronavirus crisis has provided the equivalent of 900,000 meals within the Highlands since the initial March 2020 lockdown.
Rising unemployment and the impact on households of the thousands of people who are still furloughed has emphasised the need for coordinated help across the region, a councillor said today.
Highland Council said it would continue its humanitarian support given the persistent uncertainty and challenges arising from the pandemic.
It works in partnership with the Community Food Initiative North East (CFINE), which operates FareShare Scotland in the north of Scotland.
With funding from the Scottish Government and donations from supermarkets and food suppliers, FareShare, the Highland Council, local community groups and the Third Sector have adopted a collaborative approach to food support for the wellbeing of households across the region.
Since the initial lockdown began in March 2020, FareShare has provided approximately 374 tonnes of quality food to the Highlands – estimated to be equivalent to over 900,000 meals.The 277 tonnes received by the council continues to be delivered to individual households, with the vast majority being distributed across the network of community groups and used to provide cooked meals and food supplies within local communities.
The council’s partnership with FareShare was established in February 2019 to alleviate food insecurities for Highland households.
At that time, as well as providing doorstep deliveries to individual households, the council began to develop partnerships with a network of faith groups, charities and other support groups that were all involved in food distribution.
That enabled it to provide the network with food supplies so that hot meals and food parcels were available for local residents.
As a result of the pandemic, this model has been expanded to enable the combined resources to support increasing need within communities.
Councillor Matthew Reiss, vice-chair of the corporate resources committee said: “Here in the Highlands, unemployment is increasing and there are around 14,300 furloughed employments. This co-ordinated response therefore ensures that food support can be provided when needs arise. The retail value of the supplies provided for the Highlands by FareShare is estimated to be valued at around a staggering £500,000 which is most welcome.
"However, it reinforces the social and economic impacts that the pandemic has had on people’s daily lives and underlines the ongoing need for council teams to continue to collaborate with communities and the Third Sector to provide a steady supply of quality food."
“There are many excellent examples of collaboration working to achieve positive outcomes for individuals and families across the Highlands.For example, our two local suppliers of household goods for those who have been awarded a community care grant, also distribute and provide food support for our citizens. I would encourage those impacted by the pandemic to make use of the expertise within the council’s welfare support team (Freephone 0800 090 1004) and Citizens Advice for help and advice about the support that is available, including the benefits that are currently unclaimed."
