Food For Thought, a Dumbarton foodbank, has been hit by a “devastating” storm damage blow just weeks after learning of a 50 per cent reduction in council support. The charity, based in a unit at the Artizan Shopping Centre, was one of several shops affected when heavy rain and thunderstorms battered the region on Friday afternoon.
Storm damage forces closure of front-facing operation
The surging water damaged ceiling tiles at the shop and has forced the closure of their front-facing operation. Quick-thinking customers in the shop at the time of the storm saved rails of clothes at the charity shop. Volunteer Tina Kemp told the Lennox: “We’re waiting for the council to visit and assess the situation and what is needed in terms of repairs. It’s left us in a situation where no one will be able to come through the main door and we’ll likely be asking people to phone us up if they wish a parcel made up and then they can come in to collect or we have a driver to get it to them.”
Timing compounds difficulties with school holidays
The timing couldn’t be more difficult, with the beginning of the school holidays bringing a spike in demand for food parcels from families no longer able to access school meals and breakfast clubs. The charity is also still reeling from the news of an almost 50 per cent cut in local authority funding for their operations. Kemp added: “It’s devastating for us because we were just looking to get our heads around the funding cut and there is still a bit of a stigma around using a foodbank; we have lots of people coming in who need food for themselves or their family but coming in is something that no one really wants to do. It’s just another hurdle for everyone to get over, but hopefully it will only be temporary for us and we’ll be back up and running soon.”
Funding cut forces reduced services
The Dumbarton-based charity learned it will receive just £25,750 from the local authority this year – an almost 50 per cent drop from its usual annual grant of £42,000. As a result, the charity has no choice but to close its doors one day a week and drastically reduce the number of clients it helps. It now operates only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. In addition, it will stop food bags to adults, focusing solely on families and pensioners, as well as axing outreach projects in Alexandria and Clydebank.
West Dunbartonshire Council previously said: “The council values the support Food for Thought provides to local families and recognises the financial pressures the organisation is facing. In March 2023, a three-year funding package was agreed, providing annual support through to March 2026. At the council’s budget meeting earlier this year, a further £120,000 was allocated to support foodbanks across the area. This year’s funding of £25,750 to Food for Thought reflects a proportionate share of this wider funding.”
