Eilean Siar Foodbank has announced changes to its emergency food supply service as it ends its affiliation with the Trussell Trust.
The foodbank based in New Wine Church in Stornoway is run in partnership with the national organisation.
However, running a Trussell Trust food bank involves a wide range of administrative responsibilities and the small team of trustees said they do not feel best placed to lead the delivery and development of the food bank service in its current capacity.
After assessing its ability to continue leading the food bank, the governing charity New Wine Church will cease the Trussell Trust side of the project from Friday 15th November.
However, there will be continuing provision available for those in need from New Wine Church and the agencies will have a supply of emergency boxes.
As people are referred through agencies, there should be very little change in the experience of those actually in need.
The charity is in talks with New Wine Church and other local churches regarding a network of smaller, less formal community food banks that would be easier to run on a voluntary basis.
Trustees said its ongoing vision is to involve the wider church community on the island and continue working together to feed the hungry.
Catriona Stewart, chair of the board of trustees at Eilean Siar Foodbank, said: “We believe in the vision of the Trussell Trust and the importance of their voice at government level.
“Although the administrative partnership is coming to a close, we trust that the friendship and connections made will remain open as we work together to ensure that no one goes hungry.”
She added: “We are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from local people and want to say a particular thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers for their work over the past six years.
“Our highest priority is the people in crisis within our community, and our vision has always been for the foodbank to become redundant.
“To the contrary, the need for food parcels has increased significantly since we started and the support our small team are able to offer is no longer adequate.
“Now that the ethos of the food bank has been established on the island, we believe it is possible to address these needs on a more informal basis through the support of local churches and agencies across the island who already have links with the residents.”
Food bank facilities in Uist and Barra are operated separately and will not be affected by these changes.
The annual Tesco collection will still go ahead in November as it is a nationwide Trussell Trust event, but any food donated at the Stornoway store will be transferred off the island to other food banks on the mainland.
However, donations of food and money made directly to Eilean Siar Foodbank will be passed on to local people in need or redistributed to other appropriate local projects in due course.
Eilean Siar Foodbank gave special thanks to local businesses who have generously
donated storage facilities and services over the last few years. The likes of Grillburger,
DR Macleod, Neil Mackay, Macaskills, Car Hire Hebrides, Tesco and the Co-
They food bank also thanked the Trussell Trust for its help and advice over the last few years.
New Wine Church began operating an informal emergency food provision service over seven years ago.
Since partnering with the Trussell Trust in 2013 and founding the Eilean Siar Foodbank, the charity has provided emergency food supplies to over 3,000 individuals, families and children across the Western Isles.
This is mainly thanks to the small but dedicated volunteer base and the outstanding generosity of local people, churches and businesses.
Changes for emergency foodbank service
7 October 2019
Trussell Trust