A NEW base for Dunfermline’s Foodbank is being sought urgently.

The charity has outgrown it’s current Elgin Industrial Estate base and is hoping a big-hearted West Fifer will help locate new warehouse premises.

Project manager and charity trustee Janet Gibson said they were desperate to find alternative accommodation so they can better support local people in crisis.

“We have outgrown the council building we are in and nothing else is available so we are looking for other offers,” she told the Press. 

“We need to be good stewards of the charity and so, in order to do that, we need storage space and warehouse space for food to be sorted before being taken to the individual satellite centres.”

Because of the increasing demand for assistance – which has gone up by 70 per cent in the last year – and the overwhelming amount of public donations, the existing warehouse no longer provides adequate space for the operation.

The charity has also had to rent two additional storage spaces – one 70 square metre building from the Fife Group in Dunfermline and four lock-up garages in Rosyth.

As a result, van pick-ups need to be done at all the storage facilities before being sorted and delivered to the charity’s foodbank charities in Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Rosyth, Cowdenbeath and Benarty.

“Single premises would allow us to bring the three facilities together,” explained Janet. “Currently operating from these three different storage facilities causes issues of double, sometimes triple, handling of crates to keep stock rotation in order to keep waste to a minimum.”

She said they were looking for an empty, easily-accessible building of around 3,000 square feet in the Dunfermline area to enable the distribution of stock to their satellite foodbanks.

The building needs to be wind and watertight, contain toilet facilities and a kitchen and have a concrete floor to cater for heavy loads caused by stacked crates.

Adequate lighting and a number of electrical power points would be required as well as some form of background heating to avoid dampness during the winter.

“We would be able to pay a nominal charge but we need to be good stewards for our charity,” added Janet. “We don’t receive any funding – just donations from the public.”

The Dunfermline Foodbank is currently benefiting from many donations from harvest festivals from schools and churches around West Fife.

They are also expecting an influx of donations at the beginning of December as a result of a national contribution from Tesco.

“Last year, the Tesco campaign raised eight tonnes of food. The people of Dunfermline are extremely generous and that is why it is important that we are seen to be good stewards of what they actually give to us,” added Janet.

A total of 2,697 adults and 1,495 children in West Fife received three days’ worth of food help in the last year. 

“One in five families are currently living in poverty and most of these families are one or two mortgage or rent payments away from struggling,” explained Janet.

“We give them enough food to feed the family for three days although most people can stretch this to last a week. One single person gets about 18 kilos of food and that equates to about £30 worth.

“We help to support them in crisis until the crisis has gone. We do not help them over the long term.”

Anyone who thinks they may be able to help can contact Dunfermline foodbank at info@dunfermline.foodbank.org.uk.