THE Pantry project in Inverkeithing is being supported by house-builders with a joint donation of £500 to help West Fife families in need during the festive season.

The funds are from Kingdom Housing Association and Campion Homes, who are behind the the regeneration of Fraser Avenue in the town.

The Pantry, which was founded in June, is managed by Inverkeithing Trust and supported by Fife Council community staff. It aims to alleviate pressure on West Fife foodbanks while encouraging community connections.

It is also part of the FareShare Scotland scheme, which aims to prevent food surplus from shops going to landfill and already has the support of Stephens The Bakers, the Co-Op, Dalgety Bay and Asda Dalgety Bay.

Project volunteers use financial donations to purchase additional food items needed to top up the food bags.

Nancy Rhouma, from Inverkeithing Trust, said: "Thank you so much to Kingdom and Campion for their very kind and welcome donation to our Pantry project – it's wonderful and we're absolutely delighted! Your donation will certainly help to keep our Pantry going and to meet a growing need in our community".

Kingdom’s joint donation is part of their wider community benefit commitment being provided through Phase 2 of the development to enhance employability opportunities and to promote life chances in the area. To date, that includes the creation of six jobs and two new apprenticeships, as well as allowing three existing apprenticeships to be sustained.

Julie Watson, interim head of capital investment at Kingdom said: “Demand for the services provided by The Pantry in Inverkeithing has been growing steadily over the last six months and shows no signs of slowing down.

"At Kingdom, we fully support the work they do, not only to take some of the pressure off local food banks, but also to prevent food waste and to build connections within the local community."