WITH a worsening cost of living crisis and rising costs, the Dunfermline Foodbank needs your help now more than ever.

That's why we at the Press are partnering with Stagecoach and asking our readers to help, if they can, by filling up the free donation bag included in this week's issue of the paper with non-perishable food items, toiletries and cleaning products.

Local councillors have backed the appeal, with Cllr Naz Anis-Miah for Dunfermline South, Cllr Derek Glen for Dunfermline Central and Cllr Auxi Barrera for Dunfermline North teaming up to make a donation of more than 80kg of food and 96 toilet rolls in support.

Since their donation, the Dunfermline Mosque have also decided to contribute with a £100 donation.

Dunfermline Press: We're asking our readers to fill a bag with donations for the Dunfermline Foodbank.We're asking our readers to fill a bag with donations for the Dunfermline Foodbank. (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Barrera said: “We wanted to make our donation public to raise awareness that with very little a difference can be made to many families. Individuals, groups and businesses can download the Foodbank app and donate what they most need.

"This is nothing to do with politics, we just want to ensure our residents have enough to eat and can maintain their households in these difficult times, where the cost of living crisis and inflation have hit every family.”

They used the Foodbank app to see what the Dunfermline branch was in need of most before purchasing their donations.

Cllr Anis-Miah commented: “Many families wouldn’t be able to feed themselves if it weren't for the Foodbank. Foodbanks and community larders are under so much pressure at the moment, more than ever before, with people just looking for the basics.

"No-one should ever have to decide which meal to skip because of not having enough food and to ensure their kids do. This should not happen in Scotland and definitely not in 2023."

All three councillor praised our appeal which we hope will go a long way to replenishing the diminished stock at the Foodbank.

Sandra Beveridge, Dunfermline Foodbanks project manager, told the Press: "Although the donations in December were absolutely brilliant, we're already starting to run low on some stock. It just happens, it's the winter months and you think you have loads until it comes to actually feeding everybody.

"I had a management meeting last night and I was talking about stock and that's what everyone was saying, that they can't believe how quickly our stock supplies have gone down. But when I'm looking at figures I can see why because the amount of clients coming to the foodbank has risen considerably."

She added: "I want to say thank you to the Dunfermline Press for doing this for us. It just couldn't have come at a better time, and Stagecoach have offered us West Fife Day Riders for anybody coming to the Foodbank.

"If they download the app, we can give them a code and then they've got a West Fife Day Rider. It gets them to the Foodbank and it gets them home as well. We're working together and we really hope it takes off."

Dunfermline Press:

With more people needing support now more than ever, it's no surprise that they are running low on all of their stock.

However, Sandra has said that the items they are needing the most is tinned goods such as meat and potatoes, as well as cleaning products and washing powder/capsules.

In times such as these it can be difficult to donate to those in need. To help, we have taken a look on the shelves of a local low price supermarket to find the best prices for Foodbank essentials.

The Foodbank accepts non perishable food in the following categories: tinned foods including meat, fish, potatoes, vegetables, long life milk, coffee and tea, sugar, and toiletries.

We found that a tin of minced beef and onion was priced at £1.75, tinned tuna was just 72p, a tin of new potatoes was 69p while tinned veg, such as peas was as little as 24p. For items such as UHT or long-life milk, it cost 69p per carton, coffee was £1.89 while tea was £1.09 and sugar was less than £1.

Toiletries such as toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, and deodorant, could all be found for under £1 each, and a general antibacterial spray was just 99p.

For those who don't have access to cooking facilities, the Foodbank encourages the donation of pot noodles, mug shots and cuppa soups. For own brand instant noodles it was just 59p, for instant cheesy pasta it was 79p and for four sachets of instant soup in a cup it was just 49p, which is less than 13p per portion.

In fact, to purchase one thing in each of these essential categories, it would cost just £14.39.

If you are able to donate, you can drop off your donations in your free Press donation bags to the permanent collection points in all local Tesco and Asda stores, or you can drop donations off at the Warehouse at Unit 1C, Pitreavie Business Park, Dunfermline, KY11 8UN on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, between 4pm and 6pm.