Over 330kg of essential supplies for emergency food parcels have been donated to the Dunfermline Foodbank by staff at Hidden Hearing.
Teams across the country at the specialist provider of free hearing tests and technology have been have been donating to help people needing support this winter.
Their donations come at a time that food bank charity the Trussell Trust is warning will be a Christmas and new year of unprecedented high demand for its already over-stretched network.
READ MORE: Dunfermline tartan tells story of historic city
Sandra Beveridge, project manager at Dunfermline Foodbank, was hugely appreciative of the donation from Hidden Hearing.
She said: “Food donation levels have remained stable compared to last year, but for many food banks the increase in people needing emergency support is outstripping donations.
"The cost of living crisis is driving record numbers of people on the lowest incomes to food banks, and we’re having to buy more food at a time when prices are higher than ever.”
According to the Trusts’ ‘Hunger in Scotland’ research, an estimated 1.2 million people in Scotland have recent experience of food insecurity. Working-age adults are much more likely to need to turn to a food bank than pensioners; and families with children are overrepresented amongst those who turn to food banks.
Sandra added: “People are coming to food banks because their jobs are insecure or don’t pay enough. Other barriers such as lack of affordable childcare or transport costs are holding people back from finding secure, well-paid work, trapping them in low incomes.
“We’re also seeing people with health conditions or relatives to care for using food banks because they are not getting the help they need from the social security system. Our mission is to be here for those who have no other options – people tell us that support from a food bank can be life-saving.”
READ MORE: Negotiations continue for empty Debenhams unit in Kingsgate
Businesses are also being encouraged to support the Trussell Trust’s Christmas appeal this year.
Laura Ewen, Hidden Hearing’s Scottish area manager, said: “Supporting local people’s health and wellbeing is at the heart of what Hidden Hearing is all about, so helping the Trussell Trust to tackle hunger and hardship in the community is something our staff have really got behind.
“Everyone has enjoyed working together to contribute in a different way. By talking about why we’re supporting the Trust’s Christmas appeal, we hope we can also help to raise awareness of the essential work food banks are doing in Scotland, not just in the run-up to Christmas but all year round.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here