NHS Western Isles provides support to local foodbank 

To support the local foodbank and the incredible service it provides, NHS Western Isles recently provided a capital grant to enable Stornoway Golf Club to purchase a new van for food collections and deliveries.  

A donation of £12,000 enabled the club to purchase a foodbank van, which is in constant use, to ensure food is available to those in our community who are struggling.  

The foodbank project at Stornoway Golf Club came about at the very start of the pandemic. In collaboration with the local Salvation Army and the local Citizen’s Advice Bureau, club management and staff assisted these agencies to establish a drop-in supermarket style foodbank along with a food distribution network for pre-packed boxes to all communities the length and breadth of the Western Isles. 

The facility is run by a team of dedicated and invaluable volunteers, without whom the service would not be possible.  

The footfall at the foodbank almost reached a staggering 20,000 between May 2020 to June 2022 (at which point the foodbank changed to a food club). Since the pandemic began, the food bank has packed and distributed around 2,700 boxes to every single part of the Western Isles.  

Iain Macdonald from Stornoway Golf Club explained: “The van makes such a difference to us. It is in constant use. We get pick-ups at 9pm each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from Tesco of the waste food, we do the shop for the fresh and frozen each Monday and Thursday for the public openings on Tuesday and Fridays.  

“We also use it daily to go and retrieve donations that can come in from various sources like Cal Mac, private, and churches to name but a few. 

“On the output side, we are out delivering all over the island, with referrals from any agency from social work to the salvation army. We also deliver to help out those elderly or infirm and can't make it to the Golf Club on any given day.” 

Iain explained that the van is also used to pick up items from the cash and carry on the mainland, and to transport any items back home that can be sourced from other areas at a lesser cost. This also ensures that local stores are not left short of supplies.  

“I’d like to thank NHS Western Isles for making this all possible,” Iain added. 

NHS Western Isles Chair, Gillian McCannon, said: “It is vitally important that NHS Western Isles has been able to support such an important lifeline for many people who find themselves in a difficult position. 

“NHS Western Isles has an overarching role to support our communities to help maintain their health, it is also important that we work collaboratively with different partner agencies to ensure that we can all support the people within our communities. 

“It is a positive step, and NHS Western Isles is delighted that we have been able to support this project. My thanks go to all the people involved in this initiative for making it successful.”