IT'S one week before Christmas and an elf is stacking deliveries in the storeroom.

“You can see when they get them,” he says. “They’re all smiling.”

This year, he’s not in the North Pole, preparing presents for the big day, he’s in north east Glasgow, volunteering at Ruchazie’s new food pantry.

Although the turkeys are yet to arrive, hampers have been putting smiles on the faces of some who are glad to have food for Christmas.

The elf, John Riach, says the pantry – a community membership shop which offers good food at low cost – is brilliant.

Since opening in September, more than 1100 people have signed up to the scheme, ran in partnership with charity Fareshare, which redistributes surplus food from supermarkets.

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Items are not individually priced. Customers pay a £2.50 membership each time and can pick up £15 worth of food. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve got jobs or anything, you can come and get it,” John says.

He is talking with Brian Tollett, another volunteer, about how residents in Ruchazie previously had to travel out the area to places like Morrisons, in Easterhouse, or to Parkhead.

“We’ve not got a bus from here to Parkhead, it’s costing you £7.50,” Brian says.

At £7.50 each way, people are spending £15 before they do their shop, he adds. “You can spend the £15 here.”

There is a community bus too. “They phone the number for the bus the day before right,” John says. “The bus will come and pick them up, they’ll do the shop and take them right back to their door.”

People are coming to the Gartloch Road pantry from outside the area too, from Maryhill and Drumchapel, even Paisley and Cumbernauld.

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“You can be a millionaire driving here in a Rolls Royce,” Brian says. “You pay your £1 registration and your £2.50 membership, and you can shop.

“Whether you’re working or you’re not, the pantry is open to anybody and everybody.”

Councillor Mandy Morgan has been working on the scheme for a couple of years, following discussions with Fareshare.

“I obviously decided the pilot should be in my ward,” she says. “I chose here because it’s quite isolated, bus services are not great.”

A steering group was formed, alongside the church and Ruchazie Housing Association, and City Building put the shop together. Money came from the Scottish Town Centre Fund.

The success of the pantry has been down to the community, Cllr Morgan and her ward colleague Ruairi Kelly believe.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” she says. “You can see the crazy elf. It’s fun all the time, people feel comfortable here.

“We never had any engagement at our surgeries, now people are walking in here.

“It’s a wee bit more informal, they’re saying can I grab a chat with you while you’re here.”

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Cllr Kelly says a lot of talk originally had been as an alternative to food banks, but that is just one aspect of the project.

“It’s essentially a shop that allows you to purchase stuff at a reduced price. The volunteers are from a community where so much stuff had been taken out of it. This has brought real community spirit back to the area.”

Next, two neighbouring units are set to be turned into a community café and social kitchen, with community classes and workshops. Financial management advice will be offered too.

“It’s a whole holistic approach,” Cllr Morgan says. “The food is the hook to get people in the door and then we can help them.”

She adds: “We don’t want to retain the volunteers, we want them to move into employment.

“They’ll get their health and hygiene, they’ll get their customer services.”

Land opposite the shop could also be converted, with plans for a green space to be up and running by the growing season.

“We’re working with an art collective, who are going to do a feasibility study for us, looking at urban forest and orchards,” Cllr Kelly says.

“Hopefully this time next year we’ll see a total change to the area.

“What would have been a row of half derelict shops and a school site that just attracts fly-tipping, can be something totally useful for the community.”

*Pantries have also opened in Parkhead and Govan, with plans for more in Drumchapel, Castlemilk and Wester Common in the new year.