A CHARITY worker has revealed that the current cost-of-living crisis is causing “genuine worry” across Glasgow.

Crookston Community Group has seen a “huge increase” in the number of people using their food bank service over the last couple of months.

The team have partnered with the Glasgow Times as part of our Bank on Us campaign – which is encouraging readers to donate to their local food banks this Christmas.

Glasgow Times: Karen Neary, left, with Shannon Chisholm Karen Neary, left, with Shannon Chisholm (Image: Colin Mearns)

Karen Neary, project officer, said: “We’re an independent food bank so a lot of our donations come from the public, so we’ve even noticed a change in our donations.

“A lot of people are affected by the cost-of-living to the point where people who’d usually spend a wee £5 on us now can’t afford to do that.

“So now we’re trying to solicit more donations by contacting organisations and organising food drives, but the demand has really risen over the past few weeks.

“We’ve got more people coming to us that have never come to us before and people who never thought they would have to.”

The food bank, which helps around 200 people each week, mostly operates through a referral programme with partners such as housing associations and mental health services.

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Karen added: “We sometimes do a self-referral because we understand not everyone can get a hold of these referrals in a time of dire need.

“We can also put people in touch with different organisations, such as Money Matters or Citizens Advice. We offer support in lots of different ways.

“People can come in and use our computers, we help a lot of refugees, and we do a daily pantry to help everyone in the community because most people are on a budget now. That’s open to everyone.

“We do lunch clubs during the holidays for kids, where they get a free meal and a breakfast bag to take home with them to help reduce the cost for the parents and ensure the children get their meals.”

The current cost-of-living crisis means demand for the food bank has “shot up”.

Karen said: “One of our questions on our anonymous survey, for statistics purposes, is ‘have you ever had to make the choice between heating your home or feeding yourself or your family’, and more and more common now the answer is ‘yes’.

“It normally gets busier at Christmas every year, as people are having to put more money into gas and electricity to heat their homes, and that’s taken from their food budget. There are certain times of the year it gets busier. It also gets busier during the summer holidays because there’s more demand for food for children.

“We are genuinely worried, along with other food banks up and down the country, about how things are going to go because the cost-of-living crisis is the tip of the iceberg. We deeply appreciate any donations from anybody, and they’ll be put to good use.”

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The food bank is hoping that people who are in a position to help this festive season will donate non-perishable foods such as pasta, soup, noodles, and tinned hotdogs as well as toiletries such as deodorant and shower gel.

If you would like to drop donations off, the food bank at 56 Beltrees Road in Pollok is open from Monday to Friday, 10am until 3pm.

On Wednesday, November 30, paper bags will be inserted into every copy of the Glasgow Times as part of the Bank on Us campaign.

Readers who are able to donate are being asked to fill the bags and hand them in to one of our partner food banks.

For more information and for the full list of participating food banks, click HERE.

Or to donate to our toy drive, click HERE.