An Aberdeenshire kirk is launching a brand new community larder where everybody is welcome and to help people make their money stretch further.
Ellon Kirk Centre received £4,000 funding by Hubbub through the Co-op to buy a new community fridge and freezer.
Today, the new community larder and community cafe will officially open after months of hard work.
With the funding, the team was able to buy a freezer with a glass door – meaning people can see the options without opening the door.
Nicola Bruce, mission development worker for the church, explained the freezer door being made of glass not only helps with regulating the temperature but also removes an extra barrier for people.
The church has been collecting surplus food from the likes of the Co-op and Tesco for a while, and throughout the pandemic, this food was used to bulk out emergency food parcels.
When lockdown hit, the need for the food parcels skyrocketed and soon the team realised they needed to start providing ongoing support to the community.
‘Only works if everyone uses it’
They decided a community larder would be the best way to help people access free food while making their money stretch further.
Anyone is welcome to visit the pantry, and there is no need for referrals.
“The beauty of a community larder is that it’s open to anyone,” Mrs Bruce explained. “And it only really works if everyone uses it.
“The idea is you can take what you need, give what you can so you can be a part of supporting others and you can have a hand yourself.
“Because they might be coming in to reduce food waste, they might be coming in to support others, or to lend a hand – nobody knows why anybody’s there and nobody needs to.
“The idea is if you need help then you can come and get help without the shame that can come with it.
“By coming to choose their own things were aiming to increase dignity and just let people have a lovely experience of shopping for food like everyone else.”
The kirk centre is developing a membership scheme for the larder using a shopping bag.
After using local connections and running an art competition, they have larder bags and kid’s bags printed sustainably and ethically.
The membership of £5 for an individual or £10 for a household for the year, with pay it forward and gift memberships available.
Reducing waste while strengthening community
The popular Kirk Centre Coffee Shop closed during the pandemic and never reopened.
A new cafe that operates on a pay-as-you-feel basis has now opened, meaning people are not becoming isolated because they can’t afford to meet friends for coffee.
People can just make a donation at the station where no one is looking.
Surplus food is also used in the community cafe which means the offerings will always be something fresh and different.
If the team receives a surplus of bananas then the cafe will make a banana loaf, or if they get surplus lemons they can make a drizzle cake.
On Thursdays, the team will serve soup and surplus bread as their specials, and on Saturdays they will serve bacon rolls.
Mrs Bruce said: “We’re trying to reduce waste as much as possible, which reduces our cost as well.
“The team has to get pretty creative about what they can make or bake dependent on what resources we have, but it’s been an exciting journey and they are really creative people who are doing amazing things with fruit and veg and various ingredients – it’s been fun to see.”
The kirk has also opened up a play area and spaces to meet and rent as well as a community shop.
Mrs Bruce pointed out that it is becoming “fashionable” to shop second-hand and buy vintage things as people are more aware of reducing, resuing and recycling.
The church is hoping to make these things more the norm, so it then becomes okay for people to take what they need and give what they can.
‘Everybody is welcome’
Mrs Bruce has been working at the church for around six years, and discovered there is a large number of people who just make ends meet in the area.
This means they are not on the radar for any support services because they are coping. However, the 42-year-old found when furlough cut wages people started to struggle.
She said: “There’s always going to be people keeping up appearances, you don’t really know what’s going on unless you can get to know people.
“Everybody is welcome and everybody will be very much treated with dignity and respect as they come through and hopefully will experience some of that generosity when they come in.”
Big Food Appeal
As part of the Big Food Appeal, the Press and Journal and Evening Express have been working to highlight initiatives like Cfine helping our communities.
We have been reporting on the cost-of-living crisis, threatening households right to the brink, while our appeal aims to help charities and volunteers with their vital work.
We have also been making sure those in our communities know where to get help when they need as well as dispelling misconceptions around accessing emergency food.
Conversation