A vital charity is branching out and re-branding as part of an effort to offer a more varied service to local people.
Moray Foodbank has been operating as part of the Trussell Trust network but has now made the decision to become an independent organisation.
Its team believe that is the best way for the charity to diversify, moving away from the traditional model offered by other food banks around the UK.
Over the past two years the charity has been developing new ways to supply choices and dignity for those struggling to make ends meet.
In that time, they have been involved in creating 18 community larders across the region – accessed more than 1,400 times in the last year.
They enabled people to choose what they wanted to eat, rather than being given a pre-selected parcel.
Additionally, the organisation has recovered more than 16 tonnes of surplus food from local supermarkets and producers, along with an additional 18,000 litres of milk.
The foodbank’s project manager, Mairi McCallum, thanked the Trussell Trust for their help but insisted that the time was right for the charity to show it is about more than just a food bank.
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She said: “The Trussell Trust was a great help to the organisation when we initially set up. They enabled us to establish ourselves as a food bank.
“We are grateful for their support but feel that the time has come for us to branch out on our own.
“The services we deliver are more than just the traditional food bank model and we want to develop the organisation in a way that properly reflects this.
“Other than the change of logo, and further down the line a change of name, it will still be business as usual across Moray.”
Moray Foodbank has become a vital resource for the region since it was established.
It experienced its busiest ever year in 2018/19, recording a 55% surge in the amount of support it has provided – rising from 2,867 people helped in 2017/18, to 4,448 during 2018/19.
Bosses attributed that rise, in part, to the roll-out of Universal Credit last June.
The group are always looking for more donations and volunteers as they head into a new era.