Forum's free food has feel good factor
Free food and helping to save the planet at the same time – it sounds too good to be true. But that is exactly what is on offer to anyone for the asking at Sutherland Care Forum’s Golspie office.
The charity became a member of the Coop’s Food Share initiative a year ago. The scheme involves the supermarket giving community groups food approaching its best before or use by date, and which would otherwise have gone to landfill.
Care Forum service manager Isobel Murray picks up the food items on Tuesdays and Thursday nights and does the same on Fridays and Saturday’s on behalf of St Andrew’s Church, Golspie.
“The items we are given are random, although there is always bread,” she said. “But I have been given pizzas, beef burgers, fish, ready meals, fruit, pancakes and coke.”
“This food can be taken away by anyone who could use it to save it going to landfill. Some folks take it to give to their hens and goats.”
Ms Murray is keen to expand and has approached other local outlets to see if they would be willing to do the same as the Coop, saving foods from landfill.
And a more recent approach by the forum to Aberdeenshire charity Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE) resulted in a large delivery to the Golspie office of non perishable food such as weetabix, tinned soup, tea bags and sugar. However these items are being distributed to those most in need. More recently, the forum made a successful application to a free appliance scheme Give Back Grundig and was gifted an upright fridge and freezer. Previously Golspie Community Council also donated money towards the purchase of a small fridge.
Anyone interested in helping reduce landfill by picking up food items should call in at the forum office at Craig House, Main Street, Golspie, on Wednesday and Friday mornings.There is no charge but donations are welcome.
