Inverness café project based at Ness Bank Church issues appeal for PPE donations during Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic
A city project which has provided vital food supplies for hundreds of vulnerable people since the start of the coronavirus crisis is appealing for donations of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Inverness Foodstuff has closed its drop-in café at Ness Bank Church, but still operates a takeaway and delivery service for those facing hard times.
Since the start of the crisis it has delivered more than 500 free meals with the help of people from catering and delivery backgrounds who have found themselves with time to help.
The church and community-led project was set up in 2014 with the aim of tackling food poverty and loneliness.
Operations manager June MacLeod said: “The 100 or so folk who relied on the service weekly are a mix of people in temporary homeless accommodation with limited cooking facilities, vulnerable tenants and occasionally someone rough sleeping.
“Over the past weeks we’ve been turning around what was simply a café to now deliver meals to people in a variety of settings. That’s supported social distancing and we have been able to identify people ‘sofa surfing’ and reach out to help where possible.”
Iver Forsyth, a board member and principal housing officer at Highland Council, said the group had faced challenges.
“In common with so many other voluntary groups, our biggest need at the project is the PPE that’s recommended to manage this safely,” he said. “If there are businesses in the Inverness area, whether construction, hairdressing, or oil and gas, that can spare FFP3 masks or other PPE, please get in touch, either through me or Ness Bank Church.”
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