Local charity Inverness Foodstuff has been short-listed to become the latest recipient of funding from Scotmid Co-operative’s Community Connect initiative – the charity could be awarded up to £15,000 to further their services.
Community Connect was initially trialled in the North of Scotland last year and enables Scotmid members to award good cause groups in their local area with funding of either £15,000, £7,500 or £2,500. The funding is generated via the sale of single use carrier bags and the groups are short-listed by a Scotmid member selection panel.
The other short-listed groups in Scotmid’s North Member Region are Pillar Kincardine and Laurencekirk Memorial Park.
Previous recipients of £15,000 awards from the opening two cycles of Community Connect were Dundee’s Eighteen and Under and Highland Cycle Ability Centre.
Scotmid members collect votes by swiping their Community Connect card after every in-store purchase and then cast their votes for their preferred good cause group at Scotmid’s North Region Ordinary General Meeting in Brechin on 2 October.
Inverness Foodstuff aims to address the problem of homelessness, food poverty, social isolation and food waste. The funding will be used to help fund the project, which has grown in both size and scope since it was established in 2014.
The charity provides a drop-in centre every Tuesday and Thursday to give a hot, nutritious meal to the homeless and vulnerable; it is also open for soup and sandwiches on Saturday afternoons.
Joyce Muir, Trustee and Secretary to the Board of Trustees for Inverness Foodstuff, said “We are absolutely delighted to be short listed for the Scotmid Community Connect award. This award is a wonderful reflection of the dedication and commitment of our volunteers, who provide a fabulous service to the homeless and vulnerable in our City.”
Image (left to right): Inverness Foodstuff’s Annie Griffiths, Bob Glover, and Joyce Muir