Opinion: We all need to do more to support town's foodbank

Just 0.1 per cent of people make regular donations through standing orders.

That’s 64 people. Barely enough to fill one row of seats in the stand at Stark’s Park.

We must do more.

The foodbank’s monthly bill for food has rocketed from £3000 to £8000 – an increase which, if it continues, could tip it into crisis later this year.

Without their intervention people could starve.

This is the reality of life in Kirkcaldy in 2018 for people with next to nothing and in desperate need of help that the state once provided.

We must do more for them.

Many people routinely add a few extra messages to their weekly shopping and drop them into the food bank, and that network of support is vital, but the key to underpinning it is regular financial donations.

We need local businesses to step up and do more here.

And we all need to look at taking out a standing order.
Just £2 per month would make a different – £5 or £10 would be magnificent.

If we can turn that 0.1 per cent of standing orders to just one per cent of the population, it would mean a solid foundation of 600 backers provididng a regular income stream to allow the Foodbank to plan ahead as it works to ensure no-one in this town goes hungry.

We need to stop repeating the message that it is shocking that foodbanks even exist – we’re beyond that rhetoric now – and ensure they have the support they need to cope as demand for their services grows with every passing month.

Our Make A Difference was launched in response to the figures which showed just how tough things were across Kirkcaldy – and for the people who are our neighbours, our colleagues and our friends.

The truth is we all need to do more – and we need to do it today.