** The Gifford Food Larder is no longer active - thank you to all who worked on it during lockdown 2020 **
Coronavirus has had an impact on finances as well as health. Gifford Community Council has launched a new service to help if you’re experiencing issues affording a range of essential food and household items.
The Gifford Larder opens this week in the Todrick Room, Gifford Village Hall (accessed through lower/ground floor door). We’re stocking a range of items such as tea, coffee, tinned meat, fish and vegetables, cereal, juice and uht milk. Simply make an appointment with one of our coordinators and they’ll arrange a time when you can go to ‘shop’ for your items.
The safety of visitors and our volunteers running the Larder is important. The Gifford Larder is by appointment only so we can manage numbers, social distancing and cleaning, and also allow people to visit with confidence and privacy.
You don’t have to be referred to use The Gifford Larder. If you think it would help you through these extraordinary times, please get in touch to book an appointment.
We are very grateful to individuals and organisations who have donated funds to make this possible.
Who can use The Gifford Larder?
Anyone living in the Gifford Community Council area who is experiencing financial difficulties due to/made worse by Covid and is struggling to access food can use the Larder. It’s a community system and, as such, it’s based on trust and community spirit. You don’t need a referral (ie from a GP or social worker) or have to provide proof of income to visit The Gifford Larder.
When will The Gifford Larder be open?
The Gifford Larder will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays by appointment only.
How do I make an appointment?
The Gifford Larder will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays. To book an appointment - * for a Tuesday visit call Katy on Mondays 10am-12pm on: 07513 471 966 * for a Friday visit call Julia on Thursdays 10am-12pm on: 07513 471 961. * Can I donate food?
We know there are lots of people who would like to support a Larder. We are not accepting food donations. This is because it adds another complex layer of organisation that would need to be managed: it is harder to offer certainty of what people using the service can expect to find and it is harder to manage stock control - we want to avoid waste. It also means our coordinators can respond to what visitors are telling us they would benefit from. We have carried out research before making this decision and we hope you understand.
If you would like to donate food: please consider the East Lothian Foodbank, based in Tranent. Yester Church is in the process of setting up a collection point.
If you would like to financially support The Gifford Larder: please contact Gifford Community Council to discuss.
How often can I use The Gifford Larder?
We want to support households that are under financial pressure due to Covid. The Larder will be open twice a week and we expect that most people will undertake an occasional or ‘weekly’ shop from its stock.
* Do I need to pay to use the Larder? The Gifford Larder has been set-up to help those who are struggling financially. As such it is free to access and use.
What will you stock?
We’ve developed a list of 20 items based on discussions with another similar service. These are essential items that form the basis of most shopping baskets. It will allow our visitors to plan their shopping and, having these items covered, will make it easier to supplement it from other sources. The stock may change depending on demand but we will expect to offer:
coffee
tea bags
biscuits
bread
cereal
baked beans
soups
pasta
rice/cous cous/ noodles
fruit 1
fruit 2
shower gel
semi-skimmed
cooking sauce - jar
potatoes (whole, washed)
tinned meat
tuna
vegetables tinned vegetables
chopped tomatoes
tinned fruit
toilet roll
Why have you developed a Gifford Food Larder?
Across East Lothian, many households are seeing their financial situation worsen due to the impacts of Covid on working hours etc. Gifford will be no different. Many existing food services are struggling to keep up with increased demand, cannot take on new clients and/or rely on a referral process. This can make it difficult to get help just now.
We were offered a financial donation to establish a Larder and looked into other similar schemes so we could develop something for Gifford.
We want to make sure that anything that we establish is safe, supports people in our area who need it, and is sustainable.
Have you spoken to the Co-op?
Yes we have spoken to Gifford Co-op as well as East Lothian Council’s policy, environmental health, connected communities and protective services teams. We will continue to do so and make best use of all available resources.
Do I need to share confidential health or financial information to use The Gifford Larder?
No. As a community service we are operating on trust and community spirit.
Who will be working in The Gifford Larder?
We are very fortunate to have volunteers who will work in teams to stock the Larder and admit visitors by appointment. All of our volunteers will provide a welcoming and confidential service.
What happens if the Larder is not used?
We hope that The Gifford Larder will be of use to people and have spent time developing a model that we believe is best suited to our village. If we find that demand reduces, any excess items that we have will be donated to the East Lothian Foodbank.