FOR more than a quarter of a century Glasgow charity Loaves and Fishes has fed hundreds of desperate people who would otherwise go hungry.

Chairman Denis Curran and his wife Cathy have run the organisation since the early 1990s and this week marks 26 years since it was founded.

Loaves and Fishes provides three course meals to more than 40 people at Renfield St Stephen’s Church in Bath Street every Monday and Thursday and operates a busy food bank in East Kilbride.

Mr Curran hosted the charity’s annual ‘Mission Meal’ on Wednesday night which brings together dozens of supporters.

He said: “Tonight is about showing people how we use the money and the type of food we provide. What they are getting tonight is what the service users get. It’s nothing special.

“We’re totally dependent on their donations. We don’t rattle tin cans or send out begging letters. We don’t get any funding from the government. And we’re spending £4,000 a month.

“It’s 26 years we’ve been doing this but it’s nothing to celebrate. The meal is about giving thanks that we’ve been able to do it for 26 years.”

Among the charity’s big name backers is former Rangers and Kilmarnock star Steven Naismith, who is now with Everton.

Mr Curran said: “I don’t know a lot about football but I know a lot about people and he has impressed me. And at 72-years-old I’m not easily impressed.

“He travels from Liverpool on the train for the day to spend a few hours with us here. It would be quite simple just to send a cheque but he doesn’t just do that.”

The charity is also supported by schools, churches and big businesses, including Coca Cola Enterprises, Marks and Spencer and Lloyds Bank.

Angela Dunlop, 49, who is a frontline manager the bank’s Glasgow headquarters, has been volunteering on a Monday night for more than a year.

She said: “The bank wanted to help a charity that is not widely recognised. I wanted to find one that dealt with homelessness and food banks. That’s why we wanted to work with Loaves and Fishes.

“Also, it’s a charity where no one is paid. All the money that comes in goes back out to the people. It’s run by volunteers. Denis and Cathy are both in their 70s and they’re absolutely amazing.”

Last year Denis addressed MSPs at the Scottish Parliament’s on the plight of poverty-stricken families and the video footage was viewed by thousands of people online, bringing him to national prominence.

Mr Curran said: “People are hungry. Last year we helped more than 1,000 families in East Kilbride – so many that we stopped counting - and in Glasgow we are feeding about 40 or 50 people each night

“I said that to the politicians at the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Committee but I honestly think it fell on deaf ears.

“All I did was tell the truth but they tell so many lies they wouldn’t know the truth if they fell over the top of it.

“At elections they ask for your vote and tell you what they’re going to do for you. After they are voted in they tell us what they’re going to do to us.”

Mr Curran will be honoured with an MBE at the Palace of Holyrood on July 1 for his charitable work.

He added: “I was told at the end of last year. It’s taken me a while to get my head around that one. It’s an honour to get it but sometimes you say to yourself that what we’re doing – feeding people – it shouldn’t be happening.”

Find out more about Loaves and Fishes by visiting loavesandfishes.org.uk.

The Evening Times spoke to some of the people who have been helped by Loaves and Fishes...

James Goldie, 55, from Springburn, first came to Loaves and Fishes during a stint at a community rehab.

“About twenty years ago I was in a detox at Bethany House in Muslin Street and Denis and his wife Cathy came up in the Loaves and Fishes van,” he said.

“We were talking about different things, about not drinking. I started coming along to St Patrick’s when they were there and then started giving them a hand.”

Mr Goldie admits he had a drink problem and has been sober for more than a decade. He now volunteers with the charity.

He added: “I’ve always believed that if you have a problem, you should help someone else with a problem and it alleviates your problem. A bit of care and compassion goes a long way.”

Marie Pearson, 40, from Kent, came to Glasgow with her former boyfriend and became homeless after the relationship broke down.

She said: “He left me stranded in Glasgow. I was walking around wondering what to do. I slept on the streets. I was scared.

“I was sleeping in a doorway with just a t-shirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms on. This nice, kind lassie was walking by gave me some money and paid for a hotel room for me. After that I got a social worker and they put me in hostels.”

Ms Pearson has now settled in Maryhill and she is grateful for the support Loaves and Fishes provided at the time.

She said: “I went to the church and they gave me food. I’ve been coming here since 2009.”

Duncan Alcorn, 62, spent years in Glasgow’s hostels after returning to the city following a long spell living in England.

He said: “I was desperate to get out of the hostel system. I found Loaves and Fishes very helpful. They gave me food and clothing, support and advice.

“I have kept in contact over the years. When I got my flat I even got furniture from Denis and Cathy.

“They have done a lot for a lot of people. They don’t just help homeless people. They have the food bank too.”

Mr Alcorn added: “I’m proud to call them my friends.”