Widow became 'hermit' before finding lifeline food bank

Elizabeth O'Kane feels like a completely different person since discovering Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels.

The 72-year-old, from Clydebank, had been struggling with the loss of her partner Billy O'Kane who died from sepsis in 2015.

Despite always being outgoing she suddenly found it difficult to leave her home or be social before friends suggested a community hub.

Elizabeth doesn’t rely on the charity financially but discovered their weekly ladies' events and fish and chip nights which helped her personality slowly return.

It has allowed her to make many friends which has helped her work through the painful grief of her husband of 44 years.

Now regularly fundraises to help Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels boss Maureen Cummings, 55, support other vulnerable people.

Elizabeth O'Kane (left) and friend Anne Gorman who she reconnected with at the community hub (Image: Sourced)

Elizabeth told the Glasgow Times: “I was becoming a hermit and that just wasn’t me at all before my husband died.

“I still can’t come to terms with it if I am being truthful, but since coming here it has really helped and I feel much better.

“There was a time I couldn’t stop crying, I still get upset but not as much now.

“From the minute I came in I knew I liked this place, Maureen is a really wonderful person.

“I come for the community cafe, I don’t need the food bank financially but I cannot praise it enough, it has changed me.

“I got to all the ladies' nights and we helped raise funds for the food bank, I would do anything for this place.

“There's no criteria to come here and no one is made to feel uncomfortable which is great.

“My son says I am a completely different person since coming here, I just think what they do is really amazing.”

Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels aims to break the stigma of using food banks after creating an open floor plan which means people don’t have to queue up for donations.

Instead, they can shop in the pantry and take items from shelves like they would in a supermarket.

Maureen also created a community cafe across from the food bank where nothing has a price, meaning people can enjoy a hot meal and warm space.

Elizabeth regularly uses the cafe with friends which also hosts events and clubs to bring the community together.

It comes after she was left heartbroken after losing her partner Billy who suffered a heart attack and sepsis following a triple bypass in 2015.

Elizabeth said: “When something like that happens to you, losing your partner, half of you goes and that is really hard.

“My husband Billy went in for a triple bypass but there were complications which led to sepsis, it killed him.

“We were married for 44 years and he made me laugh a lot. I miss him, he was my best friend.

“We were retired for three years before he died and they were some of the most special years we ever had together.

“I was lost after he died but this community cafe has helped me come really far.”

You can donate to Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels by visiting their social media pages or their Amazon Wishlist available here.

You can also pay their Pay Pal here contact@okfp.org.uk

Bank on Us: Supporting those in need in Glasgow

The Glasgow Times have also launched our food bank campaign with the aim to ensure that our most vulnerable families across Glasgow have more support this Christmas.

Latest figures revealed that almost 200,000 food bank parcels were provided to people across Scotland in one year.