Rutherglen and Cambuslang Foodbank sees drastic drop in donations

Rutherglen and Cambuslang Foodbank have seen an increase in the number of people accessing their services in the last year as people struggle during the cost-of-living crisis.  

Katharina Nimmo, food bank manager, says this rise has included a jump in the number of people who are in work accessing the service. 

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She said: "We’ve had a 39% increase in people coming to the food bank and a lot of new attendees, people who’ve never before had to use a food banks.  

"More and more people are actually in work but they just still can’t make ends meet.  

"We had a lot of families but that’s gone down a bit, it’s more single people again. 

"It’s scary when you see the kind of people that have to come to a food bank."

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From November 1, 2021, until October 31, 2022, there were 6188 people using Rutherglen and Cambuslang Foodbank and a total of 56,000 donations.  

However, between November 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023, the number of food bank users increased to 8584 while the number of donations plummeted to 23,821. 

Katharina says the decline in donations has been the food bank’s main struggle over the last year. 

She said: "The number of donations has gone down quite considerably.  

"People are feeling the pinch and that’s totally understandable, so we’ve ended up having to buy a lot more to give out. 

"We’re lucky we have the money to do that at the moment but it’s not sustainable in the long term."

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She continued: "We have packing lists that have been developed by NHS dieticians to make sure its nutritionally balanced food and enough for three days.  

"We need to make sure all that is on the list is in the bag so having the amount of donations going down really makes a difference."

The increase in people accessing the food bank has also put a strain on volunteers, who are sometimes dealing with almost double the amount of people during a session compared to last year.  

For anyone that is able to donate to the food bank, Katharina says they need staples such as UHT milk, tinned meat, fruit and vegetables, pasta sauces, and tinned custard and rice pudding.

We previously reported the Glasgow Times will be running the Bank on Us campaign for the fifth consecutive year, and we are encouraging our readers to get involved in a food drive.  

As part of the festive campaign, readers who are able to donate are being asked to fill the bags we supplied in our edition on Wednesday, November 15 with food items and hand them into one of our partner food banks, such as Rutherglen and Cambuslang Foodbank. 

This year, our Christmas campaign is more important than ever due to the cost-of-living crisis with thousands of families struggling to heat their homes and put food on the table.  

As well as the food drive, the Glasgow Times will be raising money for our Bank on Us toy drive via GoFundMe HERE. 

All proceeds will be used to purchase toys which will be distributed to charities across the city to be handed out to parents and put under the tree as we aim for every child in Glasgow to open a present on December 25. 

The Bank on Us 2023 campaign is proudly sponsored by Arnold Clark, Stagecoach, Allied Vechicles, Spar Scotland, Storage Vault and StepChange.  

Rutherglen and Cambuslang Foodbank* 

• Unit 37, Rutherglen Exchange, Main Street, Rutherglen, G73 2LS 
• Romanian Pentecostal Church Halls, 2 Cadzow Drive, Cambuslang, G72 8ND, Opening times: Friday, 12.30-2.30pm 
• Rutherglen Community Baptist Church, Reuther Avenue, corner of Stonelaw Road and Greenhill Road, G73 2SL, Opening times: Monday and Thursday, 12.30-2.30pm 
• Whitlawburn Community Resource Centre, 57 Belmont Road, Cambuslang, Glasgow, G72 8PG, Opening times: Tuesday, 5.45-7.45pm 

Rutherglen and Cambuslang Foodbank works using a voucher referral system. In order to get help from the food bank, you will need a voucher issued by local agencies. 

*opening times are correct at the time of writing but may be subject to change