'It's shocking': Glasgow food bank says people stop by on their way to work

Drumchapel Food Bank workers said more and more people with jobs are reaching out to them for help.

Volunteer Ryan McGeady told the Glasgow Times: "Now, we get a lot of people who are in work poverty, so they are coming here before they head off to work, some of which I know have not-bad-paying jobs.

"That just shows you how badly the cost-of-living crisis is affecting people.

“Especially for people who don’t already own their home and they pay their rent and bills.

“The change has been quite shocking."

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The vital service has also been receiving fewer donations and an increasing number of requests in the past few months, which has forced it to put out an urgent appeal again.

In May, the team told us that their shelves were almost empty as staff feared they would not be able to fulfil the follow week’s parcels.

Now in a similar plea, they are asking anyone who has the means to donate to do so, urgently. 

Mr McGeady said: “With the rising cost of living, it seems that the middle class, who usually donate to us, have been unable to.

“We are not getting as many donations but we are also seeing an extreme rise in enquiries.

“Our numbers are back up to around 105 and 130 families a week.

“The biggest families we have that are dependent on us are around 11 people.

“We have just been trying to keep up with this kind of demand as best as we can.

“We are making small changes to parcels by lessening the amount, which we don’t like having to do, but unfortunately just to get around to all the families it is something we have to do.”

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Drumchapel Food Bank is also facing challenges beyond food distribution, as more families are "stuck at home because they can’t afford to eat out or take the kids out".

Deliveries are every Thursday, but slots are limited to disabled or Covid-positive people as the rising cost of petrol is also putting a strain on the organisation.

The volunteer, who has been with the service for more than two years, added: “We also have a lot of people ask us for activities, such as pens and paper, for children.

“I had a guy who was phoning me last week, saying he hasn’t eaten in four days. I told him he should have phoned after the first day.

“There is absolutely no shame in it."

Volunteers are grateful for any donations. The food bank is based in Ladyloan Place in Glasgow.