A new Glasgow community shop already has 200 members using its services.
The Pyramid launched its store last month and has been extremely successful already.
Aiming to change habits around food shopping, the new facility is based in Anderston.
Ailsa MacKenzie, chief officer, said: “We serve the local community, deliver all sorts of activities, events and support, and one of the things we wanted to do is to set up a shop - both to combat food waste and to support the community as well.
"Where we are is a bit of a food desert in lots of ways, there aren’t many community options and big supermarkets that are accessible without a car.
“Especially for people who are very local to us because around us, there is housing for older people and people with disabilities.
“For them, it is more difficult to get food.
"The main thrust of the shop is zero-waste. We are saving food from landfill and we sell surplus food from food producers and supermarkets."
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Customers can come in at opening hours, on Thursday and Friday, and take around 10 items each.
Rather than replacing the big weekly shop, the Pyramid is a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly option to make dinner once of twice a week.
Ailsa added: “We have a membership, so people pay £3 for membership and then, it’s £3 per foodshop. Usually, it’s worth £16 to £20.
“It’s a mix of fresh food, fruit and veg, meats and protein and ambient things.
“We have a zero-waste section where people can buy exactly the amount of ingredients that they need. We started off with herbs and spices, where you might just want a teaspoon of something that you need for a recipe and not to buy a whole packet of it that you will never use again.
“We usually also have toiletries as we are supported by Beauty Banks. They are a national organisation and they send us donations of toiletries, mostly. We find that people can’t afford those either.
“Also, within the shop, there is a community fridge, which is free to use."
On its opening night in September, the shop served more than 100 people and since has gained 200 members, a number which grows every day.
According to staff and volunteers, who run the establishment, people in the area are very grateful for their services.
People from all walks of life come to them to get food, including families from nearby homes and parents picking up their kids from school.
Especially as food prices rise, the shop workers say demand is high for their services.
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Ailsa said: “We are open to everybody, we don’t take referrals. It is not assessed in any way, it’s not a food bank and not a community pantry either.
"What we are seeing is that we haven’t recovered from Covid yet, so the cost-of-living crisis on top of that means it is a really desperate time for people.
“But it’s also affecting people who never had to worry about the cost of living before, and certainly not the way they are at the moment, as we are not sure what is coming down the line this year.
“This is going to affect everybody and if we can make good food accessible to everybody and keep it accessible and safe food from being wasted, then that is exactly where we want to be."
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