LOCHWINNOCH FOOD COMMITTEE

LOCHWINNOCH FOOD COMMITTEE is an overarching committee which comprises four separate smaller groups;

Lochwinnoch Cares,
The Community Larder
Lochwinnoch Emergency Fund
Diggin' it

Activities were focussed on improving wellbeing and tackling poverty within our community. Collectively the Food Committee supported more than 165 households across our village during 2020.

LOCHWINNOCH CARES

Is a volunteer group working with those in isolation, who are shielding or who are dealing with mobility or transport issues. It has provided a lifeline for the Service Users who would have otherwise gone without essential items, medicine or food. In addition it has tackled loneliness with phone calls to those living on their own. The volunteers have been delivering weekly food parcels put together by the Community Larder around the village, upholding utmost discretion and confidentiality at all times.
Lochwinnoch Cares continues this work on an ongoing basis and we anticipate the needs of our community will continue to grow. If you would like to join the team and volunteer we would be delighted to hear from you. LIkewise, if you need help or have a concern about anyone please get in touch; We help households for a variety of reasons on both ad-hoc and more ongoing basis. Any contact will be handled with total discretion.

Email: lochwinnochcares22@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook: @lochwinnochcares
(Please ensure not to post any personal information about yourself or anyone else on the facebook site.)

LOCHWINNOCH COMMUNITY LARDER

Works in partnership with Lochwinnoch Cares to ensure that all our community members have access to food. The Larder comprises a store of donated non-perishable food, as well as a fresh food fund which has been accessed during 2020 by a number of households. This group also operates entirely under the steam of volunteers and has provided a vital service.
The Larder continues to support a growing number of households around the village with weekly food parcels and we are ready to continue this throughout 2021. We know it can be a big step to ask for help and we can assure you that applications are completely confidential. If you can make use of supplementary food even as a one-off occurrence, or more regularly, please get in touch directly or via Lochwinnoch Cares.

Email: lochwinnochfoodcommittee@gmail.com
Tel: 07517896038
Find us on Facebook: @lochwinnochfoodcommittee
Donation Drop Off: 52 Main Street

LOCHWINNOCH EMERGENCY FUND

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Lochwinnoch Food Committee was awarded money for an Emergency Fund. This provided real-time and tangible financial support to those who needed it, and could not access it through other provision. This was set up as a fund of last resort and paid out in excess of £4000 over the year. This money benefitted a range of households and the project was delivered entirely by volunteers, upholding complete confidentiality at all times. We are looking at potential funding sources to establish a new Emergency Fund for 2021 and will roll this out if we are successful.

DIGGIN’ IT

The project helped many households grow their own vegetables from home during the 2020 growing season. We provided support and materials for many first time growers to learn new skills and enjoy an outdoor pursuit, but we also engaged many experienced growers. It facilitated delivery of educational projects in conjunction with our local Primary School which in turn supported home learning during term time. The objectives were to promote wellbeing in addition to creating a supplementary food source, with many environmental benefits. We supported these activities with guidance and tutorials via video, email and social media.

Diggin’ It will continue into 2021 and if you would like help with growing vegetables from your own home, please look out for updates. We use the Lochwinnoch Seed and Seedling Swap group on Facebook for project communications. And we shall be circulating application forms for the coming season soon.

Please get in touch to register your interest.
Email: digginitlochwinnoch@gmail.com
Find us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/groups/lochwinnochseedswap