Over the past 8 weeks, NGCFI has been working together with our partners – The Arc Steering Group, Lambhill Stables, Love Milton, North United Communities, Springburn Baby Bank, Springburn Parish Church, NG Homes, New Rhythms for Glasgow, the newly formed Royston Covid19 Response Group and community members – helped and supported by local councillors, MSPs and MPs, to figure out how best we could all respond to Covid19, by maximizing and spreading our joint reach, given that, individually, we are all relatively small organisations.
The North Glasgow Community Food Initiative has delivered food parcels to vulnerable families and individuals in Milton, Springburn and Royston, providing food for approximately 150 people a week.
We have delivered 665 activity packs to date, to children and young people across the local area, with activities so far ranging from Indoor and Outdoor Scavenger Hunts to Covid Diaries; from Wildflower Seed Bombs to Chocolate Rice Krispie Cake Kits.
As part of a joint bid in the last few weeks, led by Lambhill Stables and including ourselves, Love Milton and Loretto HA, 94 local children and young people will receive individual support, thanks to emergency funding from Clyde Cash for Kids. Due to this funding, NGCFI has been able to offer support to 22 individual children and young people through our own kids clubs.
On the ground – or should we say ‘in the ground’- our gardeners continue to keep our gardens growing. As now, more than ever, we are conscious of the need for sustainability and maintaining a local supply of food. We have even been able to offer seedlings and advice to local people, observing physical distancing guidelines! We are now looking at ways we might be able to open up the Milton Community Garden again over the coming weeks and months to provide a much needed place for people to meet and socialise – within the guidelines, as they develop.
We feel privileged to be able to continue with this amazing Covid19 partnership work, which we have embarked upon with all of the other local partners and which will enable us all to continue to reach as many vulnerable individuals and families in our local communities.
We are also delighted to announce that NGCFI has secured Scottish Government Supporting Communities funding, which will allow us to continue to support families and individuals in Milton, Springburn and Royston with emergency food provision and weekly children’s activity packs from 1st May to 31st October. The Supporting Communities Fund is part of Scottish Government’s investment of £350 million to support local communities and households in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, announced on 18th March: www.gov.scot/news/helping-communities-affected-by-covid-19.
As always though, we wish to be able to continue to offer as much help as we possibly can, to as many local people as we possibly can. And, as such, donations have never been more crucial to allow us to continue to deliver help to those most in need.
Please consider donating via Kindlink at https://donate.kindlink.com/north-glasgow-community-food-initiatve/1725/0