A MUM-OF-THREE who dedicates her time to help run a food bank in Faifley has described the heartbreak of seeing more and more people attend for support.

Faifley Food Share only started giving out food parcels on Christmas Eve but it now feeds around 80 adults and 50 children each week.

The non-referral food bank is managed by the area’s community council who raised money to start it up – along with support from the community.

Tricia Lorimer, 35, from Faifley and vice chair of the community council, told the Post: “I had been getting people come up to me in the street asking if we could get a food bank up and running in Faifley.

“Since it’s opened more and more people are coming every week – it proves that people are definitely in need here.

“It’s hard to get up and down from Faifley, if you’re walking and have shopping, it’s hard work on that hill – it’s a bit of a journey, so people wanted something in our own area.

“People don’t have the money to be getting back and forth from Clydebank to other food banks, they don’t have money for food, so they certainly don’t have the money for a bus fare.

“It is heart-breaking seeing the amount of people come in each week, but we are just grateful that it’s now here for people.

“No-one needs to go hungry; we know they can come for help and there is always help there for them.

“Anyone can come along. We do get a lot of struggling single adults that come in, as well as families – quite an adverse range of people.

“But it’s not just people from Faifley, we have some from Duntocher, quite a few from Clydebank and some from Knightswood.”

Read more: ‘No cuts’ to services but Council Tax in Clydebank will rise by 5%

The food bank also place food parcels in Auchnacraig and Lennox nurseries, so struggling parents have the opportunity to pick up food when collecting their children.

Tricia added: “There are cereals and pastas so the kids will always have breakfast or lunch.

“And as a result, people have also been handing stuff in to the nursery. We’re looking to start in the two primary schools as well.

“Faifley is in the top 10 per cent most deprived areas in Scotland – there is high deprivation here and so many people in need.”

Thanks to the support of the community, the food bank was able to set up. The volunteers use the local church hall for free thanks to Gregor McIntyre, minister of Faifley Parish Church.

And both Knowes and Faifley housing associations donated money to buy fridges and storage containers.

Tricia added: “We’ve got a donation box up at Knowes Housing so when we’re not open people can drop stuff off there. People have been really generous. I usually go up and it’s always full.

“The Duntocher Charitable Foundation donated £500 and Cash4Kids gave us £875 worth of Marks and Spencer’s vouchers.”

Volunteers give out food parcels every Tuesday at Faifley Parish Church Hall from 10-12pm.