THE second charity which is set to benefit from the Clydebank Post’s toy and food appeal is Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels (OKFP).

The Clydebank Cares campaign, sponsored by Smyths Toys Clydebank Kilbowie, with support from Clyde Shopping Centre, is calling on kind locals to donate non-perishable food items and toys for children in need.

All the items we collect will be given to local charities that support the most vulnerable people in our community.

Last week we reported one of the beneficiaries will be West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare.

This week the Post is shining a light on the vital work OKFP do to help support those most in need.

The founder of Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels admits 2022 has been her toughest year yet, with the number of people heading to the hub for help rising each month.

Maureen Cummings started the food bank in May 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic, with the aim to help people who needed prescriptions but couldn’t leave their home because of lockdown.

Some residents then began asking Maureen to pick up daily essentials such as bread and milk too, and local shops contacted her to offer their food to provide to the community.

From there, the concept grew and Maureen began running a food bank from her house, delivering it to people’s doors.

In January this year, the project gave out 66 food parcels. In June alone that number rose to 369.

By the middle of the year the group was feeding 200 people a week, equal to 100 parcels of food, with each parcel containing a minimum of 20 items - meaning they were giving out 2,000 items of food each week.

Speaking to the Post, Maureen admits this year is a year like no other: “I can’t remember in the two years I’ve done this to have been asked by working families for assistance of non-food items.

“What this involvement means (with the Clydebank Cares campaign) is that we have our Christmas Eve deliveries that we’ll be doing, and this year we are only focusing on children.”

Support the Clydebank Cares appeal by dropping off donations at Smyths Toys Clydebank Kilbowie, Kilbowie Retail Park, or at the Customer Service Desk in Clyde Shopping Centre, 10am until 5pm Monday - Sunday between 10am until 5pm Monday - Sunday.