That the Parliament congratulates Fed Up Community Café on its grant of £105,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund; understands that the funding will be used to continue running the café, which serves free breakfasts and lunches five times a week and offers meal deliveries for five days a week, as well as its community larder; recognises the core mission of the facility is to provide free, nourishing meals in a warm, friendly environment, offering a blanket-free service to everyone, regardless of their circumstances, including people facing financial hardship, loneliness or social isolation; acknowledges that the café in Bridge Street, Stranraer, was initially established in December 2017, when some members of the community got together to offer a Christmas meal to those who would be on their own or could not afford the cost; believes that, such was the success of the venture, a small committee got together and, through the Community Reuse Shop, the idea of the Fed Up Community Café was born and now supports around 150 people a week; notes that it has grown organically and listens to what the community needs, which is demonstrated by the community larder, mobile meals and Employability Learning Hub, where a 50-strong army of volunteers have served over the last three years; acknowledges that the team offers additional support and provides direction and signposting for help with housing, mental health and other vital services, welcomes the café shop, which helps anyone requiring affordable shopping or needing a free food parcel, using fictitious currency so that no real money is passed and no comparison to supermarkets can be made; praises the skills-for-life support it offers, including essential training in life skills, cooking, serving and socialising to help build confidence, with the prospect of taking part in certification projects to help boost employment prospects; notes that, to date, the café has served nearly 100,000 hot meals and supplied almost 2,000 food parcels, and wishes everyone involved in this community venture continued success in the months ahead.
Supported by:
Miles Briggs, Annabelle Ewing, Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser, Meghan Gallacher, Kenneth Gibson, Dr Pam Gosal MBE, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Bill Kidd, Douglas Lumsden, Roz McCall, Stuart McMillan, Edward Mountain, Douglas Ross, Alexander Stewart, Kevin Stewart, Paul Sweeney, Annie Wells, Tess White