Demand for food parcels in Perth and Kinross is reaching “crisis point”, it has been claimed.
Local churches have been struggling to provide assistance to people experiencing severe financial hardship and it has been reported that some have been travelling to Dundee regularly for aid.
Following a meeting of Perth Action Churches Together (PACT), a number of attendees called for a more coordinated approach to helping those in need.
Members of Perth and Kinross Council’s housing and health committee heard that a steering group has been formed and that the local authority has paid the initial set-up costs of £1,500 to launch the new food bank.
Council officers have also identified a suitable property at St Catherine’s Road that can be used as an initial base for the service. Work is well under way to bring the property up to standard and it will be ready for occupation within days.
The premises will be leased for an initial 12 months to allow the food bank to become established and offer a collection point for food donations from the community.
Efforts will then be made to help identify and secure a permanent home within the city.
The Perth branch of HSBC has thrown its weight behind efforts to make the project a success by adopting the food bank as one of its local charities.
Although he welcomed the facility, Councillor Dennis Melloy told his colleagues it made him “very sad” that it was necessary.
“I’m very sad we have a starving society in which people are so destitute,” he said.
“Now that this is the case, it is good that we have this in place.”
Councillor Henry Anderson also voiced his hopes that the need for a food bank would be a temporary measure.
Details of the food bank were unveiled and professionals, such as GPs and social workers, along with schools and other organisations, will refer people to the service.
Volunteers will then ensure they receive enough food parcels to tide them over.
Donations of money or food can be made by members of the public to the food bank, while regular collections will also take place across Perth and Kinross.
Locals have already shown their support for the facility, with its first food collection attracting 362kg of goods.
While most members were in agreement over the introduction of the facility, there was some discord over apparent attempts at political point-scoring.
Councillor Ian Campbell claimed that the idea was not new and that food banks were a vital commodity 13 years ago, when the Labour government was in power.
This was met with disdain by committee convener Dave Doogan who said: “I think we are all aware of this and it’s too serious a matter to have it politicised.”
Meanwhile, executive director of housing and community care, David Burke, described the venture as a “first step” in establishing assistance to those who do not qualify for Scottish Welfare Fund grant assistance.
He added: “The intention is that assistance would be made available throughout Perth and Kinross, to serve the needs of both those in the city centre, as well as those in the rural areas.”