MORAY Foodbank has separated from a national food charity. The food bank will no longer work under the Trussell Trust network and is instead set to become an independent organisation. The Trussell Trust co-ordinates a national network of food banks and provides food banks with a list of what is needed in each referral and also provides grants for community projects. The reason behind the separation, the food bank has stated, is due to the changes of services that people are using.
Alterations to the organisation could now include a different brand, and possibly a different logo and name. Mairi McCallum, project manager for Moray Foodbank, said: “The Trussell Trust was a great help to the organisation when we initially set up and enabled us to establish ourselves as a food bank. “We are grateful for their support but feel that the time has come for us to branch out on our own. “The services we deliver are more than just the traditional food bank model and we want to develop the organisation in a way that properly reflects this.
“Other than the change of logo, and further down the line a change of name, it will still be business as usual across Moray.” The change in service will provide the Moray Foodbank with better access to 18 community larders, which according to the food bank, were accessed more than 1400 times during the last financial year. The use of a larder allows people to choose what they would like for food rather than being given a pre-selected parcel. Moray Foodbank stated that the change in model would allow “for more dignity and choice to people who are facing food insecurity”.