A food shed in Lochaber that had outgrown its original premises has now undergone an expansion and refurbishment in order to meet growing demand.
First set up by the Caol Covid group during lockdown, the Caol Community Cupboard was established to help those who were unable or uncomfortable going to supermarkets during lockdown.
It was one of two cupboards, the second being in Lochyside.
After lockdown was lifted it was decided to close the Lochyside cupboard.
Taking up the story, Caol Community Council secretary Colin Strange said: “There was still a lot of people in the community who were struggling to purchase food so we kept the Caol cupboard open.”
In association with Caol Regeneration Company, the Community Council took over the running of the cupboard after the Covid volunteer group was disbanded.
“The original cupboard was an old lollypop shed and just contained prepacked and canned goods, plus short dated products collected from the supermarkets,” continued Colin.
“We then decided that it would be of benefit if we could expand the cupboard and install a fridge and freezer as we were collecting a lot of chilled foods from the supermarkets. Some that could be frozen.
“After much research and discussion with local businesses it was decided the best way to get power into the cupboard and not change it’s location was to put in it own power supply.
“This was eventually done with help from R J Macleod via the Community Support Scheme.
“The main issue we had was with Scottish Power which said they could put an electric meter in in 20 days but took four months.”
The new shed and base was supplied by R J Macleod which also supplied a fridge and freezer with the help of donations from Highland Council and Lochaber community fundraising.
Colin added: “We are also very thankful to all the volunteers who collect food in the evenings from Tesco, M&S, Co-op and Lidl, and those who help to fill and maintain the cupboard.”
The group has now set up a JustGiving page to help with the running cost of the cupboard.
“The electricity is going to be around £1,000 per annum, plus we also need paper bags, cleaning materials etc,” said Colin.
“Also, even though we have a good willing group of volunteers, we are always looking for more. Even if it’s one hour a day or one evening to help with collections.”
The food shed will be open and accessible to all residents from 11am to 4pm on weekdays at present. This will be monitored and times may change depending on use.
This facility is for use for all in the community and residents are being asked to only take what they need and can store safely, and to think of others who may wish to use it.
Any updates can be found on the Caol Community Council Facebook page.
To help keep the Caol Community Cupboard running visit their JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/colin-strange-1.