It was great to meet up recently with Martin Dover, an S6 student from Mearns Castle High School, who is one of the driving forces behind ‘Caring for Carers’, a group which has been set up locally in response to some of the challenges caused by the pandemic.
Giffnock and Thornliebank Councillor, Colm Merrick and I were glad of the opportunity to hear from Martin about the work he and his group have been doing locally, and what their current needs are. I was very pleased to present Martin with an Early Day Morion recognising this exceptional work.
The group has provided thousands of meals to hard pressed NHS and care staff including Project Wingman hubs at local hospitals, supported by local shops and restaurants who have provided supplies. They have recently have branched out working alongside charity Go Darmic, who have provided 3 million meals worldwide during the covid pandemic, and are supplying meals to homeless people in George Square, and to families at a school in Glasgow.
Having outgrown their former premises, they are currently based in Burnfield House, Giffnock, however if alternative accommodation was available locally, they would be keen to set up somewhere which was available without a rental cost.
In addition, the group is always keen to hear from suppliers who are in a position to donate retail or wholesale quantities of foodstuffs, particularly fruit and veg. A significant proportion of the meals which Caring for Carers has provided have come from goods which would otherwise have gone to waste.
The group can only do their work because of the volunteers who give up their time and energy. They would love to add to their current pool of helpers. IF you’d like to know more about how you might be able to lend a hand, head over to their facebook page: Caring For Carers
The text of the Early Day Motion reads:
That this House applauds the excellent work carried out by East Renfrewshire voluntary group Caring for Carers which was set up to provide support to NHS Scotland and social care staff teams by delivering food packages and snack boxes to these vital keyworkers; applauds the dedication and hard work of the volunteer teams who have made that initiative possible, including Mearns Castle High School student Martin Dover; notes that Caring for Carers has provided food for over 1,200 NHS Scotland and social care key workers per week, including meals, snack boxes and more; commends that group for their partnership approach and focus on working with others; notes that among many generous business, community and third sector partners, Caring for Carers has secured support from FareShare and from local East Renfrewshire businesses including Storage Zone Thornliebank, Shahed's Tandoori Giffnock, The Lynch Box Thornliebank, Kebabish Kitchen Newton Mearns, Clay Oven, Indian Takeaway & Street Food - Giffnock and Domino's Pizza Giffnock; acknowledges the generous donations of surplus stock provided by supermarkets including Aldi UK, Lidl , Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Waitrose & Partners and Tesco in support of that project; understands that Caring for Carers is looking to secure larger premises to enable them to continue their good work and wishes them well in doing so; and thanks the tireless and generous volunteers, donors and contributors for their work in providing support to NHS Scotland and social care staff during this most difficult period.
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