LEADING food and support services company, Compass Scotland, is providing 3,000 meals across three cities in three days this Christmas. Partnering with the Social Bite charity to identify those affected by homelessness and poverty in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, the team is taking to the road with hot meals and drinks.
Starting today (Monday 21 December) in Edinburgh, then following on Tuesday 22 December in Glasgow and Wednesday 23 December in Aberdeen, a team of around 20 volunteers from Compass Group companies Chartwells, Levy, ESS, Eurest and Restaurant Associates, will prepare, deliver and serve hot meals. The food has been donated by Compass Scotland suppliers and arranged through Foodbuy their procurement team, and each city distribution is hosted by a different local charity.
The team of volunteers is led by David Hay, Managing Director of Compass Scotland, and Graham Singer, Culinary Director for Compass Scotland. Speaking about the initiative, David said: “So many people are affected by food poverty in Scotland and as a food-led business working in communities across the country, we believe it’s important to support these communities however we can.
“As well as our core team of volunteers, we have also been supported by Foodbuy who have worked tirelessly to secure most of the ingredients for the meals through donations from our fantastic suppliers. And we will be preparing the majority of the meals at the kitchens of one of our very supportive clients, Merchiston School in Edinburgh, and then delivering in food trailers and vans around the three cities.
“We hope that this three-day initiative will make a small difference for people in these communities, and help to make their Christmas a little brighter.”
Details for each city are as follows:
Edinburgh
In Edinburgh, the team will be setting up a food trailer at Brunstane Primary School to serve around 500 hot meals to the community, as well as deliver meals to isolated and vulnerable pensioners in the area. They will also deliver approximately 300 hot meals to B&Bs and hotels around the city, which are providing accommodation to people who are homeless and have no access to kitchen facilities; and they are working with the Rock Trust to provide meals to young people who need a little extra help over the Christmas period. There will also be 100 meals provided for vulnerable people in Bo’ness.
Glasgow
In Glasgow, the team will be setting up a food trailer at the Baltic Street Adventure Playground, a community hub in Dalmarnock, to serve around 700 hot meals to the community. They are also working closely with The Marie Trust to deliver around 300 meals to hotels across the city, which are providing accommodation to people who are homeless.
And in collaboration with Braehead Foods, one of Compass Scotland’s local supply partners, they will provide 500 meals to those affected by poverty in Kilmarnock via charity Centre Stage.
The Baltic Street Playground has been a lifeline for the community through the pandemic, providing a safe, but exciting place for children. The Food Hub at the playground has been supporting local people with bags of food as well as 500-600 children’s meals during the school holidays.
Aberdeen
In Aberdeen, Compass Scotland delivered 250 food parcels to Social Bite who will be redistributing in and around Aberdeen to those in need, including homeless shelters, food banks, community groups and children’s charities. The boxes contained a range of essentials and treats and is the continuation of some great work that took place earlier this year where ESS had handed over 500 boxes containing a varied selection of food items.
Local charity Aberdeen Cyrenians is also partnering with Compass Scotland to provide 1,000 meals to people affected by homelessness on 23rd December. The initiative aims to provide those supported by the charity with a high quality meal, treats and food parcels to reduce hunger and provide some Christmas cheer.
Lynda Reid Fowler, Community Services Lead at Aberdeen Cyrenians said, “We’re extremely grateful for all the donations of gifts and support from appeals such as Mission Christmas and Union Square allowing us to give little gifts of joy to people in need. The meals being created and distributed by Compass Scotland are another welcome bonus, especially for those without proper cooking facilities if they’re staying in a bedsit or hostel.”
