Job Title - Anti-Poverty Outreach Worker      

Amount Requested = £12,000.00 

At River of Life, we’ve loved helping people through our surplus food drop-in services over the last couple of years. We’ve always been passionate about meeting practical needs and access to food is the most basic need everyone has. We collect and distribute from Aldi, M&S, Tesco and Lidl stores on a daily basis. Good food that would otherwise be thrown away now supplies vital needs almost 365 days a year!

We’ve gained a reputation as welcoming, non-institutional and non-judgmental in our approach to anyone who comes to us for help and we’ve developed precious relationships with hundreds, or even thousands of people.

Through the last year of crisis, we’ve noticed some important opportunities to help people even more, by helping them find longer term solutions to the difficulties they face.

What we want to do, if successful, is employ an Anti-Poverty Outreach Worker to find loads of other sources of help – financial, skills, work and life skills – to help people build a better life for themselves and their families. Often folk just need to know where to turn and some encouragement that getting out of poverty permanently is possible. 

The outreach worker would come to our drop-in sessions to chat and be available to meet up for coffee with people who want to discuss their opportunities further. They’ll be a listening ear with knowledge to help access tangible services and assistance.   Please vote for our project and help lots of ordinary people get out of poverty for good!

Video: The Pantry at River of Life.mp4 - Google Drive

Job Title - Support Worker 

Amount Requested = £8,154.00 

Food Train runs services to support local older people to maintain their independence and to be able to stay at home for as long as possible.  Our main core service is a grocery delivery service, this enables older people to access fresh grocery shopping on a regular basis.  This reduces food poverty for older people, we are also a very well-known and trusted partner of the HSCP enabling us to get information out to the older generation across the region.  Food Train has operated in the Dumfries and Galloway for 26 years which confirms stability and experience of delivering successful support services to older people.  These services are needed even more now than ever due to the increased threat to older people from Covid-19, we have the experience and expertise to ensure that services are delivered to the most vulnerable people efficiently and safely.  This funding would allow us to employ an additional staff member ensuring that we can continue to meet the increased demand on our services in Dumfries and Galloway.  

Video: SES Digital Showcase Food Train 2020 - YouTube 

Job Title - Horticultural Trainer 

Amount Requested = £13,760.70 

Potters Garden ‘s experience of working to tackle poverty is diverse. 

We work with people of all ages living with Autistic Spectrum Condition/learning disabilities/additional support needs that vary in complexity, we provide horticultural and woodwork training placements. Additionally, we work with young people in transition with additional support needs, from Stranraer Academy.  Most of whom have entry level academic skills, some will have a learning disability, while others live with autistic spectrum conditions. For some, college is not an option as it requires a level of ability which most of these young people have not yet acquired; also, the pace of learning at college can leave young adults unable to keep up, hence more likely to give up. 

The role of the Horticulture Trainer involves working with people of all ages living with Autistic Spectrum Condition/learning disabilities/additional support needs. The post holder will train individuals and group users in horticultural/gardening skills.   

Job Title - Continuation of Project Worker & Support Worker Posts 

Amount Requested - £14,951.00 

Over the past year of the lockdown the Fed Up Café has delivered 29,464 hot meals to over 200 people who were isolating from the corona virus.  The service has proved essential to many people and in particular to families who otherwise would not have managed with staying at home.  For this we have to thank the staff and volunteers, as well as those of the Community Reuse Shop who provided the transport and delivery services.  These people put their lives at risk throughout the lockdown to serve the community.   

We are now looking to continue offering a free 3 course hot meal 5 days a week as a vehicle to combat social depravation from coming out of the lockdown, as well as isolation and, more important, help improve people’s mental health. 

We aim to feed those who are most in need of it and also in need of company and a break from the monotony of day to day life. We also make deliveries of free hot lunches to those who, for whatever reason, are unable to make their own way to the café for the meal.  We will however encourage people to use the café and to interact with others in the same situation as themselves, and when there is someone in need of help we can point them in the right direction with good sign posting. 

We provide opportunities for volunteers to come and learn new skills, increase self-esteem and gain self-confidence as well as gaining a sense of being part of a team. We aim to provide them with transferable skills to assist our volunteers gain paid employment making them contributors to the state instead of recipients from to state. 

We are always looking to evolve and stay fresh whilst maintaining our core values and ensuring those who need assistance get it. Our service enables people to have the power to choose what direction their lives may go, and we try to aid them along the path they choose. We encourage the wider community to help in whatever way they can and try to involve as many as possible in everything we do. We are a service that does not discriminate. 

Video: https://youtu.be/FjPJb9MrmA0 

Job Title - Volunteer Development Co-Ordinator 

Amount Requested = £12,000.00 

Summerhill Centre in North West Dumfries needs your vote to help us reduce poverty levels; reduce the cost of living expenses and increase equal opportunities in our communities. We can do this by maintaining and building upon our existing free community food sharing projects, our Health and Wellbeing activities for all ages which include: •    Helping hand to reduce cost of living through our new Community Food Pantry whereby people choose  own food and essential items in a dignified and affordable manner.  •    Provision of healthy and fresh food boxes delivered to our most vulnerable. •    Weekly home made soup for distribution through First Base Food Bank.  •    New skills to prepare healthy homemade meals to take home for all the family. •    Fun youth activities; weekly trips; fitness opportunities; daily support & supper.  •    Community Buddies - adult fitness, home baking kits and wellbeing activities  •    Community Training and First Steps in Digital Connections  •    Environmental skills at our Community Land Art, gardens & food growing allotment 

Summerhill Centre is Dumfries Hub for Fareshare Food Provision. We plan and organise  food from Glasgow Fareshare every Tuesday and Friday to support our many partners who then receive the  food and distribute into our communities.  Our activities are critical to continue tackling poverty with a dignified approach and developing positive routes out of despair.  These are only possible with our army of volunteers who collectively give over 260 hours per week facilitating our many groups and managing the centre.  We need funding to employ our Volunteer and Community Development Co-ordinator. Our work helps to develop each individual to grow and develop strengths and independence to work their way out of poverty.  We also help to develop effective community leaders, regardless of their experiences or circumstances. By the Community – For the Community

Video: https://youtu.be/PAWRC4pgw-I 

Job Title - Support Worker 

Amount Requested = £8,154.00 

Food Train runs services to support local older people to maintain their independence and to be able to stay at home for as long as possible.  Our main core service is a grocery delivery service, this enables older people to access fresh grocery shopping on a regular basis.  This reduces food poverty for older people, we are also a very well-known and trusted partner of the HSCP enabling us to get information out to the older generation across the region.  Food Train has operated in the Dumfries and Galloway for 26 years which confirms stability and experience of delivering successful support services to older people.  These services are needed even more now than ever due to the increased threat to older people from Covid-19, we have the experience and expertise to ensure that services are delivered to the most vulnerable people efficiently and safely.  This funding would allow us to employ an additional staff member ensuring that we can continue to meet the increased demand on our services in Dumfries and Galloway.  

Video: SES Digital Showcase Food Train 2020 - YouTube 

Amount Requested = £15,000.00 

‘Grub Club has been a lifeline for my family’.

‘Without Grub Club I don’t know how we would have survived especially, during the first lockdown’. 

‘Karen and the Volunteers are kind; they really do care about us and Grub Club always provides lots of choice and good quality food. Grub Club made me feel better about myself for having to ask for help to feed my children’.  

These are real examples of comments received by LCA trustees from members of our community that have used Grub Club in the past or do so presently.  Grub Club was originally created by funding from Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Participatory Budget.  The concept was to help our community combat ‘Holiday Hunger’ by encouraging and enabling families to access free food, nutritious meals and a variety of activities. A project that is designed and delivered by the community for the community with a focus on welcoming all ages. 

But, without the driving force and commitment from our Project Coordinator/Cook, Grub Club would not be the success that it is. Yet, this is a double-edged sword as sadly the larger Grub Club becomes the greater the need for such a service. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns has identified more households in need than ever before. We believe Grub Club remains much needed and is vital to help our community recover and thrive. Please give Grub Club your vote and show your support for us to continue to swap, share, care and feed oor weans.  

Job Title - Finance and Admin officer and Volunteer Co-ordinator and Project Planner  

Amount Requested: £10,654.20

LIFTDG is a community driven company that currently works with other organisations to help families and individuals that are in need by providing food parcels, household goods and clothing. We have two shops based in lochside where we take donations and members of the public can also come in and purchase items for £1. Any funds raised get put back into the local community to be able to organize free events, trips and weekly workshops for all different age groups in the local area. With the current pandemic we have been unable to organize large group events due to government guidelines but we are currently doing online activites via Facebook where we have recruited local individuals and business to take part. Volunteers play a big part in our organization and they do the day to day running of the shop, help with organising events, and delivery of food parcels. We have a lot of experience in the past delivering different projects in the local area such as the Lochside Gala, Easter Funday and Christmas and Halloween parties.   We have two paid posts within the organisation and this is the Volunteer Coordinator (28 hours per week) and the Admin and Finance Officer (11.5 hours per week). The actual hours that are worked are higher but funding does not allow for the hours to be increased at this moment in time. We have seen a large increase of people in need due to people being made redundant, furloughed or unable to apply for jobs at this moment in time. Domestic abuse figures are also on the rise which has resulted in individuals/families leaving their family home with nothing and we are helping to provide them with items, clothing etc. to get them back on their feet again. With guidelines hopefully starting to ease soon we are starting to plan events again on the hope they go ahead and because of the publicity we have received we are also getting more enquiries from people offering to volunteer with us. Our workload is increasing and we would like salaries to reflect this.  

Job Titles - Customer Service Team Leaders 

Amount Requested = £15,000.00 

The funding will provide the opportunity to fund existing volunteering posts where no funding has been in place and volunteers give of their time voluntarily. The objective will be to create new posts, ensure sustained provision of existing volunteers and more importantly provide for succession planning for future replacement of the two Directors

From one DG Home to another  

Newstart’s vision is to provide a local led solution to local problems and demonstrate financial self sustainability. The team collect donations of second hand furniture and household goods from the public and local organisations and from the many household clearances that we undertake. The social enterprise offers every conceivable household item for sale at much reduced cost, which helps fund the project and provide affordable help and support in the fight against poverty and homelessness. Approximately 30% of goods that we collect are provided free to families and individuals on referrals from their support groups.

Newstart has become a vital tool in the peoples fight against Poverty. In our experience the benchmark – the Poverty zone- are people and families in our community that are unable to meet their Basic needs in a sustainable way. We have testaments and Case studies that clearly evidence how we helped them overcome that challenge. Removing the stigma of seeking help is vital and DG Councils anti-poverty strategy polices underpins Newstart’s aims and objectives and are central to our processes and systems. 

We now have another unit to complement our free school and baby wear.  A warm winter clothing room offers free clothes, shoes, blankets for all ages! This has been a huge success. Over 22,000 items have been donated and 12,000 items given out.

A successful partnership was developed with Gretna Gateway who now collect donated goods for our free Unit. They created and provide a shop unit for the very purpose of collecting clothes, both new and used. A link exists on their Web site and Social media site. Before lockdown one post achieved 37k views! Even in the current lockdown situation we are collecting a Van full of Goods this month.

A further room at our Warehouse now provides a complete range of mobility equipment, wheelchairs, Zimmer frames, rise recline beds and chairs. These are mainly collected at house clearances. Again, these are loaned out free of charge. We currently have 39 wheelchairs loaned out! 

We currently work with partner organisations and respond to their requested referrals for disadvantaged on an almost daily basis. The groups include DG Social services, Community Link workers, Sonas, DGHP, Loreburn, British Legion, SSAFA, Women’s refuge, SW Scotland rape crisis abuse centre and most local Care homes and Shelter.

By providing every kind of essential household items either at very reasonable cost, payable free of interest, or (on referral from support groups) completely free, we help the vulnerable to become independent. It is crucial that we plan for this to continue and this will not be possible without recruiting staff to deliver this.

Job Title - Community Engagement Worker 

Amount Requested = £11,009.00 

It has always been an aspiration of Kate’s Kitchen to have a Champion to spread the word about all of the good work we can do to support individuals to make their way out of poverty and improve their health and well-being.  Our aim is to empower people to “do for themselves” reach their full potential and ultimately improve their day to day quality of life.  Having the opportunity to employ a part-time Community Engagement Worker will do just that.  The worker will:-

     Engage with local organisations, schools, GP’s      Organise events to promote Kates Kitchen      Use Social Media to further Kates Kitchen objectives      Work with local media to further our objects.

Video: https://youtu.be/1gBFjNL4AxA