Sustaining rural food aid to relieve volunteer pressure across the Scottish Borders
About the project
For the last 5 years, Eildon Housing Association have been operating a growing food distribution network that delivers food and other household necessities to 16 food banks, larders and pantries across the Scottish Borders.
Eildon recognised that there was significant need and pressure on local food banks and larders to maintain a consistent and appropriate supply of food to meet growing demand and deliver for those in need. The local volunteer teams traditionally managed all collections and logistics. However, this model was becoming unsustainable due to the volume of need and the uncertainty of supply.
As an emergency response to the covid-19 pandemic the Eildon Food Hub was launched with the backing from Cyrenians Fareshare, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home and other large supermarkets, giving Eildon the ability to source what’s needed at a larger scale and direct it to boost local food provision across the Borders, alleviating the burden of sourcing food.
As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, it is estimated that two thousand people within the Scottish Borders access food banks per month. From Eildon’s food hub initiative in 2024, twelve tonnes of food was distributed equating to the supply of 29 thousand meals for the people of the Scottish Borders.
Operating from a purpose-built unit adjacent to Eildon’s Head Office in Selkirk, food is collected, sorted and packaged for distribution to each location the food hub serves on a bi weekly basis. The types of items that the food hub collects and delivers ranges from tinned food, fresh produce, pasta, ready meals, bakery items and sweet treats. It also distributes baby products, pet food and sanitary products.
Community impact
The food hub is a service that is vital to the sustainability of the food banks in the Scottish Borders. It’s a central link in a vast and growing regional network tackling hunger, hardship and isolation.
Operating across the Borders presents unique logistical challenges due to its significant rural geographic area. Delivering consistently to 16 distinct and equally deserving locations requires intensive coordination, involves significant travel and increased costs for transportation and distribution.
Demand is continuing to grow with no signs of it easing, resulting in quicker and more frequent replenishment with limited resources and fewer volunteers. Without the food hub, the food banks would struggle to cope and maintain their food supply.
Reston is a small village with not many amenities, located just 10 miles from Berwick upon Tweed and 13 miles from the nearest supermarket. The village has a growing elderly population which led to a food larder being established by a community midwife during COVID, initially on a 6-month pilot. For this group, their limited use of computers and phones meant they couldn’t engage with online shopping, rendering traditional food services inaccessible and leading to potential isolation.
For the volunteers collecting food from the FareShare depot in Edinburgh, this task typically involves a demanding 90-mile round trip, requiring two hours of dedicated driving time. The operational support from Eildon’s Food Hub now significantly reduces the frequency of these long trips, meaning the Reston Food Larder can conserve volunteer time, fuel costs, and focus resources on direct community support.
Initially, the larder launched as a temporary solution housed within a small communal corridor of the community centre. Following a successful trial, the larder secured funding to convert a disused and uninhabitable back room, establishing it as a permanent, dedicated fixture for the community.
Now in its 5th year, the larder is operated solely by volunteers and members of the community council accommodating up to 600 visitors per month across 200 different postcode areas, constituting to over 300 square miles. They collect food waste from most supermarkets in Berwick and divert over 4 tonnes of food waste from going to landfill each month. Alongside the supermarkets, they receive food from FareShare and Eildon’s Food Hub which has been their biggest contributor.
Not only does the larder provide food, it is a major lifeline for many struggling with hardship. The volunteers are able to signpost individuals and families to other support services as well as provide some financial support to alleviate their worries.
Eildon make a significant impact on our sustainability, and we are extremely grateful for the varied food they supply as every little helps. We have a range of users, including elderly people, young families and individuals, many of whom come twice a week, and they tell us how grateful they are for the support. We’ve been looking out for a large family of eight, who have struggled, dealing with a member with terminal cancer and low income. We’ve been able to provide them with Sunday roasts when available and other stable food. We were also able to give one lady money for petrol to get home because of what we save through the help from Eildon.
Logan Inglis, Reston and Auchencrow Food Larder
How the funding has been used
The funding from the SPA Community Benefit Fund has enabled Eildon Housing Association to maintain the future of the food hub. It has funded the operating costs of the service significantly allowing the Association to hire a van, employ a driver and purchase food items when reserves are low.
As funding streams are becoming increasingly scarce and difficult to obtain, the funding from SPA has provided security protecting the future of the food hub distribution service and enabled opportunities for the food hub to expand. Recently, the food hub extended its service to cater for an additional three early years centres.
Looking to the future
Plans are in motion to continue growing the food hub service and building long term sustainable partnerships to source fresh produce. They will be working with local farmers and growers to redirect unused or excess crops to supply foodbanks instead of letting them go to waste. Fresh food brings choice, health and dignity into food support so by building these partnerships it will benefit the people of the Borders.
They are also motivated by expanding their work in food education by helping residents make the most of fresh ingredients through basic cooking skills and nutrition guidance.
About the SPA Community Benefit Fund
As an elected SPA Committee partner, Eildon Housing Association is one of several organisations that are active users of SPA’s diverse range of procurement solutions developed for the built environment.
Each of the committee partners inherently has a deep understanding of our solutions and how they operate, gained from their experience, which places them in a strong position to provide valuable and meaningful contributions and discussions that shape SPA’s direction and vision.
Acknowledging the contributions that continue to be a valuable forum shaping SPA’s direction, each of the committee partners is eligible to apply for an annual grant to revitalise local areas and activate community development as part of the SPA Community Benefit Fund.
Additionally, SPA provides eligible partners with a rebate that is generated from framework usage. The more frequently an organisation uses SPA’s solutions across specific frameworks, the greater the value of the rebate. Public sector partners that have generated a rebate can apply for this through the SPA Community Benefit Fund, which is managed and distributed by Lintel Trust.
The funding from SPA has been transformative, it’s allowed Eildon to address severe food poverty issues in the Borders channelling food provision to local areas in desperate need. Taking pressure off the hardworking volunteers, helping individuals and parents get through a week with one less worry and helping people feed their pets, so they don’t have to choose between companionship and nutrition. The continued support from SPA means we can focus on ways to grow the service without the unnerving task of searching for funding each year. SPA’s support isn’t peripheral it’s central.
Ally Ramage, Community Partnership Manager, Eildon Housing Association