The owners of a north-east catering trailer have distributed between 400 and 500 meals in two communities that have been left without power due to Storm Corrie.
Brother and sister Josh and Alex McKenzie started serving dishes from their catering trailer, known as Skoff, on Monday after being contacted by Graham Whyte, of G&M Whyte Event Caterers, who was pleading for food trucks to help areas without power.
The siblings, who were brought up in the Deeside area and currently reside in Aberdeen, received a call in the afternoon and were dishing out food by 5pm.
They first set up shop in Countesswells, across from Sainsbury’s Local on Burnett Road, and have since served locals at Bellfield North Car Park in Banchory, too.
‘It was a no-brainer’
“We felt we needed to do something to help the communities in need of hot food and water,” Josh said. “It was a no-brainer.”
Josh and Alex have been making customers aware of their whereabouts via social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, and have asked people to share the posts to reach as wide an audience as possible.
They have been serving a variety of burgers, chicken wraps and loaded chips, as well as vegetarian options.
Alex said: “Our menu is a little smaller than usual to help cope with the masses and suppliers.
“Everything has been free of charge to the public, however we will be reimbursed by SSEN at a later date.
“This has meant we had to close our resident pitch in Dyce, but we can’t be in two places at once.”
Josh and Alex’s family have also been helping out at the two sites in order to keep up with demand.
Josh said: “We have lost count of how many meals we have sold, but I would say roughly between 400 and 500 so far. That’s from 5pm on Monday to midday today.
“We felt the need to help those without power and now after hearing some of the stories of customers with what they have been through, we are very glad we have managed to help in any way we can.
“Seeing them being very thankful and happy to have some hot food has been an absolute pleasure.”
Public response
The firm has received fantastic feedback from followers on social media, who are thanking the team for helping those in need.
Several commented “not all heroes wear capes” on one of Skoff’s Facebook posts, while another wrote, “such a thoughtful thing to do”.
Another said: “Well done team Skoff keep up the amazing work.”
Speaking on the response, Alex said: “It has been amazing! Our social media has been full of lovely comments and kind words.
“We’ve even had coffee bought for us and gifted boxes of chocolates.
“I think it’s a great thing the SSEN have set up. We would definitely love to be part of it again – although fingers crossed there are no more storms ahead.”
Skoff was launched in the late spring of 2018 and the brand has since expanded to include a second catering trailer, known as Skoffee.