A north-east social enterprise has closed its offices to the public due to the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
The charity will continue to help out in communities, but the staff at Cfine hubs will be limited to essential workers.
Warehouse staff will continue to put together food parcels and drivers will deliver to people’s doors – but there will no longer be any face-to-face interaction between the charity and those it helps.
Community pantries that have been set up across the north and north-east, serving as hubs for people to pick up food, will also close.
Last week First Minister Nicola Sturgeon advised Scots to work at home if they could until a review in mid-January.
Today, more than 3,750 new cases of Covid were recorded across Scotland in the past 24 hours.
The figures led Health Secretary Humza Yousaf to admit that restrictions are “inevitable” as case numbers continue to climb.
Stats showcase north-east’s need for charity services
Foodbank charity Community Food Initiatives North East (Cfine) provides healthy food for people living in disadvantaged communities and those living in poverty.
Demand for the service has only risen throughout the course of the pandemic.
Figures released by the charity state that since April 2021, Cfine has distributed 681 tonnes of food – equivalent to 1,621,428 meals.
Chief executive Fiona Rae said: “This means we will be closing the doors, and the community pantry will shut. We operate a call and collect service that allows people to pick up food, which will also need to close.
“People will still be able to get food, but they will need to have it delivered just like we did during the beginning of the pandemic.
“It is about restricting who comes in and out of the building – we will still have volunteers and staff coming in, operations will run as normal, just people won’t be able to come in.”
Staff at the charity’s headquarters have been taking regular lateral flow tests, in line with Scottish Government regulations, to try and keep a lid on Covid spread.
To eat or to heat
To eat or to heat is the terrible dilemma faced by some families across the north and north-east.
For that reason, The Press and Journal, Evening Express and Original 106 have teamed up with Cfine for the Big Christmas Food Appeal, which aims to shine a light on food poverty and the help available to people from all backgrounds.
We’re working to raise awareness of the work foodbanks do, and the incredible efforts the team make to ensure food and toiletries get to where they’re needed most.