A food bank in Easter Ross needs more volunteers so that it can increase its opening hours to cope with soaring demand.
The Alness shop currently opens on Tuesdays and Fridays but organisers want to open three days a week.
Demand at the food bank in the town’s Capstone building has been higher than expected, with more than 140 referrals since it opened at the end of May.
Laura Ferguson, food bank development officer at Blythswood Care, said: “Referral agents are telling us that opening hours are not sufficient. We agree with them and would like it to open at least three days but we need more volunteers to staff it.”
The volunteers help make people feel welcome by giving people their food and offering a cup of tea.
Their job is not to decide who gets the food. That decision is taken by referral agents who are usually care professionals with knowledge of their client’s circumstances.
When an individual or family in crisis is unable to buy food, an agent can give them a voucher which is exchanged at a food bank for a three-day supply.
Ross-shire-based charity Blythswood Care now runs food bank centres at nine locations across the Highlands. These are: Alness, Aviemore, Dingwall, Thurso, Inverness Hilton, Inverness Madras Street, Kyle, Nairn and Tain.
Potential volunteers are asked to contact Laura Ferguson on 01349 830084 or email laura.ferguson@blythswood.org