A charity which helps needy families eat more healthily faces a bleak future after being cut adrift by NHS Grampian.
The Moray Food Network, which includes three separate groups, has issued a desperate plea for help to keep going after its funding comes to an end in March.
The Elgin Youth Development Group, which runs the town’s popular youth cafe, is one of the organisations affected, along with the Reap and Transition Town Forres projects.
Fiona Birse, the cafe’s development manager, said the scheme would have to cuts its weekly training sessions from 10 to two when the annual £84,000 package is withdrawn.
And she is resigned to getting rid of two part-time posts to help make ends meet.
NHS Grampian said the funding was only ever intended to be in place for three years, and the groups involved had been warned to prepare an “exit strategy”.
But Mrs Birse said the three-year period was barely enough time to get started.
She said: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, it took a couple of years for us to get up and running to the capacity we are now at.
“The hope was NHS Grampian would arrange other funding packages in the future.
“It’s devastating to lose all of it when we are making such a difference to lives in Moray.”
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said he hoped organisers would find a way to keep up their “invaluable” work.
Mr Lochhead said: “Their work is invaluable given the challenge we face in improving our food culture and tackling health inequalities.
“It is important to find ways to continue that, it is more important than ever that we support these life skills.
“I will do what I can to identify any funding sources available.”
An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said the health board would also help the Moray Food Network explore other funding options.
She said: “Funding was made available to get this project off the ground.
“It was not intended to be long-term support, all partner organisations were aware of this and asked to build in an exit strategy.
“While this funding is coming to a conclusion, there are other opportunities available and we will work closely together to identify these.”