Procedures & Partners
Islay Food Bank is an independent registered charity. It was set up in 2019 and formally know as “Islay & Jura Store Cupboard”.
During the COVID pandemic we partnered with the Dunlossit and Islay Community Trust to deliver ‘Welfare Boxes’. These boxes were funded and assembled by the Dunlossit team of volunteers and the ‘Store Cupboard” helped to distribute them.
We rebranded as “Islay Food Bank” in 2021 as part of this ongoing partnership. We wanted to have one, clear and easy to access rout to receive food parcels on Islay and so joined under the new name.
No Barriers
We run in a similar way to Trussell Trust Food banks but are independent from them and have different access routes and procedures.
There are no criteria to fulfil and people can self-refer and receive donations delivered anonymously to their door.
This decision was made as we wanted to remove any perceived barriers to help. Islay being a small, close-knit community means there can be a greater reluctance and stigma when it comes to seeking help from a Food Bank.
People do not need to fill out any forms, can be assured of confidentiality.
Crisis Support
The Islay Food Bank aims to be short term crisis care. Whether you have lost your job, gotten a big bill or just can’t make ends meet, we are here to help make sure you can feed yourself and your family during this time. We can provide ‘no questions asked’ help while you get back on your feet and have no strict limits to how long we will help you, but take this on a case by case basis.
Long Term Help
Though we have no set times limits to our help, as a charity we do have a responsibility to make sure that people don’t become dependant on crisis donations.
This is why we will offer support to anyone who has accessed the Food Bank on multiple occasions in a short space of time.
We can help people access long term help by offering advice on financial benefits and help with filling out any forms.