Burnfoot volunteers celebrate cash handout helping deliver 1,000 food parcels during lockdown

A grant more than £8,700 to Hawick charity Burnfoot Community Futures is aiding volunteers there in keeping locals fed and safe during the coronavirus lockdown.
Wendy Potts and Shirley Lowrie organise food parcels through Burnfoot Community Futures during lockdown.Wendy Potts and Shirley Lowrie organise food parcels through Burnfoot Community Futures during lockdown.
Wendy Potts and Shirley Lowrie organise food parcels through Burnfoot Community Futures during lockdown.

The charity, which runs the cafe at Burnfoot Community Hub has handed out more than 1,000 food parcels to vulnerable locals since the lockdown began almost nine weeks ago.
But with its cafe closed and almost all income halted overnight the charity could have run into trouble were it not for a £,8,756 cash boost from the Scottish Government, as part of a near-£300,000 handout shared between four Borders groups this month.
Lesley Hume, cafe manager at Burnfoot Community Hub, said: “These are tough times and Burnfoot Community Futures has gone from a busy and vibrant site to one that is closed for transactions and has no income streams.
“Scottish Government investment from the Supporting Communities Fund is particularly welcome and helps to pay for staff, core costs and distributing food parcels. 
“We are therefore very grateful to the Scottish Government and Development Trusts Association Scotland colleagues who helped us coordinate the application process, and which allows us to continue to respond to those in the greatest need, and to do so at very short notice.
“We’ve prioritised the food parcel distribution service that allows local people to pick up a food parcel from Burnfoot Community Hub, or to arrange for one of my many volunteers to deliver the parcel to their homes, and have so far distributed more than 1,000 parcels.
“We are grateful for all external support, particularly from volunteers and from staff and from external funders.”