Council Staff Swap Secret Santa For Highland Foodbank Donations
5th December 2018
Welfare staff within Highland Council's UK Award winning Benefits and Welfare Reform Team have decided to forego their office Secret Santa tradition and instead donate to Blythswood's Highland Foodbank this Christmas.
Sheila McKandie, Highland Council's Benefits and Welfare Manager explained:"On a daily basis we work with the dedicated team at Blythswood Highland Foodbank directing people to them who are in urgent need. At this time of year when some offices are signing up for Secret Santa gifting we decided that rather than buying each presents we would rather spend the equivalent amount of money on buying vital and necessary food for those most in need.
"We have all filled shopping bags with non-perishable food items and these are being delivered to the Highland Food Bank. For as long as food banks are required, we hope to make such donations regularly."
To find out more about the Highland Foodbank visit Blythswood’s website at: https://www.blythswood.org/highland-foodbank
The Council’s Welfare staff support the most vulnerable individuals and families in the Highlands to maximise their incomes by legitimately claiming all benefits and entitlements they are eligible to receive. The Welfare Team can be contacted on Freephone 0800 090 140.
On an almost daily basis the team provides clients with vouchers to access local foodbanks and also distribute Blythswood food parcels which are held by the team in local Council offices. The team has first-hand experience of reducing poverty in Highland and have a grass roots understanding of the lifeline that the food bank provides for so many residents. For some, the foodbank is used as a last resort having exhausted all other sources of support for residents, many of whom have complex needs. Demand for food increases during the winter months and Blythswood depend on increased donations during this time.
Lorna Dempster, Highland Foodbank Co-ordinator for Inverness and Nairn said "Highland Foodbank is so grateful to the Welfare Team for the extremely kind donations of food this Christmas."
To donate visit: https://www.blythswood.org/highland-foodbank
PHOTO
(left to right) Welfare Officers Alison Nicolson and Liz Duff deliver food parcels to Lorna Dempster Highland Food Bank Coordinator
Related Businesses
Related Articles
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Households across Scotland have received £4.1 billion in relief since the Council Tax Reduction scheme was introduced in 2013. People on low incomes are eligible for the benefit if they live in Scotland - there is no equivalent in England where most councils require each household to contribute a minimum amount of council tax, irrespective of ability to do so.
The Highland Council is preparing to carry out improvement works in Thurso at Ormlie Road and at The Mall riverside path adjacent to Janet Street. The scope of works on Ormlie Road will include junction improvements between Castlegreen Road and Juniper Drive with new drop kerbs and tactile paving and some surface repairs.
A Highland-wide partnership launched earlier in 2024 to support people on their journey towards, into and within employment is looking forward to a New Year in 2025 full of exciting opportunities designed to help hundreds more people across the Highlands unlock their work potential. Work.
The Highland Council is delighted to share that its Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme has won the Outstanding Project Award at the Scottish Green Energy Awards. Described by Scottish Renewables as a "pioneering clean power scheme", this £7 million project demonstrates the incredible impact that can be achieved through combined public and private sector investment.
The ambitious yet focused ‘Highland Investment Plan' is committed to addressing our asset challenges over the next twenty years. By using a place based approach, to ensure a more integrated community offering through the creation of new community facilities.
Applications to the Inverness Winter Payments Scheme, which is fully funded by the Inverness Common Fund, have already been awarded to 1,035 eligible households within the 7 specified Inverness Wards. Leader of Inverness Area, Councillor Ian Brown said: "Since the Scheme was opened to applications for this winter, already £114,885 has been awarded to people who live in the eligible Wards of Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness West, Inverness Central, Inverness Ness-side, Inverness Millburn, Culloden and Ardersier and Inverness South Wards.
The first Highland-wide virtual jobs fair held last month has proved to be a hit with participants and businesses. The week-long virtual event, which was delivered by the Local Employability Partnership for the West - The Highland Council, Skills Development Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Department for Work and Pensions, Developing the Young Workforce and UHI North West and Hebrides was timed to coincide with Scottish Careers Week 2024.
