THE foodbank at Hawkhill Community Centre is back up and running.

The service has been resumed due to £3000 in funding from the Scottish Government's People and Communities Fund (PCF).

Run by Hawkhill Community Association, which works in conjunction with Sauchie Active 8, it was forced to close temporarily due to shortages.

Centre manager May Richmond believes there will be a lot of relieved people now the service is back to what it was.

She highlighted that it is of assistance to many – those who are unemployed, along with others in work who cannot afford to buy the essentials.

She is keen to see support for the non-referral service and people giving will be crucial to its long-term success.

May said: “I think it's very, very important because it's the only way it's going to be sustainable is if we can get donations on a weekly basis.”

The Alloa foodbank, which gives out about 50 parcels a week, was first established in January of last year in a bid to help the local community.

Handing out single and family packs, it was set up with the aim of helping people locally who may be struggling financially.

Operating on a drop-in, first-come, first-served basis, items are collected by Sauchie Active 8 – which runs its own foodbank – and bags made up, before being dropped off at Hawkhill.

The money from PCF will keep the service running for the next little while, but the emphasis is on making sure it has longevity.

May said: “If anybody can give any donations, tins, dried food etc, if they hand them in to Sauchie Active 8 or ourselves they would be more than gratefully received.”

Items like tinned soup and sausage and beans, noodles, rice, UHT milk and anything non-perishable can be given to help the Alloa and Sauchie services; hand them into Sauchie Hall any day between 9am and 10pm.

The Hawkhill foodbank runs on Friday from 9am and the Sauchie foodbank runs from 11.30am on the same day, alongside its newly launched soup kitchen.