North Ayrshire Council reached a major milestone last week in their food delivery network.

In total, the equivalent of 514,856 meals have been provided to households across North Ayrshire.

Most of the meals have come via the council’s weekly food parcels which are being provided, free of charge, to those in receipt of free schools meals and/or school clothing grant and some of the most vulnerable residents.

Each parcel contains enough food to provide a family of four with lunches for five days.

Over 25,000 of these essential food packs have been delivered across North Ayrshire. The packs are made up of between 75-80 per cent of fresh produce, most of which comes from local suppliers based in Ayrshire and wider Scotland.

The council’s catering team has also been preparing and serving up meals for children attending the childcare hubs as their parents carry out essential work on the frontline. To date, around 3,000 tasty, hot meals have been dished out.

And a further 12,000 hot meals have been delivered to those in need through North Ayrshire Community Hubs.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place, said: “Delivering over half a million meals is simply incredible and is only possible thanks to the great team spirit that we’ve got going on here in North Ayrshire.

“From local suppliers stepping up to the plate to ensure we have sufficient stock to the local businesses giving donations to help out, everyone’s efforts are invaluable.

“However, none more so than our tremendous staff without whom none of this would be possible.

“Whether that’s housing staff coordinating the packing of food or building services staff ensuring each pack reaches those who need it most, every member of staff from every service has played an invaluable role in our response to the crisis.

“This crisis has shown what community spirit is all about and we are incredibly grateful to each and every single person that is chipping in to make North Ayrshire a place to be proud of.”

If you are having trouble accessing food, medicine or supplies, please contact your local community hub. Details at http://northayrshire.community/wp-content

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