Hard-working dad forced to join food bank queue
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A SINGLE parent who puts in a 40-hour shift as a kitchen porter in a leading Inverness restaurant found himself back at a food bank this week in desperate need of supplies to keep him and his teenage daughter going until pay day.
Kenneth Mackay, who is currently living in a temporary flat for the homeless in Rosehaugh Road, said it was one of those weeks where the ends just would not meet.
The 61-year-old, who is still mourning the loss of his 19-year-old daughter Paige who tragically took her own life last summer, said no-one should feel ashamed about having to use a food bank.
In his case, his wage of £8.07 per hour sometimes cannot cover his rent, council tax bill and other living costs.
"This is only the second time I have used it – I did use it a couple of weeks ago but I am on a low income. I was homeless a few years ago and I’m just sort of trying to get on my feet but it’s pretty hard. It’s not easy for anyone on a low income.
"The relationship I was in broke down so I ended up homeless. She put me out of the flat and then the wife left for another part of the country so I had to take my daughter in with me.
"I used to live in a HMO in the city centre but we moved into this flat in September. It’s OK but I have to pay full rent of £74 a week and I’ve got to hand over more than £100 in total because of the service charge that comes with this flat because its furnished."
He added: "My mind never switches off thinking about money.
"It's constantly on my mind with the rent etc. I am aware of the number of families who are getting evicted and I keep thinking ‘is this going to happen to me?’ It’s terrifying. My housing officer says it could be anything up to a year before I get a proper tenancy with the council.
"The universal credit benefits people keep telling me I’m entitled to nothing. There must be thousands of people in Scotland in the same boat."
Mr Mackay is surprisingly upbeat about his situation and hopes that his dedication to his job – which he has held down for seven years without a single day off sick, apart from a few weeks when his daughter died – combined with patience and careful financial planning will see him through one of the most difficult periods of his life.
And he expressed heartfelt thanks to those who take it upon themselves to put that extra few bits in their shopping trolley every week to hand over to the charity so that volunteers can make up care packages.
"I think a lot of people feel embarrassed about having to go to the food bank," he said.
"I’m lucky in that way – I’m not embarrassed at all. I appreciate everything. The way I see it, for me and everyone else, its not our fault we find it hard to manage.
"You would actually think that somebody working would be better off but that’s not the case. You get a lot of people working like myself and they’re actually worse off. But I couldn’t not work."
VOLUNTEERS at food banks in Inverness and Nairn say a rise in the number of families relying on emergency food parcels shows no signs of abating as winter bites.
Numbers are expected to rise even further as people in need have to choose between heating their homes and buying food.
But in bid to try to make Christmas a little bit more bearable for those having a difficult time, the Inverness Courier has teamed up with the food banks at St Michael’s Church Hall in Abban Street, Inverness, Hilton Foodbank Centre and Nairn’s Foodbank Centre at St Mary’s Church Hall to launch a reverse advent calendar.
It is a pretty simple concept. All we are asking you to do is fill a box with a different item each day and instead of a common advent countdown where you collect a little chocolate each day, you get to show your kindness by making donations instead. An advent calendar showing the items most needed has been printed in the Inverness Courier this week.
The box and contents can then be taken to Blythswood Care’s Harbour Road outlet.
Lorna Dempster, Highland Foodbank’s Inverness and Nairn co-ordinator, said it would be a much-needed boost to the supplies.
"The reverse advent calender with the Courier should help in the run-up to Christmas.
"We had such a fantastic response to the recent harvest appeal and we are very thankful to people for donating."
She said the roll-out of universal credit was now the main reason people were in need of food parcels. The city was one of the first places in the UK to switch to the new benefits system, which has frozen income for a period for some applicants.
Between April 2016 and April last year, Highland Foodbank fed 2612 adults and 864 children.
"Recently the demand has been steady, but universal credit has had an impact on people, especially the time they are having to wait for benefits money," Mrs Dempster said.
"This will get worse as the weather turns colder and people have to choose between food or heating. If you are on a low income or struggling for work over winter, you cannot afford both."
Teams of volunteers sort and weigh the goods so they are ready to go out as orders come in from the food bank centres.
All boxes for the reverse advent calendar can be delivered to Blythswood Care’s Harbour Road warehouse any time. The premises close for Christmas on December 22 and reopen on January 3. For Nairn, boxes can be taken to the Blythswood Care shop in Leopold Street.
