Council workers fighting to protect their own jobs have raised £500 for two larders at the centre of a row with a food charity.
Members of Unite the Union, who had gathered to protest at Dundee City Council budget cuts, have gone above and beyond to raise cash for the Lochee Community Larder and Food For Thought, which operates from the Charleston Community Centre.
They donated £250 of cash and £250-worth of food to the food banks on Friday.
The two community bodies are struggling after national food charity FareShare, which distributes surplus food from supermarkets, cut ties with the services over what it said were hygiene concerns.
Samantha Bruce, who runs the larders, said: “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the Unite members. This food and donations will go a long way to helping replenish our food stocks.”
The larder was discussed at Thursday’s budget meeting, with Lochee councillors Charlie Malone, Michael Marra and Alan Ross all offering to moderate further negotiations with the charity.
Samantha and other volunteers from the larder protested outside the meeting to gather more signatures for their petition, which calls for a reversal of the decision. To date, it has gathered more than 350 signatures.
However, FareShare has refused all requests for further meetings.
In response to the Tele’s latest queries the charity reissued a statement it first provided on Wednesday, which read: “Because we are not confident the organisation would not be able to meet our food safety standards in the future, unfortunately, this decision is final.”
© DC Thomson
Samantha added: “It’s so frustrating because, as a charity that exists to give out food, they’re going against their very purpose – that’s their whole point.
“We’re doing this for the 500 people that are being let down by FareShare.”
Unite regional officer Bob McGregor said: “It says a lot for our members that those who gathered on Thursday to protest against the city council’s budget took the opportunity to raise money for people in need of food in the city.
“I am hugely proud that Unite members, who themselves are facing hard times ahead went out of their say to raise this money for vulnerable families in Dundee.”
