Our Community Engagement Officer, Lisa Heffernan recently met with Kathleen Neilly who is the manager of the West Lothian Foodbank for a tour of the head office in Bathgate.
Levenseat originally helped the West Lothian Foodbank with sponsorship in 2017 when they had ran out of money, in doing so Levenseat became one of the first companies to come along and work beside them which turned out to be a massive turning point for the Foodbank as this meant that they could match fund which allowed them to apply for bigger grants which in turn allowed them to employ more staff members.
Over the next few years, they would grow quite quickly moving into a much larger facility and adding distribution centres and charity shops. They have also introduced some impressive ideas which included a community garden where they grow fresh seasonal produce. The West Lothian Foodbank are different from most food banks as they give out a week’s worth of food which also includes fresh food.
For the past 6 years, Levenseat has enjoyed a great partnership with the West Lothian Foodbank as not only have we donated £5,000 per year in sponsorship but we regularly take donations each Christmas from all our staff on site for their reverse advent calendar campaign, several of our staff members have also helped at the head office doing various tasks. The financial donation was made possible through our community benefit commitments with West Lothian Council.
Kathleen was also kind enough to show Lisa the newest facility which is the Charity Shop, Furniture and Fancy Goods store based in Armadale. Not only can customers purchase preloved furniture but other household items such as fridges and TVs are available. If you’re looking for a suit for an interview or a dress for a special occasion, they have many choices in stock. They also offer benefits advice to families and music classes for children.
If you would like to find out more about the West Lothian Foodbank, please visit: https://westlothian.foodbank.org.uk/