East Ayrshire: Cumnock, Sorn and Drongan food larder

The initiative will aim to offer essential support to vulnerable communities across East Ayrshire.

Throughout the pandemic and cost of living crisis, the council faced challenges when trying to ensure that vulnerable residents could access essential food and household items, and it supported the launch of the community larders.

Now that the van is ready and raring to go, it will operate on a fortnightly rota starting this week, and will visit areas such as Cumnock, Sorn and Drongan.

The rota is:

Week 1:

Tuesday- 

• Sorn 10am - 11.30am
• Cumnock 1pm - 2.30pm

Wednesday-     

• Bellsbank 10am – 11.30am
• Drongan 1pm – 2.30pm

Thursday-         

• Galston 10am – 11.30 am

Week 2:

Tuesday-

• Sorn 10am – 11.30am
• Galston 1pm – 2.30pm

Wednesday-  

• Onthank 10.30am – 12pm
• Bellfield 1pm – 2.30pm

Thursday-          

• Bellsbank 10am – 11.30am
• Drongan 1pm – 2.30pm

The van will offer several key benefits including access to essential cost-price items in more remote areas like Sorn where there is no local shop and limited public transport or where there is identified need.

To ensure long-term sustainability of the initiative, a number of strategies have been put in place.

A mobile community larder will be out this week. (Image: David Gordon/East Ayrshire Council) These include community involvement; partnership working with established local businesses and food producers to secure consistent supplies; seeking external funding; and adopting a social enterprise model to reinvest any surplus from items to ensure that the Food Larder Van is cost neutral.

Councillor Jim McMahon, cabinet spokesperson for housing, transport and communities, said: “We’re very pleased to be able to introduce this initiative to our communities across East Ayrshire for residents who are in need of lower cost food and household items, or those who don’t have easy access to a local shop to buy these goods.

“This vital resource will help to address these issues and we will keep gathering data as well as feedback from anyone using the van so that we can ensure it continually meets the evolving needs of our communities.”