Highlands and Islands colleges donate supplies to local foodbanks

Colleges across the University of the Highlands and Islands network have boosted foodbank stocks by donating unused produce from their canteens. With campuses shutting their doors to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus, catering staff have gifted foodstuffs including fruit, vegetables, pasta, milk, bread and eggs to charities around the region.

Orkney College UHI donated items to Orkney Foodbank, Inverness College UHI gave provisions to Inverness Foodstuff at Ness Bank Church, West Highland College UHI gifted produce to Lochaber Foodbank and Perth College UHI handed over supplies to Anchor House.

Moray College UHI donated surplus goods to Moray Foodbank and Argyll College UHI made a delivery to Hope Kitchen in Oban.

Theresa Bain, Argyll College UHI’s Oban Learning Centre manager, explained:

"We have a practical teaching kitchen on site which doubles as a staff and student canteen. We had a lot of food in reserve for future cooking and our Principal, Martin Jones, was keen to donate our reserves to a local food bank.

“I gathered up our supplies of cereals, lentils, tinned goods, tea bags, flour, orange juice, yeast, jellies, sugar, coffee, tomato puree, pasta and condiments and loaded them into a college car. I took the goods to Hope Kitchen, a well-known charitable organisation in Oban which provides hot meals and food parcels for people on low income or who need a bit of company.

“The charity was extremely grateful for the help. They were particularly pleased to get pasta as there was none to be had in Oban and yeast sachets as they could use them to bake their own bread.”

While many buildings around the University of the Highlands and Islands partnership have closed, staff are continuing to provide their services online. Further and higher education programmes are being taught remotely and staff from Perth College UHI’s Academy of Sport and Wellbeing are running daily online fitness classes through Facebook. The university is also supporting NHS services by contributing scientific expertise, laboratory facilities and teaching equipment.

For the latest University of the Highlands and Islands Coronavirus information, visit www.uhi.ac.uk/coronavirus