Watch Commander Matthew Crabb is a Retained and Volunteer Support for Kincardine, Mearns and North Angus.

He helped co-ordinate leaflets, posters and financial donations. He became aware of the pantries through a community resilience group meeting.

WC Crabb said: “This is a good avenue to help us reach people in our communities who could benefit from our safety advice.”

The pantries opened at the beginning of the Covid pandemic and look set to continue. These community hubs are open to everyone, they promote sustainability and avoid food wastage. Donations are received from people in the community and from local shops, and nothing goes to waste, with any uneaten fruit and veg feeding local pigs.

The Bervie Pantry’s team of six volunteers supports people from Inverbervie and surrounding villages and they have around 140 regular visitors.

Diana Milne, volunteer at The Bervie Pantry said: “There’s people coming in who might not have smoke detectors and would benefit from home safety advice. More people are struggling to meet basic food needs. This a great community resource, where food swaps take place and nothing goes to waste. We are very proud of what we’ve achieved.”

The Haven, which operates in Stonehaven, has 50 volunteers and is run by volunteer coordinator Julie Gray. She is also keen to highlight that The Haven is open to the whole community and they promote sustainability, food swaps and they provide seeds to encourage people to grow their own fruit and veg.

ENDS