Council Leaders have welcomed news of the Scottish Government’s Food Fund, which will provide Edinburgh with an additional £1.651 million to help feed the city's most at-risk residents.
Commenting on the announcement, Council Leader, Adam McVey, said:
"No one should be left feeling hungry and without enough food because they’re self-isolating. We’re here to help our most vulnerable residents through this difficult time and we’ll do everything in our power to support them.
"Already, we’ve been delivering food parcels to those in our care and thousands of families who might be struggling while schools are closed. The £1.65 million we’ll receive from the Scottish Government as part of their Coronavirus Food Fund is hugely welcome and will allow us to build on this work, as long as there is a local need."
Depute Leader, Cammy Day, added:
"There has been an incredible response from local communities working together to reduce the risk of food poverty and while there is no shortage of food overall, it’s increasingly difficult for people who can’t leave their homes to get the supplies they need.
"One of the actions we’ve already taken is to provide additional cash support to eligible families with school children. We now need to work hard over the coming days to identify how to best use this additional funding to support Edinburgh’s residents, working closely with local communities and charities, who are already supporting vulnerable people with essential basic food supplies."