Perthshire hotel provides foodbank meal after closure threat

Less fortunate to benefit on Xmas Day

A Pitlochry hotel is to supply three chefs and 100 free three-course Christmas lunches to the town’s foodbank this Christmas.

McKays Hotel Bar and Restaurant, plus kind-hearted suppliers, will supply and cook Christmas Day Lunch at The Storehouse: Pitlochry’s Community Foodbank.

It comes just months after the festive meal was threatened by the closure of its former base at the Atholl Centre.

Cost of living

Around 100 meals will be cooked by McKays chefs and served at the new venue behind Pitlochry Baptist Church or delivered as food parcels to homes in Pitlochry and Aberfeldy.

Furthermore, McKays will donate £600 worth of food in January, through its charity quiz night takings, and are considering extending their support throughout the year.

With McKays also full for Christmas meals, chefs and staff agreed to split services between the restaurant and the foodbank – such was their desire to make a difference.

Over the last 10 years, emergency food parcel distribution in Scotland has doubled, according to anti-poverty charity, Trussell.

Cost of living pressures and incomes not matching need has seen some foodbanks struggle to meet demand, with donations also reducing. “We want to give back to our community and help those less fortunate at Christmas time,” said new McKays Manager, Shane Naylor.

“The layout at the Christmas lunch has changed this year because the church has taken over the foodbank. There is less of a kitchen area so the majority of the dishes will be cooked on-site at McKays on Christmas Eve, with the final preparation on Christmas morning.

“We also want to see how we can help the foodbank throughout the year and not just the one day. There is potential to maybe do 3 or 4 events per year.”

Rebirth after closure

The Pitlochry Community foodbank was previously located at the Atholl Centre but the Centre was forced to close in March this year due to financial difficulty.

Pitlochry Baptist Church membership and volunteers committed to keeping on the vital foodbank resource, relaunching it with a new name in September.

Long-time Xmas meal organiser Helen Kirkwood, who was sadly made redundant by the Centre closure, offered to help continue the event again this year, due to its enormous benefit to local people.

She is delighted it has survived, with more support than before, and is looking forward to it, with around 70 already booked up for the sit-down meal.

“We couldn’t do this without McKays’ level of input,” she said. “Their involvement has led other businesses to offer support, too.

“It has grown so much. I think the first year McKays did it, there were 20 to 30 meals. Last year we had 77 sitting down and deliveries on top of that.

“This year we have 65-70 booked in already, with deliveries as well. It is so good that it is continuing because it is a really important thing for so many.”