AN independent store in Motherwell has thrown its weight behind efforts to feed struggling families in Scotland.
Back in August the Family Shopper store in Airbles Street, in the Lanarkshire town, one of two shops in Motherwell run by brothers Adeil, Akeil and Haseeb Hussain, placed a collecting bin and posters in the store to encourage customers to donate tinned items for local food banks. The charities work to provide goods for people finding it difficult to feed themselves and their families.
Customers responded well, said Adeil. Some bought items in the store to add to the bin and some brought items from their own homes to hand in. Food bank organisers had to return twice in quick succession to collect the items.
But it wasn’t just the customers, the business made its own donation. Adeil, Akeil and Haseeb put money aside each week and bought £900 worth of stock to pass on to Motherwell’s Basics Food Bank.
The collections are continuing and the brothers also plan to raffle a Playstation 4 in the run-up to Christmas with proceeds to go to the food bank to buy either food or Christmas presents for children in hard-hit families.
And Adeil wants his fellow retailers to get involved with food banks or other good causes.
“There are really good independent retailers who help their communities,” he said.
“But some people have said to me if people can’t buy food it’s because they spend too much on alcohol and cigarettes.
“But it’s not like that. Some people really can’t afford food after they pay for their rent, gas and electricity. There are people who are desperate that we should be helping.”
And, as well as the humanitarian reasons for helping, he said making the effort would be good for independent stores’ reputations in their communities.
