Bield Housing & Care has unveiled a new project designed to support tenants in underserved communities by offering access to nutritious food, practical guidance on healthy living and an opportunity to connect with neighbours.

Funded by a generous £25,000 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the community pantry project will focus on developments that do not currently offer meal services, ensuring Bield extends its impact across its network of tenants.

The initiative will benefit tenants across multiple locations; including Fife, North Lanarkshire, Argyll and Bute, North Ayrshire, Inverclyde and East Ayrshire.

Each tenant will receive a nutrition-focused talk, guidance on healthy eating as you age, a package of non-perishable items and a supermarket gift voucher.

Jim Carson, catering manager at Bield, is leading the project and considers it a great opportunity to promote wellbeing in communities that don’t currently benefit from their meal service.

He said: “This project is about giving back to our tenants and ensuring they feel supported. For many, nutrition won’t be top of their everyday list of priorities. This is an opportunity to learn about easy, healthy meals in a practical way.

“We’re also bringing people together to foster community connections - something especially important in rural areas where isolation can be a challenge.”

Bield launched the initiative this week, beginning with sessions in Greenock where tenants came together for nutrition talks led by Jim and supported by area housing managers.

The sessions will cover the importance of protein, fibre and omega-3s while reducing saturated fats, drawing from Scottish Government healthy eating guidelines and the British Dietetic Association’s (BDA) Older People Specialist Group.

After each session, tenants will leave with a bag of goods, including a voucher for their local supermarket, alongside educational resources to kickstart healthy eating journeys. For those unable to attend in person, packed bags will be delivered directly to their homes.

Jim added: “The bottom line is everyone deserves access to good nutrition. This project also shows Bield’s commitment to ensuring no community feels forgotten.

“This grant has given us the opportunity for more outreach with tenants as we aim to create supportive communities.”

The project will also help raise awareness of Bield’s broader support services, which span 21 local authorities across Scotland.