With three different initiatives covering West Dunbartonshire, Perth and Dundee, the Caledonia team got to work on supporting people and families following what has been a particularly difficult year with the cost-of-living crisis and rising food costs affecting many people across the country.

• Creating foodbank donation stations in offices in Perth, Broughty Ferry and Cordale Housing Association’s office in Renton with colleagues donating food items and delivering to foodbanks in the local area. In addition to the foods donated by our colleagues, Caledonia Housing Association donated over £1,000 to four foodbanks.
• Teams in Dundee, Angus and Fife donated cosy pyjamas and socks to a local charity, TOGS - a non-profit organisation serving Dundee, Angus and the surrounding areas which aims to be the “go to” service for families struggling to provide essential clothing and equipment for their children.
• The team at Cordale Housing Association, part of CHA Group, donated 274 selection boxes split between St. Martin’s and Renton Primary Schools in Renton. The Association also contributed a small number of selection boxes to a local foodbank “Food for Thought” in Dumbarton to help share the festive spirit for some other households.

Julie Cosgrove, chief executive at Caledonia Housing Association, said: “We are acutely aware of the challenges that people are facing right now and aim to support wherever we can. We value partnerships that benefit the communities we work in and strive to contribute to those people and families that need it. I’m proud that our teams got involved with local initiatives and we have committed to providing all of our staff with a day off for volunteering in 2023 to give back and support local charities.”

Ross Middlemiss, Lochee Community Hub coordinator at Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action, said: “We are delighted and very grateful for both the monetary donation and the items handed in. Just prior to Christmas, we made up Christmas food parcels for our participants, used some of the monetary donation to buy toys for local children. The donations provided by Caledonia Housing Association were a massive help towards this.”