EatWell provides emergency food each week to vulnerable people in Wheatley’s communities who are self-isolating or facing hardship and have no-one else to turn to for support.

The service has been massively expanded during the current crisis and was this week awarded £350,000 from the Scottish Government to provide a further 8,500 food parcels across Scotland over the next three months.

As part of the expansion of EatWell, three new distribution centres opened at multi-storey blocks in Glasgow last week to help customers get deliveries even more quickly and easily.

Wheatley has also received donations from its contractors and other partners to support the lifeline service.

Wheatley Foundation director Lorraine McLaren said: “The demand from vulnerable people in our homes who need help with essential food supplies just keeps growing every week. We are determined to keep doing everything we can to help communities as the crisis continues.

“We are delighted the Scottish Government agreed to help fund EatWell over the next three months. This will allow us to sustain and grow the service across the 17 local authority areas where we operate.

“This support, as well as the generous donations from our contractors, will be very much appreciated by the thousands of individuals and families in our homes across the country.”

Meanwhile, Wheatley has also bought more than 1000 children’s drawing and puzzle books which will be included in food parcels delivered to families from this week.

EatWell is available to customers of GHA, Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership, Dunedin Canmore, Cube, Loretto Housing, West Lothian Housing Partnership, Barony, Wheatley Care, YourPlace and Lowther Homes, all part of the Wheatley family.

The expansion of EatWell is one of a wide range of services and additional measures Wheatley has in place aimed at tackling the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the people and families who live in the 93,000 homes it owns and manages across Scotland, as well as the 7000 people a year it works for in care.

A new Emergency Response Fund set up to help alleviate hardship during the current crisis has seen tenants receiving help to buy essential items such as  nappies and mobile phone top-ups.

Wheatley also made a £100,000 donation to Social Bite to help with its food delivery service and has handed over more than 100 empty homes to local authorities to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people.

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