The milestone was reached just six weeks after the group was expanded in response to growing demand from people in crisis as a result of coronavirus.

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.

Since the end of March, staff have made 10,113 EatWell deliveries – including more than 1,300 to customers in Edinburgh and 1,000 to customers in Dumfries and Galloway.

The lifeline service was awarded £350,000 from Scottish Government recently to provide 8,500 food parcels across Scotland over the next three months, which supplemented the £350,000 Wheatley has invested in EatWell.

Sir Harry Burns, chair of the Wheatley Foundation, said: “As more people face continuing hardship during lockdown, there is a growing demand for help with essential food items.

“I know Wheatley is doing all it can to help vulnerable people in its communities, and EatWell is a lifeline to many individuals and families who are struggling in such challenging times.”

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.

Three new EatWell distribution centres were opened at multi-storey blocks in Glasgow recently to help customers get deliveries even more quickly and easily. And children’s drawing and puzzle books are also now included in the food parcels delivered to families.

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 7,000 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.

• Read all of our articles relating to COVID-19 here.