A MUSSELBURGH retailer has stepped in to help provide meals and essentials for the most vulnerable during the Covid-19 crisis.

Pinkie Farm Convenience Store, one of Nisa’s independent outlets, has donated essentials to the vulnerable and families in the area who are struggling with financial hardship.

Support from the store – led by managing director Dan Brown – has included a £500 donation to East Lothian Sunday Fresh Chicken Dinner Boxes, £500 to Resilient Musselburgh and a further £300 to Pennypit Community Development Trust.

East Lothian Sunday Fresh Chicken Dinner Boxes provide fresh produce boxes containing all the ingredients needed to prepare a full roast dinner to struggling families.

The charity’s founder, Jane Russell, said the donation would provide 60 local families with their dinner boxes.

She commented: “I set up the project in December 2019 to give out free fresh chicken dinner boxes to people financially struggling in East Lothian.

“The idea was to create a box of fresh produce so they had everything to cook a Sunday roast chicken dinner, and so the families could all sit together and enjoy a healthy meal.

“We have helped over 800 families so far. The reason I set it up was because I myself have been in that position and, with three kids, financially struggling is so hard, deciding if you can afford food or gas.

“I wanted to make our project easy for people to ask for help without any forms to fill in or feel embarrassed.

“The feedback and the support from the local community to help us is just amazing. The donation we received from Nisa will provide 60 families with our fresh chicken dinner boxes, which is just amazing.”

The donations were made via Nisa’s ‘Making a Difference Locally’ charity which raises funds in-store from the sale of Co-op and Heritage own brand products and has seen the Pinkie Farm Convenience Store donate almost £9,500 to local causes.

The donations are just one of many ways in which the store is reaching out to support the local community, having recently launched new £25 ‘essentials kits’ aimed at helping the most vulnerable people in the community and those who are self-isolating.

Food kits have also been given to staff at Musselburgh Primary Health Care Centre and fresh produce contributed to East Lothian Foodbank, amongst other initiatives to help those most in need.

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