Port Glasgow Salvation Army warns of crisis for vulnerable people

published on 8 Sep 2020

The Salvation Army in Port Glasgow says local charities and community groups are battling to cope with the problems facing vulnerable people in their community.

Captain Ian Arthur leads the community church and during the coronavirus crisis his team of volunteers worked with local groups and charities to serve over 12,000 hot meals to people in need.

Salvation Army officer
Captain Ian Arthur

That work featured on a BBC One Scotland documentary called Scotland’s Covid Capital, which looked at how the community of Port Glasgow came together to cope during lockdown. 

Ian said: “There has always been a need for food here but actually what we have seen now is that the situation with lockdown has shone a light on the problems that some people might have been ignoring.

We’re getting people who are coming to the food bank who are in their seventies.
Captain Ian Arthur

“The town had a big weight on its shoulders that it was struggling to carry and it’s like someone has just shoved on that extra straw that tipped things over.

“We’re getting people who are coming to the food bank who are in their seventies. That’s something we’ve never seen before."

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