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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Nicola Findlay

Generous donation wheelie helps Lanarkshire charity get motoring

A kind benefactor has wheely helped an East Kilbride charity which faced closure get moving with a surprise donation.

Share Alike were astounded when the man - who wishes to remain anonymous - dropped off a van.

This will help the charity, which supports the most needy in the area with food parcels, clothes and household item among other projects, not only pick up food but deliver when necessary.

The charity, who have been busy preparing a new base near East Kilbride bus station for opening.

Just last year the charity feared they may have to close their doors for good - but the community rallied round, helping them get a new base up to scratch which they are hoping to open soon.

Annmarie Campbell from Share Alike told Lanarkshire Live: "We have been looking to get a van for a while but with limited funds we just couldn't afford it.

"This gentleman had been talking to us and said he would see what he could get for us and then one day he just turned up with keys and said "there's a van for you".

"We couldn't believe it but we are so very grateful. For three years now our volunteer drivers have been picking up surplus food to bring back to us in their own cars - which have been absolutely rammed full.

"The van means that they can now pick up all the surplus food, without using their own cars. It will also make deliveries far easier.

"We distribute fresh, frozen as well as bags of food so we need to get them out as quickly as possible and the drivers could only really do a couple at a time in their own cars."

And the community generosity didn't stop there.

Within five minutes of Annmarie posting that they had a new van which needed an MOT, Spannerama in College Milton got in touch and said they would help out.

"It's really become a project for the community which is backed by them. We are well-used and it's not just myself and my volunteers, it's the whole community who have rallied. We help them and they have helped us," Annmarie went on.

"We are nearly there with the new base but have been hampered by several instances of flooding. But hopefully this will be rectified soon."

And conscious of wanting to be as environmentally friendly as possible Annmarie is also awaiting the delivery of a trike with a basket to distribute parcels.

"While the van is very much welcomed and will be a great asset, we will only use it when the quantities demand it.

"We want to reduce out impact on the planet as much as possible to the trike will be used for smaller deliveries around East Kilbride - and I'm sure it will help keep our volunteers fit too!" she added.

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