Budget supermarket opens to steer residents through cost of living crisis in Ayrshire

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A mini supermarket selling cut-price goods has been set up in Irvine in response to the cost of living crisis.The 'Side Larder, based at Springside Community Centre, aims to provide dignified and affordable access to food for those who are struggling to make ends meet.Run in partnership with North Ayrshire Council and Springside Community Association (SCA), the shop forms part of the North Ayrshire Fairer Food network which now has 14 ladders under its banner.The community provision works on a membership basis and provides a way for people to top up their weekly food shop.Community volunteer Claire Stevenson from SCA said: “After many months in the making, we are delighted to now be opening the new ‘Side Larder here in Springside.“We’ve been working hard to get the new community larder set up and we will be open every Friday 10am until 6pm.“The larder will be run by our community, for our community and I know that it will be a great resource to families and individuals in the area.”With 20 memberships already registered, the team are off to a flying start.Claire added: “We’re already hearing – and experiencing ourselves – how residents are feeling concerned about how they’re going to manage over the next few months as they struggle with rising energy and food costs.“Working alongside the Council, our food larder has been set-up to help families and other residents get a little more out of their weekly grocery shop for much less and most importantly provide a service that they can access discreetly and with dignity.”Unlike a food bank, the larder is not an emergency food provision and no referral is required.Membership is open to everyone within the catchment areas and all that is needed to join the scheme is a letter to