Two of Castle Douglas' oldest residents open Stepping Stones Community Larder

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Stepping Stones Community Larder in Castle Douglas has been officially declared open – by one of the town’s oldest residents.

Manager Leanne Latta and her staff looked on as 97-year-old Jeanie Moore cut the ribbon at the St Andrew’s Street amenity. Jeannie is one of several residents of Bothwell House supporting Stepping Stones with regular donations to help people in Castle Douglas cope with the cost of living crisis.

Bothwell resident Jill Russell also attended the opening ceremony to see Jeannie do the honours. Speaking after the launch last Wednesday, Leanne was delighted with the response from the general public.

She said: “The open day went great with more than 30 new memberships on the day and visits from previous members. “We also had visits from the public health team and Sure Start Scotland who gave us very positive feedback. “And thanks to the fantastic support of Bothwell House residents, and many other wonderful people in Castle Douglas, the community larder is there to help. “Our mission is to make sure that no child in Castle Douglas has to go to bed hungry.” Stepping Stones had been operating as a foodbank for over three years and the move to convert the service to a community larder model is already paying dividends.