CONCERNS have been raised by Dunoon Foodbank over the handling of in-store donation bags at the town’s Morrisons supermarket, with fears that items purchased by customers for the foodbank may be going elsewhere.
The foodbank says it has struggled to get clear answers from the store after noticing that the recognisable green donation bags — typically bought by shoppers and placed in a collection point after the tills — have either been unavailable in recent weeks or appear to have been redirected to other organisations.
A spokesperson for Dunoon Foodbank explained: “We’ve been short of hundreds of green bags and had to cover the shortfall by buying stock – hence Morrisons is being paid twice.”
It’s understood some donations have reportedly been diverted to other local groups including Shepherd’s Heart, Street Connect, and Cowal Community Hospital. However, volunteers say they have not been consulted on any change and are unclear on how decisions about redistribution are being made.
A spokesperson for the supermarket said that stores are responsible for selecting local organisations to receive donations and confirmed that, in Dunoon, support is currently shared between multiple groups. They added that customers are given a choice about where their donations go and that signage is in place at the collection point to explain this.
The supermarket also cited unavoidable staff absences as the reason the green donation bags have not been available in recent weeks and stated: “The store had a conversation with Dunoon Foodbank before making the change and explained that customers would have the choice as to where their donations went.”
However, several aspects of Morrisons’ explanation have been disputed.
A spokesperson for Dunoon Foodbank said: “I can confirm that the foodbank have not had any discussions with Morrisons prior to these bags being shared. There is no other registered foodbank in Dunoon to share with. The public buy bags for the foodbank and do not expect them to go elsewhere.
“The signs on the cage are confusing as the public think the cage is all for the foodbank, but bags put on our shelf are often moved to a different shelf. This has been evidenced by one of our volunteers writing a name on the bag and returning later to find it had been moved. Why would the hospital need food?
“There is no signage at point of purchase to say there is a choice where the bags go to. When asked we can only advise people to bring the donations to us direct or to make their donation by cash or standing order that can be gift aided. For many years the bags had been solely for the foodbank and we have depended on that to feed the 200 people in our books. We don’t ask for any of the charity money the community champion has to use, just the green bags which people pay for at full price.”
The situation has prompted calls from some community leaders for greater transparency to ensure that the generosity of Dunoon residents is being honoured as intended.
