CARING schoolkids provided a welcome boost to struggling families after making a mouthwatering donation to a local foodbank.

The kind-hearted youngsters at Park Mains High School, in Erskine, collected over 1,300 items of food for those less fortunate and also raised £500 for charity.

The impressive effort was organised solely by the pupils and is the latest generous donation from the school to the Renfrewshire Foodbank.

Deputy headteacher Nicola Maynes believes the efforts to help good causes helps the teenagers to understand the plight of many families in the area.

She told The Gazette: “It is really important to us that the pupils develop an understanding of the importance of charity work but also the conditions that other people in their community are living in.

“There are people less fortunate than themselves in the community and this is why it is so important that they run it.

“We want to develop their empathy towards others and the struggles they go through.”

To coin in cash, the school held a number of events during the week, including a ‘wear your house colours’ day, with the youngsters donating what they could.

And Ms Maynes was delighted to see all of their hard work delivering the perfect boost to the local community.

She added: “It just feels good to help others.

“It is fabulous to see them caring so much about others and we know they get a good feeling watching the amount pile up.

“We are all so very proud of them for their hard work.”

Foodbank use has continued to rise in Renfrewshire in recent years, with campaigners blaming the controversial rollout of Universal Credit.

Figures released by the Trussell Trust charity in May showed the number of three-day emergency food parcels handed out to local people between April 2018 and March 2019 rocketed compared to the previous year.

In Renfrewshire, a total of 10,221 parcels were handed out during that period, with 2,824 of these going to children.

Elizabeth Alexander, manager of Renfrewshire Foodbank, said: “We are so grateful to Park Mains High and all the schools who have collected for us during the last week.

“Every year, they do this for us and it is just fantastic.

“The amount of food they are collecting is just wonderful and it is nice to see how passionately they become involved.

“It is fabulous and really helps to get us set up for the winter months ahead.

“A lot of the food they have given us can be stored and then used to help families during the course of Christmas and beyond.”

For more information, visit the foodbank's website. 

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