Tuesday June 3rd 2025
Founder and project manager of Food Facts Friends, Mark Wells, standing next to the bare donations they are currently receiving
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
FoodFactsFriends community hub on Penicuik’s highstreet offers a foodbank, affordable meals and essential services, being a lifeline for many in the area. But as of recently, the charity has been struggling due to a dry spell in donations creating worries that the lifeline may have to be cut off.
Helping around 20 to 30 people each day, the community hub offers a free pantry and food bank alongside a three course hot meal and community cafe, offering hot drinks and sausage rolls.
Mark Wells, the project manager and founder, has had months of struggle sourcing food with growing concerns that he will not be able to attend to people’s needs
“Sourcing food is still an issue to this date. The cost of living and the prices in stores, alongside people who usually donate counting their pennies has caused many issues.”
Starting from a small van in the Penicuik highstreet to 5 years ago opening their community hub, Food Facts Friends is an essential point of care for many people.
FoodFactsFriends' community hub
“Foodbanks are needed all over the Midlothian area”, Mark explained, “People need to be treated properly and they need to be treated right. You need to give people dignity, it’s all about giving back.”
The charity used to rely on sourcing companies, such as Fare Share, but even the food they receive from the redistributor has gone down. Mark explained that he had had to go and look for food pallets as far as England from a charity known as ‘His Church’ but as of last week he received an email from them explaining he will receive half as much food as usual, effecting his Plan B.
With public donations and donations from stores and restaurants in a decline, they are receiving less and lower quality food with many donations having an expiry date of the same day they receive them.
The lack of donations has affected the level of care provided and Mark’s dreams of expansion. He explained, “The food is getting very hard to get a hold of. My concerns for the future is where is the food. You can see the shelves yourself, they are completely bare. People are coming here to get support and we are just struggling.”
Being an essential lifeline for many and a drastic need for food banks across Midlothian, Food Facts Friends is struggling to provide the level of care required in the area and with sourcing food becoming a growing issue there is an important change needed to be made to allow for food banks to run correctly.
You can donate to Food Facts Friends on their website below: www.foodfactsfriends.org.uk
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