FUNDING has been given to support a feasibility study which could see people using a foodbank given vouchers and store cards.

Dunbar Basics Foodbank is looking at the viability and advantages of the potential new project.

The scheme would offer people the chance to make their own choice when it comes to buying food and supplies, while also supporting local retailers.

It is hoped the initiative will also help boost the town’s High Street, which has also been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis.

Now, Community Windpower and BeGreen Dunbar have helped out with £2,205 issued through their joint Covid-19 crisis fund.

A spokesperson for Community Windpower said that the foodbank needed money to provide fuel top-up cards, a vital part of supporting people heating food and their homes, with many people who use the foodbank also living in fuel poverty.

Dunbar Basics Foodbank is a registered charity based at Dunbar Parish Church and has been supporting the local community for seven years.

It operates independently from the church and caters for a wide range of people throughout the local community.

Previously, the group reported an increase in referrals due to the coronavirus pandemic, with extra volunteers coming forward.

Diane Wood, community benefits director at Community Windpower, which operates the Aikengall Community Windfarms in the nearby Lammermuir Hills, was pleased to be able to help out.

She said: “We’re fully aware of the plight many people and families find themselves in due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which is why we’re fully behind the fantastic work carried out by Dunbar Basics Foodbank.

“The grant will provide something vital, particularly at this time of year, as many struggle to heat and light their homes.

“Our Covid-19 crisis fund is designed to help a wide range of organisations and people across East Lothian, and we’ll continue to look at how we can support Dunbar Basics Foodbank in the future.”