EatWell service reaches 2,500 deliveries milestone

Overall, Wheatley Group has now delivered 25,000 food parcels through the EatWell service helping customers, their families and in some instances even their pets.

Olly the whippet – who has played a key role in the coronavirus mercy mission in his communities – marked the 2500^th delivery by the EatWell service in Dumfries and Galloway.

Olly was the face of an appeal for pet food in Dumfries and Galloway, which provided dog meals to EatWell and other community organisations in the region – and led to Olly being voted Scotland’s Top Lockdown Dog Hero in a Daily Record poll last month.

DGHP customer, Marc Cherry, of Dumfries, has three dogs and recently benefitted from some dog food which he said was a huge help.

Marc, 23, said: “Things got pretty hard for us recently and the dog food, along with a food parcel, really helped. My three dogs, Akira, Junior and Lexi, mean the world to us, they are family and this was a real weight off our minds.

“They can get through a lot of food, so this really did make a huge difference to us as a family.”

The 2500 milestone comes as Wheatley Group announced an additional option to support those still in need through the EatWell service provided at DGHP.

DGHP customers can now receive a supermarket voucher from the EatWell service instead of a food parcel. The voucher can be sent direct to people’s mobile phone as soon as they have been approved for the service, meaning they can get help even more quickly than with a parcel.

Sir Harry Burns, Chair of the Wheatley Foundation, said: “Our EatWell service has been a lifeline to so many individuals and families facing continuing hardship.

“It’s been one of the most important ways we’ve been able to help our most vulnerable customers in these difficult times.”

With the help of £350,000 funding from the Scottish Government, as well as donations from contractors and suppliers, Wheatley has invested more than £1m in the EatWell service.