Glasgow food bank issues plea after thousands worth of stock stolen in break-in

A Glasgow food bank has issued an urgent plea for supplies after thousands of pounds worth of goods was stolen and vandalised during a break-in.

Glasgow South West Foodbank, which operates from Hillington Park Parish Church, was the target of an overnight break-in at its Cardonald Foodbank Centre between Thursday and Friday.

The service, which supports families across the city’s southside, said its storage area was broken into and vandalised during the incident.

They say the incident has led to the loss of “thousands of pounds worth of stock and materials”.

It comes amid an increase in demand, higher food costs, and fewer donations for the charity.

No one was injured as a result of the incident and volunteers and staff were able to open the centre as normal on Friday.

The charity said: “The premises that we operate our Cardonald Foodbank Centre from, Hillington Park Parish Church, was broken into overnight between April 10 and 11.

“Our storage area was burgled and vandalised, leading to the loss of thousands of pounds worth of stock and materials. We were the only organisation operating from the church that was affected.

“We are a small, independent, local charity. We already have an urgent appeal running to try to raise desperately needed funds to allow us to continue operating in the current challenging climate.

“We have been facing an increase in demand, increased food costs and a decrease in donations, so this incident has happened at a particularly unfortunate time for us.

“Due to the strength and tenacity of our staff and volunteers, we were able to open the centre, as normal, on Friday morning and serve the people who attended needing our help.

“Thankfully, no one was on the premises when the break-in occurred, and no one was hurt. But clearing up all the mess left behind was very upsetting as, of course, was the loss of stock.

“We are a small team who work extremely hard helping vulnerable people in our community and this has, quite honestly, been so disheartening for us.

“We delayed announcing what had happened in the hope that those responsible would come forward, sadly they have not. The crime was reported to Police Scotland on Friday morning, and anyone with any further information, please contact them.

“If anyone feels moved to help us replace the stock and materials lost during this incident, we would be extremely grateful for any donations. We need them now more than ever! You can donate financially on our website (the link is in our bio), donate food at our warehouse or drop-off points in local supermarkets, or even become one of our regular donors.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 10am on Friday, April 11, 2025, we received a report of a break-in at a premises in Berryknowes Road, Glasgow.

“Enquiries are ongoing to trace the individuals involved.”