The donation was presented by Kevin Ferris, operations director, during the company’s Community Mental Health Day event at the Brucefields development in Stirling.

Start Up Stirling provides essential food parcels to individuals and families who struggle to access food due to financial, physical, or mental health challenges. In 2024, Start Up Stirling’s crisis food service supplied the equivalent of 154,992 meals and supported nearly 4,000 individuals, a third of whom were children. They are the largest provider of crisis food, covering the entirety of the Stirling Council geographical area.

Each food pack contains staple dried and tinned foods to feed an individual or family for three to four days, supplemented regularly with fresh produce and bread purchased from community donations. Around 400 people each week benefit from Start Up Stirling’s emergency food support.

Kevin Ferris, Persimmon East Scotland operations director, said: “We are proud to support Start Up Stirling through our Community Champions initiative.

“Their work is making a real difference to families and individuals in the local area, and we hope this donation helps them continue to provide crucial food supplies and services to those in need.”

Amanda Monaghan, Start Up Stirling, said: “As our referral numbers continue to grow for crisis food support, we would like to thank Persimmon Homes East Scotland for their very generous donation. This donation will allow us to continue to assist those facing hunger and hardship, being there when they need us most.”