Despite its relative affluence Edinburgh has many areas of deprivation appearing in the 20 most deprived areas in the country, with around 20% of children living in poverty. Analysis shows a significant increase in severe poverty across 2023-2024, blighting health, aspirations and lives, and falling disproportionately on the youngest. 91% of those surveyed stated that it was “very important” to tackle poverty in Edinburgh.  

Early intervention is crucial to both prevent children and families in need from slipping into crisis and reduce the impact of poverty. It is key that support eradicates stigma and shame, and instead imparts a sense of dignity and care. 

Each year millions of unwanted items that are returned to online retailers end up in landfill. A Multibank is an innovative solution to both address deprivation and divert goods from landfill. The idea began in Fife, with the direct involvement of the Right Honourable Gordon Brown. In its first year 1 million items were distributed to 65,000 families, helping to reduce hardship, debt and anxiety, and increase confidence, self-esteem and health. Multibanks are being started across the UK, including here in Edinburgh.

What we need to do: 

Gordon Brown writes: “[We] need to secure more supplies and more funds from generous donors so that, working with food banks, we can provide poverty relief.”

Securing funding and resource for this project is absolutely vital, as we continue to further develop and build both our relationships with partners and also our referral systems to grow our reach and impact. This will enable us to identify and support more of the families across our city who find themselves in hardship.

Please consider donating to support this project and to allow us to continue supporting our city’s people in their times of need.

Please donate here

What we are doing

Since September 2023 and with crowd-funded support arranged by Phillip Lockwood-Holmes, a private citizen, ECF has been discreetly working with the Big House Project in Fife to provide local organisations, community cafes, charities, schools, criminal justice services and health & social work teams with essential items for children and families. These include kitchen & cooking equipment, bedding, nappies, toilet rolls, clothing and shoes. There is a high demand and willingness to build a rapid response system i.e. one call does all. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and with further support provided by City of Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day ECF is able to scale our response across Edinburgh, allowing us develop and extend a caring network.  Cllr. Day said: "We’ve had meetings with Gordon Brown and the people who run the Big Hoose in Fife to bring that model here to Edinburgh with Edinburgh Community Food Initiative. And so we’re really excited about that.”

We offer a pathway to preventative support, distributing household items to several thousand families over the winter and beyond. We stock our warehouse for both collection and onward delivery to our partners.  

I am writing to express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous donation of children's clothes and starter packs from the Big House.

As our young people prepare to transition to our new purpose-built residences, your thoughtful gesture will make a meaningful difference in their lives. The support you provide is invaluable and truly appreciated.

Thank you once again for your kindness and support. We look forward to continuing our partnership in the future. 

Dean and Cauvin, August 2024

Next Steps

We continue to further develop and build both our relationships with partners and our referral systems  - including with Edinburgh’s Social Work bodies - to grow our reach and impact, with a focus on identifying and supporting families most in need. In addition to delivering training opportunities to enhance partner capacity, we also provide family access to further support, services and community development work.