CalMac to donate food stocks to food banks across Scotland's west coast; Caledonian MacBrayne's gesture follows lower demand aboard its ferries during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic

FOOD banks up and and down the west coast are set to benefit from the generosity of ferry operator CalMac.

With the shut down of its retail outlets due to the Covid-19 crisis, CalMac has decided to donate food that’s shortly going out of date to local food banks.

Staff are currently sifting stock and anything with a sell by date within three months will be donated.

The donations will include soft drinks, confectionary, crisps, cakes and biscuits.

Donations have already been made to foodbanks on Barra, Lewis and the mainland, with CalMac working to identify other areas which might benefit.

"Given that we are not in position to determine when our on-board retail outlets will be open again, it makes sense to find a use for products that will be out of date soon, other wise they would just end up being thrown out," CalMac head of sales Kurt Hart explained.

"It is better someone gets the benefit of theses products before they are past their sell by date."

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