Dunbartonshire charity wins major award

A local food bank charity, set up to help people during lockdown and which has continued to serve the local community, has won a top award for its work.

Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels, a group of volunteers based in West Dunbartonshire, has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive and is equivalent to an MBE.

Founder Maureen Cummings, who is a Deputy Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire, said, 'our committee is absolutely honoured beyond belief that our charity has been recognised in this way.  

'It is testament to the incredible work and dedication of over 150 volunteers who have given up their time to help others over the past four years. We are very proud of our OKFP Family.” 

OKFP initially started during the Covid Pandemic, collecting prescriptions and delivering them to vulnerable families who were unable to leave their homes. It then responded to a desperate need for food in the local community and the charity was born. In its first year it fed almost 4,000 people and has since provided food and toiletries to more than 37,000 people throughout West Dunbartonshire.

They are one of 281 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.  

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support  their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and, was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. This is the second year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Recipients are announced annually on 14th November, The King’s Birthday. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse and include volunteer groups from across the UK, such as a mental health and wellbeing support network for veterans and their families in Yorkshire, a group preserving a historic 12th century castle in south Wales, volunteers providing English lessons for refugees in Stirling and an organisation providing a opportunities to engage in the arts for people with learning disabilities in County Fermanagh.

Representatives of OKFP will receive the award crystal and certificate from the Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire, Mrs Jill Young MBE, at a ceremony later this year.  

In addition, two members of the group will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace along with other recipients of this year’s Award.