Food bank plans expansion

IT'S crunch time for a Castle Douglas food bank as it looks to expand its premises on St Andrew's Street. Stepping Stones Community Larder and Foodbank has been working to tackle food poverty in the area since is opened a few years ago. It now distributes around 100 food baskets each week and become a lifeline for hundreds of residents. The Stepping Stones team are looking to expand their premises into a neighbouring property with hopes of offering advice on things like housing and welfare. Giving more detail about their campaign, a spokesperson for Stepping Stones said: "The ideal next door property at 5 St Andrew St is currently empty and owned by the Castle Douglas Common Good Fund. Stepping Stones secured National Lottery funding to rent it and pay for advice sessions. But the council now intends to sell the building instead, triggering a consultation. "That’s where we come in. We can submit views by this Thursday 24 July, and the organisation is running a petition. Information can be found on the Stepping Stones Facebook page. Let’s show the council that Castle Douglas wants this building to remain in community hands, for a project that already delivers real impact. "This isn’t just about a building. It’s about what kind of town we want Castle Douglas to be, and for who."