Across the country, the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card has been used as a means of getting support to those who need it the most. The gift card can be used in a number of ways to benefit families and children living in poverty.
Moray School Bank
In 2023, Moray School Bank discovered a new way to support families living in poverty across the region by partnering with the Scotland Loves Local Moray Gift Card. The charity, which provides school uniforms and essential household items to local children, began accepting donations of unused Moray Gift Card balances to help fund its work. By switching from single-store vouchers to the Moray Gift Card when distributing funds to families, the organisation is helping to restore choice and dignity to children most in need.
Debi Weir is the Development Manager at Moray School Bank and said that in the cost of living crisis, demand for their services has rocketed:
“We are a charity that provides school uniforms to kids in poverty. In 2023, we started working with the Moray Gift Card, encouraging people to consider donating any leftover balance on their Moray Gift Card to us, even just £1 or £2, so we can help the families in our community who need it most.
The Moray Gift Card has been used in a number of ways:
- More choice for families:
In the past, when the charity received funding for food or essentials, it distributed single-retailer vouchers – a system that limited choice and created challenges for more rural families. The Moray Gift Card offers families more choice, so they can shop where they usually shop. Debi says. “Most of our families want to shop at low-cost retailers. If you’re on a very tight budget, you know exactly what you have to spend to get what you need at the place you regularly shop.”
- Supporting the whole community:
Moray School Bank plans to continue using the Moray Gift Card to load funds for families to spend on essentials. “Another reason we’re using the Moray Gift Card is that we’re a community charity,” Debi says. “Communities are not just people, they are also businesses, and it is really important that we support our community who in turn support us.”
East Ayrshire Council
A collaboration between Kilmarnock Business Association, Cumnock Business Association and East Ayrshire Council introduced the East Ayrshire Gift Card as part of a shared vision to improve their high street. As well as supporting local businesses, the initiative has played a key role in tackling child poverty by providing dignified financial support to families on low incomes and helping to strengthen the local economy.The programme was launched to help drive footfall in East Ayrshire with customers buying gift cards, locking spending locally, and encouraging customers to shop in East Ayrshire.
- More than £430,000 has been loaded onto East Ayrshire Gift Cards, benefiting local businesses across varied sectors since its launch in August 2020.
- Over 230 businesses are part of the East Ayrshire Gift Card programme, giving recipients ultimate local choice and benefiting these businesses.
The East Ayrshire Council Gift Card Programme has been used in several ways:
- Supporting families with dignity:
- In December 2020, £50 gift cards in Christmas boxes were distributed to 4,200 families receiving free school meals.
- Supporting 4500 families with children of nursery age and receiving care packages with funded gift £20 cards during the Easter Holiday 2021
- Random Acts of Kindness:
- During the launch months of the gift card programme, August/ September 2020, East Ayrshire Council used the gift card for random acts of kindness, giving away £20 gift cards in the town centre and encouraging usage across various age groups.
- Resident-focused initiatives:
- East Ayrshire Council’s housing department is using the gift cards as prizes in their East Ayrshire Garden Competition as part of a campaign to keep gardens and streets tidy.
- The gift card gives individuals flexibility and choice. There’s no stigma attached to using the gift card; there’s no way for anyone to know it’s been received as a gift or a hardship payment. All types and sizes of local businesses have benefited from the East Ayrshire Gift Card, including cafes, clothes stores, opticians, and a tyre centre.
