The founder of a charitable clothing brand has warned of a difficult winter ahead for Glasgow after partnering with one of the city’s leading restaurants to provide a weekly hot meal for those in need.
Gerard McKenzie-Govan, 42, is the man behind The Blankfaces at 427 Great Western Road which has evolved from a retail store selling fashion inspired by stories of people who have experienced homelessness to a food pantry that serves as a vital resource for the local community.
He said: “We’ve had everyone from people who are sleeping rough to student nurses walk through our doors to use The Pantry.
“There’s a stigma surrounding foodbank services when in reality they provide support for people from all walks of life.
“Recently there was a woman who is going through chemotherapy and couldn’t afford to heat her house as well as feed herself.
“There are others who are living out of their cars despite working a full-time job because they can't afford rent.
“Times are very tough.”
Aside from offering a discreet way for visitors to access cupboard essentials like tinned soups, cereals and toiletries, The Blankfaces serves as a pick-up point for sleeping bags and shelter pods for anyone who is sleeping rough in harsh weather conditions.
This winter will also see the return of their Christmas jacket appeal in partnership with a Castlemilk charity with items of donated clothing distributed to children who are living in poverty.
READ MORE: Chef Modou launches new dining experience inspired by his 'remarkable' life story
In the three years since opening a flagship store, their impact has been felt across Glasgow as a result of values which were instilled in Mr McKenzie-Govan from a young age.
He said: “My parents lived in Africa when I was born, and when my mum moved back to Scotland she decided to open up a little hotel in Ayr where she took in homeless people.
“We lived in one of the rooms, so I never had the idea that there was a divide between us and them.
“There was a mixture of old and young, even people I went to school with.
“My mum was a kind soul who cared for everyone like we were a big family.
“That’s where I learned that if someone needs help, you should do what you can because you never know when you might be in need.”
This ethos would years later inspire The Blankfaces, as Mr McKenzie-Govan sought to continue his mother’s legacy and utilise his expertise in textiles by launching the UK’s first fashion brand that works towards ending homelessness.
“Mum passed away nine years ago and I wanted to do something in her honour,” he said.
“For us, it was about trying to change people’s perceptions and show them that there were human beings behind the statistics.
“Each item of clothing is designed alongside someone who has experienced homelessness with a percentage of the profits going back to them and the rest used to fund our projects.”
The latest of these projects was introduced just three weeks ago when The Blankfaces first collaborated with Joanna Nethery and her team at Five to launch The Tuck Shop.
Each Wednesday the popular restaurant now prepares 50 portions of hot food to be served from the Great Western Road store.
Speaking of their inspiration, Mr McKenzie-Govan said: “When we get our donations, people don’t realise that those who are homeless or living in shelters will often only have access to a kettle or a microwave at best and won’t be able to use things like dried pasta.
“Jo from Five March and I sat down for a conversation about how we could provide people with hot meals that are full of nutrients as the weather gets colder.
“So now, every week she makes up a stew or cassoulet that’s hearty, healthy and of the exact same quality you would get at the restaurant.
“We’ve been busy so far and have had people come back in to tell us that it’s some of the best food they’ve ever eaten.
“One hot meal can make so much so difference.”
READ MORE: Chef Tony Singh brings supper clubs to whisky distillery in aid of Maggie's Highlands
With the service already in high demand, there are hopes that others in Glasgow will be willing to get involved, ensuring as many as possible will have access to at least one home-cooked dinner this winter.
“We couldn’t be doing this without Five March, and the bigger plan is to try and get more restaurants involved so that we can be offering the same service five days a week,” Mr McKenzie-Govan explained.
“It’s tough to hear stories from people like a boy who had spent three days under the bridge at the River Kelvin during last week’s torrential rain, but that’s why we’re trying to up the ante.
“There seem to be more and more people who need our help at the moment and we’re going to do everything we can to support them this Christmas.”
For more information on The Blankfaces, including how to donate to The Tuck Shop fund, visit their website here.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel