Touch of Love Outreach has been named Community Organisation of the Year at The Black Scottish Awards 2026, recognising their work with families, young people and communities across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The award celebrates Black-led community organisations in Scotland that have made a significant impact in their communities and continued to grow over time.
For Touch of Love, the recognition reflects six years of supporting families, young people and communities through food provision, family support, youth activities and community programmes. The charity’s journey began in Aberdeen in 2020 as a small grassroots response to local need.
A lot has changed since then, but the way the charity has grown has been shaped largely by the families who come through its doors.
Someone may first come to the food bank for support. Later, a parent may join the Mum, Baby and Toddler group. An older child might start coming along to Young Achievers, while another member of the family needs help finding the right local service.
Over time, this has shaped a whole-family approach to support.
Today, Touch of Love provides food parcels and warm meals, youth activities, early years and family support, women’s wellbeing activities, help with finding and accessing services, and cultural and community programmes.
For many New Scots, migrants and minority ethnic families, settling into a new place can bring many questions. Where do you go when you need help? What support is available? Who can you speak to when you do not know how a system works?
These are questions Touch of Love hears regularly.
Sometimes the support needed is immediate, such as food for the week. At other times, a family needs someone to explain where to go next, make a connection or simply provide a place where they feel comfortable enough to ask.
In 2025/26, Touch of Love supported more than 10,000 people, distributed over 30,000 food parcels and served more than 25,000 warm meals. Since 2020, the charity has shared more than 150,000 food parcels.
Behind those figures are familiar moments: a volunteer who knows a regular food bank visitor by name, a young person beginning to speak up during a session, a mum getting to know other parents, or a family finally finding the right service.
Dr Jane Akadiri, Founder and Chief Executive of Touch of Love Outreach, said:
“Receiving this award means a great deal to us because it reflects years of people showing up for one another. Families have trusted us, volunteers have continued to give their time, our staff and trustees have kept the work moving, and our partners and funders have believed in what we are trying to do.
“We have watched children become more confident, mums make friendships, families receive help during very difficult periods and people who were new to Aberdeen begin to find their feet. So when we received this award, we knew it belonged to many people.”
The Community Organisation of the Year category recognises community impact and continued organisational growth.
As needs have changed, the work has grown with them. New activities have been introduced for young people, family and early years support has expanded, and more people are being helped to find services and make connections.
The award reflects the effort of many people across the organisation and the wider community.
Touch of Love also warmly congratulates the other winners, finalists and nominees at The Black Scottish Awards 2026. Being recognised among Black-led organisations and individuals contributing across Scotland made the occasion especially meaningful.
The award is a proud moment for everyone connected with Touch of Love.
Then the everyday work carries on. Families come through the food bank, young people arrive for their sessions, mums bring their babies and toddlers along, and staff and volunteers get on with the work in front of them.
That is the work behind this award, and it is the work Touch of Love will continue to do.
