Foodbank buying items from shops?

As someone else said, there are different types of food banks and some are independent. But where I volunteer we are affiliated to a national trust, and you cannot come more than a certain number of times within a certain number of months. It is not meant to replace benefits, just tide people over. Having said that, the rules have changed as the CoL crisis bites more deeply. You do need a voucher from someone authorised to give them out. Having said that, we also run a cafe, and have racks of non standard food on them (christmas puddings at this time of year, for example). People can come along to that as often as they like. We also have some people who grown fresh produce on their allotments and that is available in the cafe for people to collect and take home with them too.

What would you do then? Eat things you were allergic to or made you ill?

What you really mean is ‘I can’t imagine being unable to to afford to feed myself’, and the rest of your words are superfluous and offensive.

I regularly contribute monetarily to the local food bank. I'm bothered to think of anyone going hungry due to lack of resources.

I have a monthly direct debit to our local foodbank specifically so they can do this.

Oh to be this delusional and sheltered from reality to think that no working people are using food banks.

There are full time shop assistants, nurses, people working in hospitality, charity workers etc who all use food banks because their wages don't cover their rent/utilities/emergencies such as broken down car which needs fixing/transport/groceries. Have you missed that we are in a cost of living crisis and it's not just those who don't work that can't afford to live?

It varies from place to place and between organisations. Loads of info on this thread from actual people who work in them

Our local foodbank are pretty active on social media so always update what they are short of.

They also sometimes ask for Amazon deliveries of toiletries they need so we tend to do that as I always forget when I'm in the supermarket then see the foodbank collection point after I've already paid and forgot to buy extra.

I thought there was a system where people needed referring to them and it was only short term for each referral?

The place I work donates out of date fruit and veg to the foodbank.....it's fine. And tbh if I could buy it reduced I would do. Most of our collectors work for community kitchen type organisations which cook up meals as well as provide food.

Never have anyone come in a van tho, it's always volunteers in their own cars.

Looks like good old David Cameron got what he wanted with his austerity measures eh, us all pulling to help each other and relying on fucking foodbanks.

And as someone who works in retail and helps customers who come in with vouchers from the foodbank I can tell you they literally reek of the sour smell of poverty. They often look grey and defeated and they do their best to make their vouchers stretch I once helped a young lad out by buying him some shopping bags (( bought him the stuff he'd put back too )) because he hadn't factored that into his budget. He looked so ashamed stood there saying he needed a job. Imagine being so destitute you didn't have the money to get the little bit of shopping you were finally able to buy home ? My heart broke for him as he'd looked so pleased with what he'd managed to get and he'd done his best to make that money stretch buying food that would keep him full.

So if people are using the foodbank to make their money stretch onto buying other things then I don't blame them at all. I hope they buy something nice with it !

Get a job?

Please don't tell me you dump off your old rubbish in food banks that's "about to go out of date"?

We donate monthly by standing order to our local food bank. It's harder for us to donate particular items so I figured they could use the money however helps. Although today I spotted that Tesco have an online donation option on their online shopping website (right at the very end after you've paid, just wait and it appears at the top of the page).

As a family buying GF foods, the cost really adds onto a regular shop and we have a decent income. I can't imagine struggling to buy food and then having to factor a dietary need on top of that. When my child eats gluten, she's unwell, which impacts on my employment as well as her school attendance. Providing GF foods to a food bank could be the difference in a parent remaining employed and a child receiving a good education.

There's also 'too good to go' (in the bin), which sells food, just going out of date, at massively reduced prices.
Benefit amounts are vastly over calculated on here. Posters don't seem to realise that post heart attack etc you don't just get awarded benefits, you wait and get referrals. While PIP is being reassessed, the money often stops. Benefits don't fully cover rent and sometimes council tax. Free school meals aren't instantly available and if allergies exist, sometimes not possible. Many people don't earn enough to have savings, especially after Covid, many areas don't have good employment. Hospitals don't always provide transport, many don't have a good support system.

People donate money to foodbanks then they buy what they need. I am part of a group of bakers who runs bake sales to raise money for foodbanks. Our Xmas bake sale raised £2000 so we gave £500 each to 4 local food banks.

Our baking isn't even that good - think some of them just have very generous friends!

To be fair, before I got involved with the scheme, it hadn't occurred to me that money donations are common and very useful.

Can't find it online, I will get a pic next time I am in there.

Not all food banks operate in the same way... Many are independent, especially in more rural areas. Some will be by referral others allow self referrals. People can self refer to the one I work at. Because it is in a small community we find it is when people are truly desperate that they call us. There is very little / no piss taking.

We deliver in our own cars and I have yet to claim petrol money.

We get cash donations from people who have their own groceries delivered and local businesses. Also some legacies in people's wills.

We buy in groceries of all sorts... Not gluten free because we have a very generous donor that gives us more than we can use. But we do buy in things like nappies if needed as well as things we run out of. We can't rely solely on donations which come in waves... ATM we have more cereal and meatballs than we know what to do with, but have run out of rice and cat food.

The supermarket doesn't give us a discount...we get a standard delivery once a week which we order on line.

Re stuff from hampers... If it has alcohol in then we can't give it out (other FB might). Anything obviously Christmasy packaged we keep forgetting next year now... Unless it goes out of date before then... In which case we offer it up to other FB and community kitchens.

Opened or out of date things we can't give out.

Your OP literally says out of date food.

I find it shocking that you’ve never boughtso much as a 20p pack of pasta for a food bank bin.

Putting this out there in case it helps someone

I know this isn't the case for all allergies/ intolerances, but people diagnosed coeliac can get bread on prescription, which are free for pensioners, children and people on low income (free for all in Wales). In some areas it is restricted on a case by case basis, but anyone with financial issues can ask their doctor to prescribe.

Used to be like that near me, but it tightened up because some people were taking stuff and selling it.

If they only gave what was donated then an average food parcel would have approximately:
5kg of pasta and rice.
2 tins of chickpeas
4 tins of beans
1 tin of tomatoes
1 tin of soup/packet of cupasoup
A random item that someone discovered still in date at the back of their cupboard that they didn't know what to do with.

Our local one asks that anything has at least a month left on the date and you have to be referred.

Which do you mean then? Think I've only ever seen that kind (I'm not being twatty)

I don’t mean the local charity voting one with the little green discs

Loving the assertion that someone can't be homeless if they're on Mumsnet.

Some people using the food bank donate.
Some times others donate.
Schools donate, churches donate, you may also access council grants or grants from businesses and other societies. Some donate for advertising space.

All food is in date or use by as it is checked before it goes out. Never had any returns but sometimes people donate food which also has to be checked. Best before can still be given out. If it is not being checked that is because they don't know what they are doing or following the guidelines.

There may be costs for storage and refrigeration. Mobile food banks need diesel, maintenance, bags, costs for cleaning supplies. Some people can not collect 're disabilities, age and fragility so a volunteer may drop it off. You may be the only person they have contact with . You also need to keep records.
Cat and dog food is collected and creating new links is a skill.
If you get a couple of birthday cakes it is helpful to know the best place to direct them to because you get to know the people coming in.