Foodbank buying items from shops?

So you are struggling to pay your rent/mortgage, utilities etc, can't eat bread/wraps/pasta as you can't afford the more expensive GF free versions, can only buy specific stock cubes/gravy and other food items that don't contain hidden gluten like malt vinegar, even cheap and filling porridge oats are a no.... and you think a food shop with those dietary and financial restrictions would be easy to manage? Having an autoimmune disease where consuming gluten causes the immune system to attack and damage parts of your body isn't easy at best of times, v difficult to keep yourself healthy if you can't access the food you need.

I volunteer for a local Foodbank . The monetary donations we receive are usually spent on things like Gluten Free , Dairy Free products .
Donations have been down this Festive Period which we are assuming is partly due to the WFP being stopped . DH and I donated ours in the past as did other people we know .

Maybe you just haven’t understood the meaning of ‘dietary requirements’. Sounds like this as been a specific needs referral.

Not a food bank, but the charity I work for runs a lunch club for the homeless and others that can't afford hot meals.
We have an arrangement with local supermarkets - some is donated, other stuff sold to us at reduced price.

As well as cash donations, some food banks may get support from grants.

Yeah, it's pretty bizarre that you thought they only gave out food destined for the bin, op 🙄
Weird post altogether.

And this is why some of us donate money to food banks. You do realise they have costs like renting storage space, running a collection vehicle (and in some cases delivery, for the most vulnerable), and being in, say, pasta when they've been given 5 thousand packs of pasta sauce and fuck all else. It lets them spend on what is most needed to help their vulnerable customers, not what we think they might need.

They don’t give out out of date food! Why would people be given that?

As others have said, the money you donate to food banks goes on buying item. And they also come to the supermarket to collect the stuff people donate at the supermarket.

Meanwhile.back in the UK.........

Housing Associations give out referrals to food banks, just after they insist tenants pay their rent / arrears or put their rent accounts in credit. So they take the money, telling tenants not to panic they have no money for food, as they'll give them a voucher to visit the food bank. I know, I worked for a HA that does this and common amongst all HAs. Yes, I know you should pay your rent, but incomes are struggling to even cover social rents now. I raise this as whether money or food you are also facilitating organisations to take with one hand and give what you donate with another. I hate that food banks are needed and they are allowing issues with employment, behaviours that see food banks as top up shops, wage stagnation and benefits that should be addressed but sadly aren't.

I only donate money not food. Then they can decide what they need rather than dealing with random tins of soup.

You know nurses, care workers and teachers unfortunately have to access food banks too? Or don't they work hard enough for you?

Some people will donate money as that's easier than getting to a shop and then getting stuff to the food bank. Also it means the foodbanks can stock up on anything they need that people haven't donated. I don't think they would not use fancy stuff, but if you are using a food bank you probably want a good number of staple essentials too.

Additional staff, storage and distribution costs make foodbanks an extra layer of doo-gooder interference.

I tried that too.

Got nowhere

Surely a separate box for foodbank items isn't beyond the realms of coding - and a separate bag on the picker's trolley

Have you asked the foodbank rather than the supermarket? Ours has a means for people to do online shopping for them, it’s on something called bankuet apparently.

What's your issue? What's the point of this thread?

There are some moral stinkers on Mumsnet.

They’d also get universal credit, help with rent, PIP, DLA, etc etc. maybe some maintenance from partner. don’t think it’s as clear cut as that

Our foodbanks have a 'treat' shelf with all the extras people donate that aren't on the list

People are allowed to choose a couple of items from there when they go.

A nice morale boost

What is wrong with you?

Some people have so little money and are in so much debt that it would take a minor miracle for them to be able to have enough money month on month.

A lot of people in poverty are already working their arse off. But they need somewhere to live, a lot of the time they need to pay for childcare in order to be able to work their arse off. This costs money which takes away from the food budget. You can't be that naive not to realise it.
To illustrate, band 5 NHS worker on 37,5 h contract takes home £1950. Full day nursery fee in South West is £109 per day. This is £980 per month of you count 15 free hours. Rent for a one bedroom flat is approximately £995 per month. And that is all your money gone. If you are a two person household, things are better but not by much because you still have to pay your bills, transport to work, clothes on your back... There is usually very little left for food. If one of you had a disability or if, God forbid, you have a mortgage....well, we can maths this shit until the cows come home, can't we? And that's a professional job which pays above minimum wage. Many people aren't in this position at all and make do with a lot less.

And if working your arse off didn't earn you enough money to pay rent, bills, essentials and food, what would you do?

If you were disabled and couldn't earn enough (and benefits don't cover it) to pay for rent, bills, essentials and food, what would you do?

I understand it's hard to comprehend that minimum wage and benefits aren't enough to afford a basic standard of living in some areas. I understand that it's hard for a person who has never had no money to comprehend that people can't just spend £1 and have something. But please, at least, try to understand basic maths, compassion, and empathy.

Slightly off topic but now that many people shop on line and get their shopping delivered I thought that not as much would get donated.
So I got in touch with tesco and asda and asked if there was a way a extra page could be added to their shopping page so we could buy things and automatically get them pit in the donations box .

Both shops said it wasn't practical. Really? that seems like a brush off to me.
I know I could donate £s but I can't always guarantee that I can afford a DD each month.

@WiseLurker there are normally lists on the collection bins. I've also got an app that tells me what is urgently needed at our local banks. I'm sure lovely Christmas pudding/jams go down a treat - it's more the bizarre ingredients that don't get wanted/taken.