Foodbank buying items from shops?

Which, as has been established upthread doesn’t mean they all give out food without a referral.

I've not read the middle pages so apologies for any duplication.

I run a food bank which also includes a pantry type setup (people come along, pay £3, and can help themselves to a range of items - typically two shopping bags' worth).

Yes we buy some things from the shops. In my case pasta, rice, oats from a wholesale supplier; beans and tinned toms from Tesco. I write eleventy million grant applications a year so we have money to do this.

Yes people do sometimes use us weekly/regularly rather than as a one-off. Not because it's fun getting food for free but because they consistently can't feed themselves/families well enough without us. Kids eat but parents don't, or they eat the cheapest crap there is, because £, or it's fine during the term but doesn't work during school hols. Or myriad other reasons. I promise, as pleasant as we try to make it, no one queues in the pissing rain for 40 minutes for food, sometimes with a child alongside, unless they need to.

We do redistribute things past Best Before but not Use By. Use by = safety. BB = quality. We do collect fruit, veg, dairy, bakery items, all sorts from major supermarkets and food businesses and redistribute it. We have to adhere to the law. So a UB product that comes in, with a same-day date - it needs to be frozen that day, or binned. But we have good processes to minimise waste.

This week people had beans, toms, pasta, tea, sugar, biscuits, instant noodles, a veggie ready meal and nine different fruits/vegetables to choose from.

NB - all services are different, so the fact that we do it this way doesn't make it universal.

The only gf items that are accepted are not ones that are prescribable unfortunately. We’ve been told dla applications are up to 6 months wait so when that is hopefully sorted out we can just buy the safe foods

I'm well aware of the concept of taxation, however I'm also aware of how governments waste money.

Could your SW write to your GP and request gf food on prescription? They are supposed to provide on a case by case basis and bread on prescription is a much more reliable source for your child.

I would try again with your GP. Even in areas where gf food is no longer commonly prescribed, they are supposed to be able to on a case by case basis and a coeliac child in a low income family should be a priority.

If you can get the bread and /or flour on prescription that will be free for a child. And then you can divert any spare money to the other gf things coeliacs need, such as gf pasta etc

There's always a charity collector for the food bank near me. They don't want food, only money. So it makes sense they buy their own stuff if donations aren't reliable. The stock in food banks isn't out of date I don't think? At least it shouldn't be. They know what their own service users need specifically so it's good they supply things that would be popular and well used.

I'm afraid some do. I've seen it. They offer meat, vegetables, bread, packed salads, from the day before.

This is our issue we have a child with autism, Arfid and coeliac and our gp says this area doesn’t prescribe GF foods anymore. This was why the SW referred us and spoke to the food bank

Yes I know. I am saying that you cannot just walk from one to another that doesn't need a referral and pick up a shop at everyone.

Purely on the coeliac thing, it’s not cheap and easy having it. All the cheaper foods are bulked out with wheat, barely malt extract for taste or may contain gluten, chuck in fuel poverty too and I’m struggling to think of cheap and easy to cook food. Plus the luxury of having either separate cooking pots/pans/utensils/baking paper, ability to wash these possibly in temporary accommodation etc and it’s a real problem especially if you’ve a family to feed.

It’s an auto immune disease, not something that’s a lifestyle choice.

I don’t believe the vast majority of food bank users are thrilled at the thought of ‘free’ food and would much rather be able to buy it themselves, but needs must!

You have to be referred by your GP or social worker to a food bank, so obviously there must be some need.

Not necessarily. Some food banks require a referral, others don't. I think that's why you get a problem with people going around multiple food banks.

If governments were supporting those in need - as they should - you’d still be subsidising through your taxes.

The reason why there are more food banks than ever is because people cottoned on to how the system works. Same with our country’s bloated benefits bill. Food is an emotive subject, no one want to see anybody go hungry, so people donate and keeps the whole thing going.

Not the one I volunteer at. There are rules about how many times you can go and for how long. We have reps from various agencies and charities which can go through benefits, budgeting, etc to ensure people are getting the money they are entitled to or other help (such as connecting someone to volunteers who give hospital so they are not spending all their money on bus fare - a real problem in our area and a reason a few people I have helped are short of money). Also the volunteers are local and they are pretty savvy about who is coming in - and who is claiming stuff they dont really need.

Have a think about how ignorant that sounds. If someone is homeless how dare they have access to the internet and look at a website in their spare time?

Vulnerable people almost more than anyone else need access to the internet for so much of their support.

Not everyone on Mumsnet is doing so all cosy in their kitchen on a Sunday morning.

I think OOD food is often absolutely fine tbh, depending on what it is.

Why do you think they have out of date food? Did you think people who can't afford to buy food should have food that might make them ill?.
Some food is donated by people who buy extra when they shop, some food is donated by supermarkets and some is bought with money that has been donated.
Many people and some businesses donate money to food banks.
I'm not sure what your AIBU is

Successive governments are expecting us to subsidise food banks, otherwise they'd be doing more to support those in need. They're well aware of the poverty that exists.

The burden of support is falling on the wrong people.

That's reassuring to hear.

We could all spend the day googling the provision in our local area @sashh . All I am saying that it took me less than a minute to find several food banks in my city which give out free food without a referral.

The CAB, housing support workers, law centres, charity support workers, salvation army, are amongst some of the people who can give food bank vouchers. Not just social workers and GPs.

https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/benefits/social-security-benefits/food-banks-and-soup-kitchens

The link above is my local council's with a list of food banks and soup kitchens. Yes some allow you to just turn up but they are all only open limited hours / days.

The second link is to the community shops

https://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/cost-of-living-support/community-shops

From the page about community shops

It is hoped there will be a Community Shop in all wards of Wolverhampton to ensure an inclusive model for all residents. We are aware that food banks and food pantries are still functioning in Wolverhampton, but we are also aware that nationally organisations are trying to move away from this model due to the levels of dependency it has created.

I'm not too sure about this. You have to be referred by your GP or social worker to a food bank, so obviously there must be some need. There is also a time limit for how many visits you can make before needing to be referred again. I don't think people are living the life of riley whilst collecting their weekly food shop from a food bank.

No, some of the food banks round here - run by churches or independent charities and described as food banks not pantries - allow people to pop in and collect food parcels no questions asked. No referral.

I totally get the point that if you are in a situation you have no idea about getting out of, then a referral to a food bank which is linked up with lots of other bodies and charities can open doors and get you linked in with other services. But there is nothing stopping anyone appearing at one of those other food banks, taking a package or helping themselves, and walking off. And doing exactly the same repeatedly in other food banks in the city operating on the same basis.

Or do CFers not exist when it comes to food banks?