DH is using community pantry for free food

Not all food banks operate on a referral system - again this is because some people are too proud to ask for help and would rather go without than having to go to a GP or social services and ask to be referred on

Ridiculous hyperbole, especially in the case of an anti waste community pantry, which you previously confused with a food bank despite attempting to differentiate the two.

If the food is there and about to go off, then for whatever reason, it's not going to get to people in food poverty in time and it's headed for waste. It's far better that it goes to someone who's going to eat it, even if they're not struggling to afford food, than to landfill.

I bet the OP's husband is one of those people who never gives a penny to charity.

There is literally no reason to assume this. Absolutely ridiculous.

I think a lot of people have immediately jumped on to the idea that he's stealing from a food bank. Once it was established that actually he's using a community resource for its intended purpose (though I agree donating to its upkeep would be a noble thing to do), they can't seem to let go of the moral righteousness. So they have to ignore the facts and come up with absolutely mad reasonings as to why it's better that the food should just get dumped, rather than be eaten. That's why the poster a little while back was rabbiting on about how she always wears second hand clothes; it's got nothing to do with the subject under discussion, but she's got to make the husband a baddie somehow and that means justifying food waste; so she had to offset that with her second hand wardrobe.

Ridiculous.

Edited for typos.

And some do exist to primarily help people in need. Saying nope doesn't diminish that.

It''d be the greedy taking bread from the mouths of the needy!

If my husband went to a food bank to get free food I'd be furious!

He wouldn't get a referral for a food bank.

It's a shame you'd be furious with him for bringing some bread home that would end up in landfill.

Nope.
Our local food hub says "A group for preventing good food going to waste and sharing it with the local community. Not a food bank, everyone welcome."

Not all food pantries/hub/community sharing schemes are the same. This thread has clearly explained that MANY times.

"What is the difference between a food bank and food pantry?

Food banks act as a grocery store of sorts for community partners and are responsible for ensuring that partners have the resources they need to feed those seeking help. A food pantry is an independent community site that distributes food and other products directly to those facing hunger".

You can dress it up whatever way you like but food pantries are not there for high income tax bracket earners to take freebies!
If my husband went to a food bank to get free food I'd be furious!
I bet the OP's husband is one of those people who never gives a penny to charity. Imagine if all the people in the world were like him. No-one in need would receive assistance. There would be no compassion, no hope and no dignity for those who couldn't fend for themselves. It would be a dog eat dog world!

We used to use one, mostly giving away surplus from Co-Op, Morrisons and Holland & Barrett (one of our local employers). It's for everyone, and honestly they couldn't usually give away everything that they have anyway. It's for food to not go to waste, not a food bank. The only bad thing would maybe be taking things that you couldn't actually use, but pantries are different to food banks

well our community pantry is clearly for everyone - and they accept cash donations from anyone who is able to give. They often send out a message on Sat morning saying they "still have X boxes" of certain products and please come and take some to save it going to landfill ....

Well done to OP's DH for reducing food waste !

"About
We’ll pass on food that shops and supermarkets can’t sell but is still good to eat. You can also pass on your own unwanted sealed packaged food items that are still in date or fresh fruit and vegetables. Surplus home grown veg is always welcome.
Open to all and anyone can share or take food.
Opening hours
Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am – 1pm."

Bingo

I am a food waste hero for olio.

My stats for last month - 1500 items shared, 1100 items collected between 55 people

I predominantly do 9:45pm sainsbury pick ups so a lot of the salad bags, bean sprouts, stir fry etc don't get shared and end up in my bin but 75% of what I collected got shared to the local community between 10pm and 11pm at night. I don't care if you are rich or poor - if you are willing to come out and collect bread, milk and potato salad at 10pm you are welcome at my door. I would rather give it to Johnny money bags than feed my dustbin.

Not all of them are the same, that should be very clear by now.

Mine says the aim is to reduce food waste and clearly states that it is for everyone.

That's a shame. In my experience CF do get bored and stop visiting.

My mum used to work for Boots (like 25 years ago) and one of her tasks at the end of the day was to dispose of expired food from the sandwich department. Sandwich packs were opened and chucked in, yogurt pots were meant to be opened and poured directly into the bin. Milk based drinks presumably the same.
The theory was they didn't want people not to have it but it would have meant people had to break into the bins which was trespassing and the bin area was not safe for those members of the public trying to do it.
Thankfully now shops like Boots donate to the Community Fridge/Pantry schemes.

I use the community pantry although I don’t need to. The one I use is connected to the church I attend, and when I go it has already held its weekly opening and still has food going to waste. It doesn’t open again until the Thursday the following week. I think, given it’s to combat food waste, I’m okay to use this food especially since it is going to end up in the bin by the time I attend! Community pantry’s are usually not well utilised, if they’re isn’t enough to go round then yes I agree but I know ours has too much stock so I think it should be used by more people!

That is yours. Mine says it is for everyone, and says that several times on their front page.

Check out online Your Local Pantry where it clearly sets out the rationale behind their creation, namely:

"Your Local Pantry is a network built on the values of dignity, choice and hope. Pantries bring people together around food, leading to people avoiding food poverty".

They exist to ease poverty, give people hope and help them in a dignified manner.
They do not exist to help a greedy tech guys on a high income with no morals to get a dopamine hit on receiving a few free pizzas nor do they exist for the well off who fancy a free bakewell tart for their tea. If you're not in need you should be ashamed of yourselves for going there.

If the OP's husband wants to take the food to avoid wasting it, fine but he should pay for it by making a donation. The issue is that he loves getting the food because he is getting something for nothing! It's FREE!
I bet her husband is a right tight ar**!

Ours is a cupboard on a main road near a low socioeconomic area. There’s no trolleys, passerbys either walk (school up the road) or drive.

the women concerned waited in their car for me to start up mine. Two of them then jumped out and grabbed all of the bags I had placed there.

our pantry is very much promoted as take what YOU need (not your cousins and friends) and leave some for others. A local baker was filling it as well and received reports of a van stopping and swiping everything. He has since stopped supplying.

There used to be talk that it's because it was not safe for consumption once in a bin (fair enough for many items) and the shops worried about someone eating it or taking it and feeding it to others, people getting sick and then going after the shop

Terrible. A community pantry is a much better option, even if some people buy second hand clothes (still trying to work out the point of that post!).

Any number of reasons I guess - impact on profits, to prevent dumpster diving ie people jumping into bins and removing the food, hygiene, trespass etc.

Why did they pour bleach on it? Why didn't they want people using it?

When we launched our Community Fridge nearly 10 years ago, this is exactly the kind of debate that was going on then. It's disappointing that things haven't progressed.

Prior to the development of food waste initiatives food was being sent straight to landfill and in some instances actively spoilt by having bleach chucked over it so that no one would take it. At least then we weren't arguing about who should get the food.

Oh and by the way. For people shouting about landfill. Loads of things end up in landfill. Clothes. All sorts of stuff. If someone really wants to be eco then they need to think about extending that to other aspects of their life. Like not buying fast fashion or not flying long haul...
I buy second hand clothes and I have done for almost twenty years. Anything that no longer fits me gets donated back to charity.

What's any of that got to do with reducing food waste by using a community pantry, or indeed the price of fish?

My local one is a community fridge. I was going to go today but they were closed due to a funeral taking place.
They have a very active FB page that shows what they have on offer. There were photos of piles of aubergines that have fluffy mould growing on the top that no shop would sell and no food bank would accept. Lots of nearly black bananas and crates of bruised apples. Bread that expires that day.
What is wrong with someone who earns a lot taking them home?