I run a foodbank AMA

[STOPUKPOVERTY]

I run a foodbank. AMA

I believe Trussell provide templates but as we're all independent charities we have discretion over what we hand out. My foodbank always airs on the side of generosity. We provide 3 days worth of food and other essentials including toiletries, cleaning products, sanitary products and pet food.

What is your background to have ended up in this role? Do you work full time hours? How many foodbank sessions do you run?

How do you make up the bags?

For example, I usually donate a tin of meatballs in tomato sauce (kid friendly, ok with pasta, rice or potato, quick to heat up in microwave or hob, is my thinking) a tin of veg, tin of fruit, tin or packet of custard. But for a family if 4 do you need to find another tin of meatballs so they can all have the same meal? Or do they get a bit of a hotch potch?

If food banks had never started, what would have happened? I’m dubious, tbh. I wonder if they create a need. I see a lot of foodbank-ticketed food passed around, or thrown away. I’ve always worked in soup kitchens, where we see the food we give away eaten in front of us. So maybe that’s why I have a basic mistrust of food banks. I have worked in them occasionally. And came away just as dubious as when I arrived

Is your food bank registered with Bankuet?
It's a brilliant way to donate to food banks anywhere in the UK, and I wish it was better known:
www.bankuet.co.uk/

@12Thorns

Before food banks many years ago, people would depend on their local church for food and handouts.
I know this because my great granny was dependent on the church when her husband died. She had to queue outside the church with the others who had little income. It was seen as something deeply shameful then. I’m so glad things have changed.
There will always be those in need and those that will step in to help. Food banks don’t create the need. It was always there.

I have about 15 tubes of conditioner from dye boxes I use for my hair. I never use the conditioner and it keeps piling up in my bathroom cupboard. The tubes are clearly from a box and while they are not used they aren't sealed. Would a food bank accept them as a donation?

I do think this worked better, as individuals were known.

whybis do much food bank food wasted?

oblivebin a block with large communal bins. I can guarantee if I go out and look now, there will be food bank - ticketed food in the bin. There always is

and I take in a lot of refugees and homeless people. They always seem to be giving me stacks of food bank food I don’t need. People always seem to be giving it to them too and they don’t need it either.

sometimes I’ve just been overwhelmed by tidal waves of the stuff! Some of its very smart.

I also get in on the office of a charity I work for. Where the local food bank passed us food past it’s sell by date. We’ve had candied lemon peel in port and various incredible things.

m I’m just very dubious and suspicious of the whole set up

id be surprised if even half of the food given out is eaten by recipients.

not really a question as such. Just what are your thoughts on this OP?

We can’t give out anything past its sell by date. And nothing with alcohol in it.

And if they don’t eat it then they didn’t need it 🤷‍♀️

Maybe that’s why it’s passed on to us

So why do so many people end up with food bank food they don’t need?

Donate via BeautyBanks for cosmetic items.

Because not everything given can be consumed.

Some people don’t have or can’t afford to use a cooker. Some don’t have kettles or even basic cooking equipment. So some products won’t be used or will be swapped.

This isn’t everyone obviously, but there is often other needs at play here too

No idea.

we do kettle packs for those with no cooking facilities. And for those without even a kettle with pack up stuff that can be eaten cold. An argument rages as to whether baked beans are acceptable cold.

Unfortunately I have had reduce the amount I donate but thank you for noting cooking oil, I didn’t think of that. My last donations were microwave rice and instant mash- quicker to heat rather than cooking from scratch.

Have I got that right?

Well done 👍 I used to help a local organisation, not an actual food bank, they lost their space and so used to hand out food from their car. No requirement of vouchers, just anyone who turned up.

What I'd be really interested to know is your personal opinion about when it is possibly inappropriate to use a food bank. Where is the invisible line if you see what I mean? I know the answer cannot be black and white.

The reason I ask is, I have just read about a household who have had to use a food bank recently. Their joint income would be reasonable because of their job specification (Doctor and Newly Qualified Teacher). High outgoings was the reason given.

I am going to make some assumptions here that some of the outgoings could be part of upholding a reasonably good lifestyle. So should a food bank expect to be used in this instance? Should middle class families (for lack of a better phrase) be expected to use food banks to maintain their lifestyle or should they go without other things to buy their own food. Hope this makes sense.

I am genuinely interested. I suppose my personal opinion is that Food Banks ideally should be used for those who are already going without and really couldn't make any financial adjustments in order to be able to get food on the table. But I am always trying to educate myself with other perspectives.

... also you so amazing work and we are lucky to have people like you.

I don't know if you've seen that Lidl is putting a mark on goods that are supposed to be extra nutritional to guide people putting them in the food bank collections. Do you think this is a good idea or will you just end up with 63 cans of tuna?

Interesting AMA - thanks for this. Thanks also to PP who gave details of Bankuet.

Our local football/community group has a great system whereby they link up with food banks and have daily lists of priority needs. They station volunteers outside supermarkets with crates and a list of a few things they are after - there are usually 4-5 generic things on the list. It so easy to just check it on the way in and think - right, tinned rice pudding or some canned fish, and then hand it to them as you leave. The volunteers are pretty much always cheerful and appreciative, they put the food into category crates, and these are collected by the group at the end of a shift (I think they do something like 10am-4pm) and taken to the food bank depot. It just feels like such a good “nudge” and also means you are very sure you are buying what is needed plus you get a sense of contact in handing it over. Obviously needs logistics and manpower, but its v popular.

I’m a volunteer with Citizens Advice, so someone who refers clients to food banks generally and specifically to Trussell food banks. I cover a number of counties, not just my town.

I’ve been with Citizens Advice for some years, and when I started the policy was to restrict the number of occasions that vouchers would be issued to an individual/household. Now, the economic situation is so difficult if someone asks for access on multiple occasions we would not question it.

I think some people, through no fault of their own, are becoming reliant on food banks long term.

Our policy is to always engage with someone asking for food vouchers to find out their life circumstances, and offer help eg debt advice, helping sort out benefit problems etc. There are often debt problems there, run up over years or triggered by loss of a job. The big problem now is energy costs.

The scary thing is the number of people working in full employment, or receiving their correct level of benefits, but who can’t make ends meet.

On a personal level, what seeing the increase in need has done for me is that when I go to the supermarket I now buy two items rather than just one to put in the food bank bin.

In my town, Tesco Lidl and Waitrose have food bank bins, but not M& S.

Please contribute to your food bank bin!