I manage a food bank. AMA

[Wetherforks]

I manage and run a food bank in a UK city. It's Saturday night and I'm bored. Happy to try and answer if anyone has any questions!

That is true. Give nappies instead!

Are you a volunteer or are you paid by a charity?

Are you allowed to donate baby food?

And @hopscotcher too. As above...toiletries, for men and women. Nappies, and sanitary pads. Instant coffee -its expensive, and we don't get it much but personally I exist on coffee so feel like that's something I'd love to be able to give out more!

Can you donate baby bottles? I know it's a food bank and there's probably a rule about hygiene but I have tonnes of bottles (mostly completely unused) and Google wouldn't give a definitive answer.

Strangest item - ooh, hard to choose! We do get random donations which are put on a 'help yourself' table. Recently a whole load of bric a brac from the house clearance of a volunteer who'd passed away. To me, a load of junk -but it went in about 5 minutes. I was amazed. But it would have pleased her immensely, I think - people were so chuffed with their candlesticks/cheese grater/draining rack etc

I stopped giving to our local food bank when I found out it has £500k in the bank. TBH I felt that my generosity was being taken advantage of, but am I wrong and that's normal?

Marking place.
Want to give more this year.

Check with the foodbank when the best time is for deliveries! Thank you for doing this - it's such a vital but unseen and unsung part of what is needed to make everything run well. For us, it can be really stressful when a big delivery comes during the busiest time of day as we have quite limited space and the storage/serving areas are in the same place. Always grateful though!

I had a thread about this a while ago, but because I don't want to it wrong, I'll ask you as well.

I seem to have collected at least 20 of the little conditioner tubes that come in the hair colour boxes. I never use them and they just pile up, but I am reluctant to donate because it's clear that they were part of a kit.

Can I donate those?

Is it insulting to donate packets of things that are useful but are not fully sealed/brand new boxes -

e.g. a pack of 4 individual bars of soap, tried one and found I'm allergic - is it insulting to give the remaining three (unused) since they're in an opened packet?

Ditto tampons. Have a few 'opened' boxes of tampons, where I've taken out one or two, but have no need for the rest, where obviously all are individually wrapped and unused. Is this kind of thing useful or really is it only appropriate to actively go and purchase new boxes of things?

How do you usually feel at the end of shift?

We have basic 'categories' of items that go in the food parcels, and mostly anything will fit into a category somehow - so 'meat' tins, 'veggie' tins, tinned vegetables are all quite fluid categories, as are hot drink items, soup etc. The parcels are prepacked, but it's always nice to be able to give options to swap items if wanted. Just because you're struggling doesn't mean you don't have preferences!

As previous answer as well though - our foodbank has a table at the side for anything really random, and it all goes and is appreciated.

Are you linked to a welfare rights service to enable clients to have proper benefit checks and help to claim their entitlement and / or services who can help with budgets?

Do you ever suggest olio to people who come to the food bank? Not instead of but as a way to bulk out what they are given

It wouldn't be an option for everyone, but could help a lot of people

Even those that think they wouldn't be able to collect, they may find out that someone 2 doors down is someone who collects from supermarkets etc meaning they'd be able to collect regularly without the logistics of managing travel and/or kids etc

We can't give out stuff past BBE. Only exception is items that come from supermarkets that can provide a BBE extension certificate, that confirms items are safe to consume. Supermarket surplus comes via orgs such as FareShare, and the extension certificate is always supplied and should be available for service users to see.

@AllTheChaos thinking about it,I have no idea if shops that sell past-BBE items would have extension certificates. If so this would be fine to donate. Would need to provide the food bank with a copy of the certificate through, so might be more hassle than it's worth...

There was a thread a little while ago about a food bank user who threw much of what she'd taken from the food bank in the bin. Most replies said it was none of the OPs business, and the woman could do what she wanted with the food.

As someone providing this service, what is your take on that? Would you be upset?

Do you accept fresh fruit? I ask because I have apple and um trees. They all come at once I use a few, freeze a few, give some to neighbours but still have lots left.

oh have a word with yourself !

Cereal, long life milk, cereal bars. Things that can be 'cooked' with a kettle are super popular - pot noodles and the like. Tinned fish, crackers, biscuits.

Fuel poverty is a massive issue. We top up fuel cards in a very limited way. If your foodbank does this and you're able to donate cash, you can always specify that it's used for gas/electricity top ups. It can make a huge impact - even just being able to keep the fridge on, for example.

Do service users get to pick what they want and is it ok to be ‘fussy’? I have a family with allergies / intolerances/ ARFID/ ASD so worry that I’ll be seen as a fussy user when it’s actually really hard and I don’t want to take anything I know we won’t eat

I'm an employee so I'm paid. It's a bit embarrassing when people think I'm doing this through pure altruism - the pay isn't great admittedly, but it is just a job! I manage a huge team of volunteers and they are the real heroes.

Baby food, yes. Not formula though

Check with your local foodbank. We'd take them, but others might not.