Food parcel from school

[buddybean]

My 5yo DD has been poorly and has not been attending school since Tuesday. Today someone from school came over to see her and gave us a food parcel. I am confused why did they give it? I couldn't ask them straight because my 1yr old was crying like crazy and they just left saying hope to see her at school tomorrow and this is a food parcel for you. What do I do with it as it has stuff that I do not use except for the tea bag and sugar! Do I return it to them? I'm new to this whole thing as she just started school.

Take it back to school and say you don’t need it.

Yes just take it back if you don't need it. It may have simply been an error.

Do you qualify for free school meals (not the universal infant free ones) but ones based on income?

Maybe your school is seeing a number of pupils "off sick" when the family are short of food, so they're countering sickness absence by offering these parcels. I'd just take it back and say it's not needed, so they can give the contents to someone else.

Was it a coincidence that the food parcel arrived when your LO was sick ?
I'm thinking everyone got send home with stuff and your s was delivered because you weren't at the school .
Doesn't seem likely though.
I'd definitely query it , I couldn't keep it.

Are you entitled to FSM?

How much food is it? Is any perishable?

I'd take it back if you can. It seems really wasteful to hand out food to people who don't need or want it.

@CurlewKate she's in reception so she's eligible for FSM. At first I was giving her a packed lunch but the class teacher insisted I should avail the FSM as she'll get used to variety and will enjoy it with friends so I stopped packing her a lunch.

@memyselfi I asked my neighbour whose DD is my DDs classmate and they said they didn't get any parcel.

@buddybean is that the infant free school meals, or have you applied for FSM due to low income and then school receive pupil premium?

@Klcak It has four tins of beans, 1 bottle pasta sauce, long life milk, biscuits, pasta, custard packets 2 nos, sugar, tea bags, packs of noodles and tomato tins. Everything long life. I'll just return it. Hope some needy family can use it.

First point just wanna be sure I'm even eligible for the stuff.

@crumblingschools I think infant school meals. Not under the low income scheme.

It is probably in place of the free school meals your child missed.

@asrarpolar hmm but this is the first time I received it but this is not the first time she missed school.

I got a food parcel from DC1’s school at Christmas. She isn’t eligible for free school meals and we aren’t struggling for money, so I have no idea why. She is known to the Student Support Team for various reasons and I have been specifically asked by school if I am ok financially. She was in school that day but does have poor attendance for reasons the school are aware of. Unfortunately, school came while I was out and left the parcel with a neighbour who didn’t bring it round until late at night and it contained something that should have been kept frozen so was wasted. I gave away most of the other things we wouldn’t use to the food bank and a colleague had the perishable food as we were going away for Christmas , but I felt terrible that we didn’t need it and maybe there were other families at school who did and some food was wasted. I never asked why that happened because it was the end of term.

LOL, we are not eligible for such things and the local church managing the school or what the exact relation is, decided alongside their half term parcels prepared for people eligible , to prepare one for me, because one church lady knows me there and perhaps thought it will be nice. The teacher looked at me and mentioned bag and looked at me with surprise and when I went to reception and saw the bag, returned it. Just return it if you do not want it

@buddybean maybe a mistake then?

@FranksInvisibleLlama maybe your DD said something that a teacher misinterpreted as you not having enough money?

Ring the school and ask about it?

Isn't it just someone being kind?

Assume they meant well, perhaps they have a policy if kids are sick then they assume (wrongly) that you might struggle to get to the shops.

School may not be able to take it back now that it's been out of their possession. Drop it off in the food donation bin at your nearest supermarket.

I'm surprised you can't make use of any of those items. They all seem like pretty standard store cupboard staples. I'm sure if you post them on your local FB page someone will snap them up.

@Megapint We r Asian totally different food. I can use the tea and sugar though I love tea. I do not have a problem using them but what if they dropped it to me thinking I am financially struggling which I am not but some other family that needs it can use it.

Contact the school and if they won't take it back give it to a local food bank.