I absolutely know I’m being unreasonable….

[CurlewKate]

….and I know it’s so much easier and more efficient and better for all concerned. But I do think that we lose some sort of connectedness when we donate to our local foodbank by placing an online order, rather than donating actual physical stuff. And I do think it makes it harder to make small donations,like a couple of tins in a collecting box as you shop. One of our supermarkets has taken away their collecting box and put up a link to online donations-that prompted this post.

So why bother then?

I only wish it was. Most Big Issue sellers take card payments now and the cost of purchasing a contactless machine is minimal as the supplier takes a cut of the transactions. Most can be charged up and work battery. A strange world we live in now

With a fairly generous welfare system, especially once you have kids, isn't needing a food bank down to mismanagement or spending your money elsewhere (whether drugs, alcohol, smoking, gambling...)? I don't really see that as the government's fault, or society's. We may have one of the largest economies but per capita we are right down.

I'm not being a dick for fun - I would really like to understand from the knowledgable posters on this thread.

I think I understand an important aspect of the OPs concern… human contact is lost as things move away from in-person activities. Support given is often much more than the actual item or service provided. A kind word, passing piece of advice, a message of hope, sign-posting to other relevant services, a show of solidarity. Only this week I heard something on radio four that speaks to this theme. I think it was this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/v78MKsCWHxw0l0PwMn4R0R/bbc-reith-lectures-2025-moral-revolution
A very thought-provoking reflection on how we live our lives.

Ime when people use our services weekly (we’re a bit unusual in our setup and weekly is fine, unlike the typical food bank model) - it’s very high housing/rent costs, debt (often linked to essential purchases), or unemployment linked to chronic ill health combined with the above.

Not necessarily.

I'm at risk of redundancy and rent with 3 kids. I checked what I would be entitled to receive while I had no job and after rent and bills I would have nowhere near what I currently spend to feed my family for the month, hundreds of pounds less.

If someone needed so much as a new pair of school shoes I would be fucked, I'm sure I would regularly need a food bank.

And I calculated based on including the lifted 2 child cap which hasn't even happened yet.

I can imagine the mental load of constantly having to feed your family on a complete shoestring is exhausting and difficult and easy to mess up at times.

Frankly, I'm sure it is because I struggle even with a reasonable and flexible food budget.

And yes high rent definitely factors in, it's such a huge percentage of earnings when you are on a low income.

It really isn't easy which is why it's so upsetting to see people so enraged about lifting the 2 child limit.

People think it's so much money but I have been part time while my DC were so young that childcare would have outstripping my earnings, and I was regularly in a position that many others are, where you are scraping together pennies to get some bread and butter or a bag of value pasta because it's 3 days away from payday and you have absolutely nothing, while trying to keep things consistent and happy for your kids.