To think that when your school's demograph is mostly impoverished, guilt tripping mothers about 'Harvest Festival' will not help?

[colditz]

Our school badgers parents for 'Harvest festival' donations, and donates these to an elderly person's sheltered housing scheme.

I have done care work in that very housing scheme, and yes, the residents are vulnerable, and often sickeningly lonely, but they aren't poor.

Probably half the mothers at my sons' school are poor. Should the children of our school really be told to "Go home and ask mummy to send something in for Harvest festival'"?

I know nobody NEEDS to but no child wants to be the one who was sent in empty handed.

well even when I was really poor I still managed to find a couple of tins to send in(ours went to a homeless shelter so they were much worse off)

I'm with Theincrediblesulk1... I think it's a mistake and also rather condescending to assume that because someone appears to have nothing, they won't want to participate in a charitable event like harvest festival. If a lot of the families at the school are low-income families, they're going to be the last people to judge the child that brought in some value soup or whatever - and I'd hope you did the same. It's OK for the school to ask. It's OK for people to participate in whatever way they can. It's OK for people to opt out. YABU....

You are misunderstanding me completely.
To get back to the OP, I think if the school demographic suggests it would be a struggle for a majority, or even a sizeable minority, then yes, it is an inappropriate thing to ask of the parents.

incrediblesulk - it is one thing to say that you personally experienced no feelings of shame or embarrassment, but to deny that anyone feels that way is ridiculous, you have no way of knowing what others feel.

colditz - I agree with you, they have handled it badly and picked the wrong charity.

kitty - are they trying to steer away from people spending £££s in M&S or Waitrose?

LOL- kittywise- you could start a production line in your kitchen and get your older children to make stuff... then sell it to all the other parents who don't have time- bet they could manage bread!

Yeah... of course with 6 children you don't do anything all day do you? just a school would suggest that really (or do you have a chi chi farmers market just round the corner?)

That's a very patronising statement! If they cant give they wont!

Well , I am guessing they want to show the true meaning of harvest man, crops and real food and all that, organic . We g-r-o-w the food we e-a-t the food, look children here is Mrs Jones' plum chutney< picture Neil from the young ones> No, no more value tins of unwanted pilchard and rock hard figs left over from last christmas at our village school.
Well I did make some elderberry syrup and they're not having any

Who on earth do they give it to kitty? Random homeless shelters and OAP homes don't want home grown weedy carrots or lumpy chutney. Nobody wants chutney fgs. Old people like tins of Marrowfat peas and pressed tongue. That's a fact.

Indeed, WHAT they are intending to do with it hasn't yet been made public. Got as far as a display in the church. Apparently the needy in Brighton no longer want the donations odd.

It would be a shame to stop a tradition that has been around for years for fear of upsetting one or two. Those that dont want to contribute just wont.

I dont see what FSM has to do with anything, many on benefits have more disposable income than those who work.

and roffling at all the lovingly handmade and cellophaned produce being nibbled by mice in the church. Even as a fully paid-up poncer, I can see that home-made stuff is not going to work.

Agree who the hell wants chutney you cant give the stuff away

agree a box maybe put in reception on a voluntary basis solves loads of problems

still think the idea is good and hope it continues,at my kids primary half the tins/packets were out of date now thats LOW

Do think that a visit or elderly invited into school is a great idea as there is a huge amount of lonley oaps out there,would benefit everybody,would learn respect both ways etc etc

while im on one im classed as living in poverty and could manage a donation saying you cant spare 30p is utter tosh

crap spelling,typing in haste

many on benefits have more disposable income than those who work. not everyone who is poor is on benefits

I'm laughing at the thought of my spindly home-grown carrots and tiny tomatoes on display

you give what you can - even if it's a packet of pasta

I thought that after I had pressed post

usualsuspect i agree many people get paid less than benefits do!

Nah not having that sulk

Bit of a tangent here sorry but our primary has decreed that we must only send "healthy" items for the harvest festival because

"we are a healthy school, so no biscuits,jam,cake,chocolates or sweets thank you"

I am having to physically restrain myself from sending a bottle of sherry and a packet of fags out of sheer badness