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.

I bet the oldies would rather have a packet of fags and the sherry

When I was a teen my mum had died and so the job of the harvest festival basket for my sister fell on me - with barely enough money for a tin of kwik save vegetable soup I asked the greengrocer(we had one in those days)to let me have some spuds,carrots,leeks etc 'on the slate' (pay later) he said if I were to mop his shop floor and clean the shelves hed deliver some bits for sisters festival.

On arriving at the harvest festival there was a GINORMOUS crate of fresh fruit and veg all fastened with cellophane and bows ...........yes Jack the greengrocer excelled himself (god love him).

The 'old lady' who was fortunate enough to get the basket complained it was too much veg for one person to eat and she preferred tinned stuff .

Since then I sent my own ds in with a tin of ham/salad/corned beef.

I totally agree with OP on this.
One of my vividest meomries as a child in a very poor family is my mother giving me a few carrots to take to school for harvest festival, as decreed by the school we should all bring a contribution - all she could spare - and the teacher holding them up to ridicule.
We do now contribute to Harvest Festival because our school gives to a homeless charity and we are now well off and can easily afford it, but EVERY harvest festival it just reminds me of that day, and I feel for those who are emotionally blackmailed into it.

The school that's insisting on everything homegrown/homebaked is absolutely nuts. They won't be allowed to give it away unless the health and safety officer has inspected everyone's kitchens, so it will all get thrown away.

I think the school should look into a worthwhile charity. And if there are none nearby that want a load of groceries, then they should focus the idea of the harvest onto something more relevant.

well, earlier we did steal some chestnuts from the council car park, but Ds2 has secreted them in several laundry baskets (apparently Sonic The Hedgehog likes to eat them) and won't give up the locations.

Not conkers, real edible chestnuts (I live in forager's heaven!)

needafootmassage - I didnt mean to upset you people were vv kind to me and when i look back it was at financial expense to them,but to this day im very grateful.

I think we do need to 'modernise' the harvest festival- I still long for a varnished sheath of wheat made out of dough with a itsy bitsy mouse hidden in between it.

well great to know I've probably scarred my kids for life for only finding out about this Harvest Festival thing almost after the event and sending them in empty handed to the riducule of their peers. My DC only informed me last night about the service today and was only concerned that he needed a cake for his snack as it was a special event, well at least someone got fed. Better luck next year!

YANBU colditz - school is being a bit clueless

I still remember the shame (I put this the other day on another thread) of having to put an ancient tin of pilchards and a packet of sago in the harvest festival box, under the beady eye of a teacher. I felt so ashamed of that, but that is all that my gran could/would spare.

We have been asked for luxury items only (bolding and everything). Seems we have a better cut of soup kitchen here.

Which is a bugger because I always forget and end up sending a bag of pasta from the cupboard.

I should do it when I go today shouldn't I?

YANBU OP, being broke sucks big time.

A tin of beans or fruit is affordable isn't it?

I thought everybody just looked in their kitchen cupboard and rooted out that tin of kidney beans / mustard soup / curried spam that's been there for three years? ;)

A pack of biscuits always welcome I reckon

Our homeless shelter always pleads 'no baked beans' as they are brimming with them

I like Chibi's suggestion right at the start of the thread. The school could maybe look into the children 'adopting' a resident and visiting them if they were willing to participate. I don't know if the regulations would prevent it these days but our primary school had a similar arrangement with a sheltered housing complex near the school.

Our school has a lovely arrangement of the local OAPs coming in to school for lunch one day a week.
Works well for all.

MrsGuy that is very sad. How dare teachers ridicule the poorer children. There seems to have been a lot of it too.
Are you still murderous?I would be.

our schools have stopped collecting for the care homes around here.

Instead they collect for the Homeless Shelter and somewhere else (which I've forgotten).

They send a list home which includes no perishables, and things such as cleaning stuff, and even old (but still useable) underwear

I can't find the list off hand (better find it this afternoon so IU remember when to send something in ).

BUt irrc the vareity of stuff asked for is wide enough for anyone to be able to find something

nedafoot ......... that's exactly what happened at my DC's school - we were asked (not compulsory to do so) to take in donations of food, fresh stuff as well as tins etc and then we had a 'bring and buy' afterwards with all the proceeds going to charity. It seemed to work very well and I am very pleased with all the stuff I bought - including tinned spaghetti as a treat for DH as I refuse to buy it usually !!

i always used to get sent in with some rooted out of the back of the cupboard. and it would be realllllly random as well - one year there was a jar of mayonnaise, one year a bag of flour, one year some cake decorations (edible, but still)!

I agree it sounds as if the school does need to rethink the policy / idea and more human contact with the elderly would be great for everyone.

We end up having to do Harvest festival twice once at school and once at church. Yes I do give tins and packets from the back of my cupboard including pasta, packets of instant custard and packets of tea (usually just give one of the foil bags so people cannot see the brand). Donations fro the school go to a homeless shelter for young people. The church give to a local charity that gives out food boxes to local people in need. So they are both worthy causes.

Donations for the harvest festival are put into a cardboard box from each class which is then taken to the front by a class rep during the service and means that no child is singled out.

Couldn't you inform them of your knowledge of the housing scheme and perhaps suggest another charity that would benefit from the donations more.