To be really upset to read on MN

[shootingstarz]

That parents are going without food because they can?t afford to feed their kids.

That parents are going without food because they can?t afford to feed their kids.

In the UK? I don't believe it.

Of course in the UK whatme I have come across parents who go without meals to feed their children , I dont know what is shocking about it wel it is shocking that it happens im not sure why people are shocked this goes on , poverty is rife in the UK ,

I think any parent would go without food so their child didn't have to. It's awful that this happens anywhere in the world, you'd hope it didn't happen in a developed country like the UK but I'm sure it does.

I'm not surprised. We're not badly off at all, but I frequently go without tea or just have a tiny bit or a slice of bread because I'll let the DC eat what they want first and can't easily afford the extra.

By going without food, do we mean having toast or cereal instead of a proper meal?

YANBU. I find it heartbreaking, and humbling.

DH and I are comfortable, but wouldn't think of ourselves as 'wealthy', because those around us have more. Does everyone good sometimes to stop and reflect on those that have so much less.

On a practical note, have you thought about getting involved in a local foodbank?

My Mum's church has one, and they had a list of 5 items (e.g long-life milk, tinned tomatoes, large bag of pasta etc) which they by regularly and a local organisation distributes to people who come along who are struggling.

I think it's always been the case in this country,
but it's happening to a wider group of people now.

salvation army also have a food parcel service for families who struggle I have struggled myself in the past although i did stretch food so we all ate ,

what does it matter if its toast or cereal , parents go without a balanced diet to feed children ,

what does it matter if its toast or cereal , parents go without a balanced diet to feed children ,

I used to go without a meal (so only lunch or only evening meal - never breakfast) at least half of the week when I was on benefits, and that was 4 years ago, so Christ knows how people are coping now.

thankfully i have never had to struggle this bad and my heart breaks for those that have. but just to get some understanding ... these parents you refer to are they not getting government assistance? or is it on a regular basis they are going without food? or when a bad hit of bills come in .... i am just trying to understand

Sadly it doesn't surprise me. Food banks are in every supermarket now.

I meant I never ate breakfast, and would often only be able to have one meal per day. Sorry for being confusing!

I have seen it in my work....it's not as simple as some think. A family that I worked with had very limited cash and would often run out of essentials before payday...then it was a case of "can we afford to buy some mince?" if so, how far can we stretch it...there are only three slices of bread left untl tomorrow so the DC will need that for ther breakfast...I saw a woman who ate only rice for three days because her children were fed first....and their diet was smple enough!

Some families work and pay bills and have no luxuries and shopping is still a nightmare...they can't always get to Lidl or wherever as they have no car...

oh god, and i'm sure on the outside that people would never think it as they do pay their bills but there is nothing left after thats done. i can see it being more common than we realise. so sad.

sccuzy with the family that I got to know, it was regular...they could hardly afford to buy a weeks shop that would last...they were very careful too. But without a bg stock cupboard of spices, herbs and things it's not easy for them to cook cheap meals from scratch...then when they've spent three or four days on the bones of their arses, living on rice and white bread, they fancy treat....so they get a takeway....you can't blame them...it's very demoralising to constantly go without.

I worked with teens in an arts project and they''d turn up with nothing...no lunch for a whole day....no money...we had to dip into our budget to feed them! These were young teens...and no...they weren't spending their money on sweets and fags...their just wasn't any to give them.

Things are better now, but this was me a couple of years ago. A spoonful of marmite stirred into a cup of boiling water for breakfast and lunch to eke out the food budget so DD could have her school lunchbox filled. I would have to do this for the last week or so before every payday, although I did eat one meal a day with DD in the evening.

It annoys me on MN when people say they 'don't believe it' or 'we don't have real poverty in this country, only relative poverty'.

There are food banks starting everywhere, collection points in most supermarkets. People need to wake up to what's happening. It is easy to be poor - a low paying job, high housing costs, an absent parent who doesn't support his child... I think a lot of 'working poor' are in this situation: unable to claim free school meals, earning 'too much' (at £15,000/year) to qualify for things like council tax benefit, paying high travel costs to get to work...

thats awful. and would you agree on the outside everything would look fine?

While I believe this happens, I find it hard to believe that there aren't other factors involved in parents becoming so desparate that they have to eat next to nothing in order to feed their children properly.

I appreciate that for people who have found themselves in this position that it would be very anger inducing to be disbelieved, but the truth is, I do find it hard to believe. That's because the benefits in this country are fairly generous, and I know plenty of people that live soley on benefits that have more than enough to feed themselves and their families.

I can believe that there maybe cock ups at the benefits office that lead to people being very short of money, but I don't see how parents can end up in that position I father are getting what they are entitled too.

I'm being genuine by the way, I would really appreciate more of an explanation about how this happens.