To be really upset to read on MN

[shootingstarz]

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

We went without food as children because my mum was stuck in a debt tyrap.

I work with families where the parents go without food to feed their children. Its very easy to say poverty is relative when it isnt in relation to you.

I grew up living like this everyday, my Mum would sell all her stuff and when the money from that ran out, my sisters and I ate the cheapest meal she could create and she had nothing.

:( this thread is very sad.

I would like to donate to a food bank. How would I go about finding one? Someone up thread said that they were in every supermarket, but I have never seen any around here.

outrages perhaps as someone suggested thet are not entitled to certain payments as they are just over the cap but their outgoing, taxes, rent, mortgage, number of kids and school fee etc would actually mean that on a regular basis before pay day (perhaps paid monthly) they have literally nothing. i dont know of anyone personally but i can see it happening.

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'

It can annoy you all you like, but the UK is not a poor country, and the UK definition of "poverty" - 60% of mean income per child - is not poverty as anyone elsewhere would understand it. The benefits per head are pretty generous.

I think we need to go to food stamps, to ensure money earmarked for food is actually being spent on food.

oncehomeless that is truly awful and why I'll never begrudge a penny I pay in tax. My heart goes out to you and very pleased you are in a better situation now.

Makes me furious that you had to live like that.

I think we need to go to food stamps, to ensure money earmarked for food is actually being spent on food

i 100% agree with this!

Food banks in the UK

We do have the healthy start vouchers, but I dont think they have increased in value with inflation have they? Also they are only for fruit and milk, and that isnt going to fill a hungry stomach.

Oh yes the benefits that families live mansions paid for, have designer clothes and live the life of Riley , those benefits I know families on benefits i have been on benefits myself and i never had the life that is advertised in the dailiy mail , and some families are on a threshold and getting minimum top ups still have to pay mortgages/rent /bills so maybe they struggle at the end of the month , or even the middle of the month if some unexpected comes up , as i said before poverty is Rife in the Uk

Food stamps are a good idea IMO

Then the dc of vulnerable parents (parents with substance abuse issues for example) would be sure to eat as the parents couldnt use the money for other things.

There are dc at my sons school on free meals who I know must go hungry in the school holidays

Scuzy, I see what you mean, and I think the working poor, ie, those just over the threshold for help have by far the worst deal in this country. But you mention mortgage and school fees. Voidka mentions parental debt. Those things are personal choices that cause people to not have enough money for food. That doesn't mean they are in poverty.

Thank you voidka, there is one in a city not too far from me. I will look into it.

The week before payday this often happens in my house. Dd ALWAYS has a proper meal but sometimes me and dp don't have a proper meal. Dp will try to bring things home from work like bread and ham and I will try arrange for dd to have tea at my parents too. We always have enough heat and hot water etc but if the moneys gone and we are up to our overdraft there is just no money left for food!

It happens BECAUSE people don't believe it. So don't take any action or vote to stop it.

stranded that has made me really sad. Very unmumsnetty hugs.

Can parents on benefits still get the free vitamins from sure start?

Not sure whats been cut since the coalition came in

The price of fresh fruit and veg always makes me when I am shopping...if the givt were serious about tackling child poverty they would subsidise healthy food and tax crap food.

Yes- I does happen, as it happened to us! In the past when he was out of work and money was really tight, DH and I would regularly have cereal or toast rather than a full meal in order for our kids to have one, or I did often skip a meal when I served the 3 of them and said it was ok, I had eaten earlier, as there was not enough for 4 portions. Now things are better and we are both working again, so we are no longer put in this position

Sadly after a 'joint working life' of about 70 years we are now having to claim benefits - DH had a bad accident at work about 5 years ago and I am his carer. We are 'different' to many people in their late 50's because we have a 14 year old DS4 obviously still at home. We receive (thank God we do though) less in Benefits per week than we used to jointly pay in tax and NI per week. BUT thank God we do receive them.

I regularly eat bread and spuds.....or sometimes nothing. After our bills are paid we are left with about £10 per week.

I remember watching my Mum do exactly the same about 50 years ago. I think its just something that Mums do....I would give my life for my four boys so giving up my food is nothing.

I work very hard to stop this happening, buying big supplies when I can afford to, using my freezer to the max, and planning and using leftovers cleverly.

However I am starting to see how it happens now.

There are a few occasions where I haven't had dinner with the kids, but used up scrappy bits and pieces.

Gone without lunch to stretch the bread to do another day of packed lunches. Eaten very weird combinations of stuff because that's what's there.

Started growing my own food and trimming weeds in the garden for the rabbits to supplement them as I can't spare veggies.

My money is very tight at the moment. I am waiting for DLA, trying to arrange debt management and sort out repayment plans, pay rent on a house that isn't wholly covered by my housing benefit (but which is more suitable), pay for all the extra costs trying to cope with chronic illness, whilst receiving no support from either of the kids fathers financially (though DS's dad does pay for other things that I would rather he continue than pay measly amount of maintenance, like DS's swimming lessons).

It's not always that I don't have money, it's that I don't have it right then and have to last X amount of days until I do have money. It's getting a lot tougher.

Can we donate food to the food banks?

Yes. Only one close friend knew. My work colleagues, etc. had no idea.