to go off piste with food bank donations, as they only list wanting junk food

[haveatarday]

At the shops now. The local food bank is only asking for junk food on their list (crisps, biscuits, pot noodles, pasta and sauce, corn flakes).

Aibu to not get these but get healthier stuff, like tinned fruit in natural juce, oats, mixed seeds etc?

Google food bank and your postcode, you will get a little map of the nearest. You can ring and ask about donations, we have a specific opening time for drop offs, and a few unofficial ways too , but it differs from bank to bank.

Shelters may be more difficult, they are often deliberately hidden. But if you can find out who refers to them, HV, CAB, etc, then you can find out how to donate whatever they may need.

OP, maybe they can mash together the kidney bean with some canned peaches? That'd be tasty.

People who are getting stuff for fee should be gateful and that's why I would never donate starving people are wanting pot noddle
canigetanamen no, but you can get a fuck off for this piece of dickensian twaddle.

And OP, the Trussell Trust already has the likes of Mark Hix helping out with recipes, so I suspect that your offer to educate people on the use of beans will not be taken up
edinburghne.foodbank.org.uk/budget-recipes-by-celebrity-chefs

I have been keeping my ex alive while his benefits have been sorted out (sorted now, thank goodness), gave him most of my tinned food "emergency" stash

if not, he'd have had to go to the food bank.

He lived with us for nearly 7 months because he had nowhere else and no-one else. He got housed in a totally empty flat last month.

He bought a kettle, and a toaster. We bought him a microwave. I can easily see how things like pot noodles are essential at food banks, because without us giving him the microwave he wouldn't be able to do any type of food that wasn't basically "add hot water, serve!" and toast.

He has no fridge so nowhere to keep most things fresh.

the very last thing he'd need would be someone telling him the only foods he can actually do with the equipment he has aren't what he should be eating.

Maybe some are already taught what's a healthy cheap food to do with just a toaster to heat it in, most people wouldn't have a clue!

I think it's great that this wind-up thread has been rumbled (no sign of op for some time now), and has now evolved into an exchange of useful constructive info on how to help local FBs.

I shall always remember the kidney bean canapes, though. MN party food at it's best!

*its

Can I ask - would foodbanks prefer to have money donated or food? Happy to do either but would rather do whatever they need most!

I was just thinking the same thing MrsMcRuff. Op hasn't been back since she/he was outed as a wind up merchant.

I love it when threads like this turn all warm, cuddly and community spirited. Possibly not what was originally intended.

one thing people tend to forget is that it's more than just food... female sanitary protection, shampoo, soap, nappies (all sizes)... the list goes on... toothbrushes, toothpaste...

I get to the end with my dander up and claws all sharpened and find the OP's done a runner and everyone's all fluffy and helpful ...

I'm sure most people who have no food at all don't give a shit about 5 a day.

In fact, outside Mumsnet, there are plenty of people that eat more or less no fruit and vegetables at all and appear to function quite normally.

It's only on here that people fall over themselves to insist 'we always get our five a day or usually more actually'.

I need to read full threads before getting my claws out

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your reports about this thread. We've taken a look and we have a few doubts about the OP, so we'll be removing this thread shortly.

Kate can you leave it up please? While the troll op is obviously on a wind up there is lots of really good stuff on here it would be a shame to lose.

Hell, I know what to do with kidney beans, but mashing them up with tomato puree and raw onion and pasting them onto mdf oatcakes is not in my recipe repertoire. Yuck.

Those tins of kidmey beans in a sauce would be more appetising, or just buy a few tins of veggie chilli - easy to heat up but can be eaten straight from the tin, if needs be.

I took DS1 to fill a basket, before Christmas and his 11 year old eye chose things like flavoured instant noodles (the cheap but easy sort you can reconstitute with water from a kettle), a sachet of tomatoey pasta sauce, tinned sweetcorn, tins of tuna, corned beef and ham & tinned macaroni cheese. Amazingly, there was no brown rice or plain kidney beans in his basket.

Found stuff, thanks!

Are there still projects for like, makeup? I have far too much and it's something that could really help someone out.

That's a shame mn. I would usually report a thread like this and get it deleted, but it has been very helpful in the end.

"RinseyMinceySpider" Genuine lollery. Priceless.

I know the thread won't make sense any more, but I would be tempted to delete all the op's posts, leave the good stuff and make the op look stupid in the process.

Oh, I was going to write something different until I read that the OP wanted to educate people. I hope she's put a few cookbooks in with her donation too. Though there is probably a gap in the market for a one which concentrates on healthy cooking using a kettle bain Marie.

I've boiled an egg in a kettle before, tis not to be recommended!

Kate, please leave it up. The thread has evolved into something more than the original trolling.

I eat none of those foods. There are loads of healthy foods you can eat without even cooking. In fact an uncooked whole food diet is very good for you. Some people just don't want to be helped.

Honestly, what a Victorian attitude to suggest one 'educates' the 'poor' about how to eat naicely, and someone else on here actually said 'they should be be grateful' . You'd think such antiquated ignorance would be extremely rare nowadays. It's almost like the Feudal System reincarnated, Lady of the Manor and all that. These are our brothers and sisters and they're hungry.

We're quite fortunate in our church because the lady who takes the big box of our donations every week speaks to the foodbank people and gets the gen on what they're short of that week and what they have enough of already. She writes a note and sticks it to the box for us, and we can see what to put in it next time. The church is open all day every day, and we pop in with our contributions when we can. Not long ago they were short of baby formula, nappies and UHT milk, and had too much pasta, so we bore that in mind. Quite handy to have the update.
The foodbank also offers people support and advice for improving their situation; there's a private area with soft chairs and various agencies to help with forms etc. It's an admirable thing. Our speaker told us people sit there and cry. I still say it's a disgrace that anyone should be hungry, poor souls.