Foodbank for the Summer Holidays

[GloGirl]

The summer holidays might be a financial stretch for a lot of families who are losing out on their child's breakfast clubs and free school meals for lunch.

Just a thought for people to donate to their local food back and add in a few items that would be appreciated by children in the summer.

Posting in AIBU for traffic - so feel free to debate the topic whilst I am here!

for you too footingfuckball

Did things get better for your Mum after you and your siblings grew up and left home?

Thank you for the reminder. It's something I feel I take for granted that I mamage ok ish and I have family that helps me if I need it. I could definitely donate a couple of items next time I do my food shop.

footing Don't feel guilty, you were a child, you couldn't have known. It's a credit to your mum that you weren't aware of how bad the situation was until afterwards.

Just bumping for the weekend food shops.

Thanks OP for this timely reminder.
for all who know this and for all those who quietly help.

I feel quite ashamed, it had simply never occurred to me that things would be more difficult over the holidays. I am so lucky and sometimes need it pointed out - will put stuff on my shopping list for the foodbank this week.

I put this on face book and I think at least 10 mates have now done food bank shop.

I bought-
Individual jelly and rice pudding pots
Mug shot pasta meals
Tins of chicken curry etc
pringles
Mini chedders
Ritz crackers
Squash
Cereal
Fruit winders
Chocolate biscuits
Midget gems
Tooth brushes

Excellent nilby!

I'm hopefully going shopping today, might have to put in some Pringles just for the fun of it

I’d like to thank GloGirl for reminding me about the need to support foodbanks at this time of year. Since I saw the original post a couple of weeks ago I’ve gone out of my way to stock up on shelf-stable food products and toiletries as well as chocolate and sweet treats for kids (no Pringles, though!). I’ll be dropping it all off at the local foodbank on Sunday – it’s the last chance I’ll get before we go away on holiday the following weekend.

I hope this bumps the thread so it can remind other people too!

Thank you for this thread, OP. I work in retail and all of our food waste that's consumable goes to a food bank daily. It's dreadfully sad we need food banks but they do wonderful work.

Hiros fuck off.

That is all.

Another shout from a food bank bod... some do change their needs over summer - we are again being gifted with a school partnership, they provide the kitchen and equipment and we provide much of the food and cookery expert - people like me with a Food Hygiene Certificate

So we ask for more fresh food to support the Cookery Club: bread, fruit, veg and other stuff we wouldn't usually take - loads of strawberries heading our way next week

We run Breakfast and Lunch Club, another group runs craft sessions and we feed them at the beginning and end, some of the kids like to help with the food preparation, so we also bake cakes and make soups out of the leftover veg - which often get taken home.

Not all FBs do this but many do connect with other groups, even if it only signposting, so it is worth checking to see if there is anything else you could do/donate.

Many thanks to those who do donate, every week, once a month or just once a year when your local ban really needs extra help, we really do appreciate it.

Even families who are fairly good at managing their money can be fecked.

Everything costs more when you are poor. Often you have no transport so schlepping all over town to get to a cheap retailer can be expensive and time consuming, especially in the holidays when you may have a few kids in tow. You are therefore reliant on more expensive corner shops.

Your energy costs may be higher as you live in a damp poorly insulated house and are on a payment meter.

If you need to borrow money or buy a new appliance, you can't easily whack it on a no interest credit card, you are paying top rates of interest/hire purchase type schemes.

You may have never have learned to cook budget food well because of the way you were brought up.

and that's before you even get to the issues of alcoholism, gambling, drugs etc.

For every family that people perceive to be coining it in on benefits, hundreds and thousands are struggling.

As for part time work, apart from the issues already mentioned in terms of the effect on benefits, there is also the fact that people with money to spend on things such as house-sitting and dog walking may not be immediately amenable to handing over their house keys to "poor people" as they may not trust them not to rip them off - sad but you can't necessarily blame them.

No one is that poor they can't afford food. I grew up on benefits when EVERYTHING including food was much more expensive. Had free school meals.My mum had about £100 a week to live on for everything. She budgeted massively. We had 3 meals a day cooked from scratch. Places like Iceland, although sneered at, sells good quality meat, loads of frozen veg, very cheaply. I don't understand how people cannot afford food. It's a nice idea but I just don't get it.

You really can't imagine a situation where someone might be struggling to eat? Why not try to put yourself in the shoes of someone else for a minute.

You have no savings and your cooker breaks down and needs replaced, you can't get cheap credit. You have no transport. Your partner has a drinking problem and has taken all the money to go on a bender leaving you with 3 kids to feed on naught. Should we just leave the kids to starve then?

When I got FSM many years ago, they were also provided during the holidays. One school provided FSM for children from quite a few schools.

rascalchops1, I sincerely hope you never find out.

You are clearly in a privileged position.

I am not. I used to work full time. I gave that up to become a student nurse, had a much reduced income, but we managed. For reasons I am not going to discuss here, but no fault of my own, I had to give up after the 2 nd year of my degree.

My mental health was at the lowest I have ever been, but I got anti depressants. My physical health has also now deteriorated. I am not able to claim JSA. I made no contributions over the previous 2 years and my partner works full time. He doesn't earn a great wage. We have debts. You know, commitments we made, thinking we would be able to pay them. Rent arrears too, as we get no housing benefit or help with council tax.

I have been relying on food bank boxes for a while. I do get one every week. It is brought round by the support worker who helps my DD in school with socialisation problems she has, due to suspected ADHD.

I am tough, I have had to be in my life. BUT I am crying because of some of the nasty judgemental comments on her, by the minority who think they could manage better in my circumstances.

Rascalchops1 - when you grew up benefit sanctions didn't exist. Crisis loans did. The cost of living was cheaper, household bills were cheaper. Austerity measures hadn't ripped the heart out of the safety net that ensured your mum could adequately feed you. Social housing was more readily available at cheaper rents.

You really can't comprehend why there has been an explosion in food bank referrals or understand why food banks exist?

Seriously?

Thanks for the heads up OP. I usually donate something when I do the weekly shop, I'm shopping tomorrow so will chuck a few 'treat' items in with the usual items. Pringles included.

MammaTJ

I was a HCP, band 6 so earning a reasonable wage, we didn't plan on me having to give up work to care for ds1 after his AS diagnosis. We were only just managing on my husbands wage and had help from family. Without their help, I will admit that on several occasions we would have needed a food bank referral. Since his promotion things have eased a little but I remember looking in the empty fridge and cupboards worrying and crying and thats why I now buy something for the FB each week.

I grew up not on benefits, but in the late 60s & 70's. massive inflation, both parents working, large family and we managed - just, but we were often hungry and often without treats. I love the fact that I can walk round the supermarket and afford to put in it what i want - that's luxury to me. Adding in a few extras for the food bank is a regular thing. i know the money would go further with value goods but I tend to go for a few treats and luxuries. I know they use cash donations to buy as much as they can of the basics to ensure supplies (quite rightly) but food donations give them the extras to make life a bit more bearable I think.

That should say, both parents working in low paid jobs.

rascal it took almost a year for my mums disability benefits to come through. For seven weeks she had no money coming in at all whilst her ESA claim was sorted.

We were in a position to help her out but if we hadn't had been she would have needed to use a food bank.

My friend has two kids and works, but does live a fairly hand to mouth existence. One Thursday she went to draw her money out to go shopping, found her bank account empty. She'd been the victim of identity fraud. No food in the house - what was she supposed to do?

Most people use food banks as a last resort and it's not just those in receipt of benefits - it's usually people who have experienced a short term financial disaster who would otherwise be surviving on their benefits or wages - that's why you can usually only use them 3 times a year.

And bloody sanctions.

Hardly in a privileged position. I grew up in absolute poverty.

rascalchops1, you ARE absolutely in a privileged position if you have no clue why people could need food banks!

Also, in case people didn't know, even if you online shop you can donate - with an Ocado shop you can add a food bank donation for x amount, which they will match and send that level of groceries to the food bank on your behalf.