To put wine and chocolate in the food bank?

[Nunyabusiness]

Picked up a miniature white wine and a 5 pack of twirls, husband was aghast. My view is that people who are struggling to feed their families wouldn't have funds for such treats.

(I did also put tinned fruit and veg in, by the way!)

Just wanted to make a couple more suggestions to people who are asking about treats.
Instant hot chocolate (the sort you just need to add water to) .
Tinned puddings, carnation milk, rice puddings, tinned fruit, long life fruit juices. The thing I missed most when I was skint was fresh fruit.
Basics marmalade was also a little treat for me, and something I looked forward to on toast.

Seventeen yes please! Pet food is always wanted

Ah good mygorgeousmilo I usually buy my cat 3 big boxes of of 44 of whiskas pouches for £20 from farmfoods. Was thinking of donating a box (on the basis they can split it between people of course).
I know it isn't helpful in the sense food would be but pets need to eat to

I volunteer for citizens advice and we provide food voucher. Food banks have different policies. Our local one says that clients can get a voucher a week, three over a month then a month break. Depending on the reasons given for the voucher another will check after a couple of vouchers what help the person is accessing (if the crisis is around benefit changes have they had a benefit check?).

The maximum voucher policy isn't inflexible though - if a person needs more vouchers they can be provided, but the case will be looked at. Vouchers are numbered and the bank has a master list so they would see if someone went to different agencies to get vouchers.

The things I notice as reasons for vouchers are changes to benefits particularly moving onto universal credit (6+ weeks before the full payment and the advance only covers so much). Also sanctions that are often overturned.

No - I don't live next door to them. DP has a house near a council estate, and knows some of these people - some are near neighbours yes. I don't know them, we try to avoid them. But sometimes in the pub, or even walking past the pub (being smokers they hang out about outside) they call out, and being drunk they talk, and being cokeheads they tell all, loudly and repetitively. I know they'd rock up to the time-poor GP, and in the 5min appointment, complain of depression due to skint-ness and hungry and hungry kids...GP gives a voucher, feckless benefit scrounger heads off to Foodbank.

Not every one, but the ones I know, would. I'm not anti-poor, or mean spirited, just cynical and hard-up enough myself.

If people can't afford to feed their kids, why not have free school meals for them? Breakfast club? After school club meal?

How are the schools who have had budgets cut left right and centre supposed to fund this? I wasn't supposing the schools fund it; how about the foodbank funds it? Supplies the food? That way the kids get free food. I'd actually get behind that - it stops the adults form milking it and me funding their lifestyles.

And the storing of food if not needed? Not likely. More likely that if they have lots of donations, from, say, affluent areas, that the criteria for getting free food, is lowered.

I'd happliy donate if i was certain my money was going to the people who are in actual need. Rather than those who jsut fancy a free nag of food. I don't donate to certain charities as I find that the money goes more to Admin costs, than the charity (WWF I'm looking at you)

seventeen no of course, and the pet food certainly comes under non-essential under our guidelines, but still very much wanted nonetheless. People still have varying lives and situations/pets/commitments even when everything is going wrong. We always split up big multi packs of anything, including cat or dog food.

ptumbi I love how you "know" a whole play by play scenario that you have no way of being privy to. You just "know". Please read above posts.

Foodbanks receive no subsidy either, much like air ambulances. And many do run schemes with local schools etc, however a charity stepping in to local government shoes would be a little odd wouldn't it? And being a charity solely reliant on donations would put any school relying on them in a vulnerable position. Add in to that that as a charity a Foodbank will have hugely tight accountability and controls on what goes where, meaning that they have to stick to what was agreed when they set up. At our Foodbank, we can look on the database and tell you to the kilo what food went to whom since inception 6 years ago. Exactly who has had vouchers and when, and how many. This is updated 3 times a week, and as such it is hugely rare that anyone gets to take the piss and claim too much without prior approval by us.

I would hate to be as cynical as you, ptumbi, what a miserable existence it must be thinking the worst of people all the time.

council estate

You have no idea....not at all.

It can take a woman escaping domestic violence three months to start getting financial support. What is she supposed to do in the meantime for food?

And the storing of food if not needed? Not likely. More likely that if they have lots of donations, from, say, affluent areas, that the criteria for getting free food, is lowered.

Yeah, no. That's not how it happens.

We run a very busy Foodbank, and yet never run out of space. Foodbanks share food with each other where necessary. And the foodbanks themselves don't issue the referrals or vouchers, so those who do would have no idea of how much food is available in order to lower boundaries etc.

We are constantly stockpiling for the next lull.

Mygorgeousmilo you said everything I wanted to say and more.

Ptumbi you're not listening at all. Even if a minority do abuse the system isn't it worth the tiny risk of that to ensure children aren't going to bed hungry, or someone doesn't have to turn off the heating to enable them to have lunch. See if you can find 'hunger hurts' by Jack Monroe. Read it and see if you feel the same. I suspect you will because you want to, but I hope it gives you a moment pause.

It was said early on that it's a bit patronising to donate treats. I'm not hearing that at all, people are thinking about what might make them feel better in those circumstances and acting accordingly.

So if anyone isn't sure what to donate then check.your local page through TRussel trust. Toiletries are always welcome but they aren't usually listed in my experience.

Obviously she should just starve margarita 🙄

If you're struggling with other ways to help we sellotape any spare notes we have into the packets of things we give each week (e.g. a tenner in a box of cereal or something like that). We hope that will put a real smile on people's faces.

At the risk of being flamed - I never donate to food banks. We live in one of the richest countries in the world, and have a world-reknown benefits system. Why do we need food banks? What did people do before them?
Oh my goodness. I've not got time to ready the full thread but I hope the poster of that did get flamed ! How can anyone lead such an out of touch existence! Have they not heard about Universal credit, sanctions, zero hours contracts?! There are plenty of people who use foodbanks who probably never thought they would be in that position but they are. It's our collective responsibilty surely to try and help when we can.

OP. Alcohol is a definite no-no for foodbanks. Chocolate and treats a yes. They need sanitary products too if no one answered that question on previous page.

Would those little multipacks (say, 20/30 in a pack) of mini children's Christmas cards be acceptable?

Younger children then wouldn't feel left out when the cards are handed out in school at the end of term.

DP has a house near a council estate, and knows some of these people - some are near neighbours yes. I don't know them, we try to avoid them. But sometimes in the pub, or even walking past the pub (being smokers they hang out about outside) they call out, and being drunk they talk, and being cokeheads they tell all, loudly and repetitively. I know they'd rock up to the time-poor GP, and in the 5min appointment, complain of depression due to skint-ness and hungry and hungry kids...GP gives a voucher, feckless benefit scrounger heads off to Foodbank.

So you don't know them, Ptumbi, but you know what they say to their GP and that they are being given food bank vouchers?

Why don't you just admit that you get all your 'facts' from the Daily Mail?

Please don't forget people with allergies and special diets.

Looking out for Gluten Free goodies and staples would be appreciated by people with coeliac disease and dairy free foods would be appreciated by the diary intolerant and vegans. I tend to leave GF products, a carton or two of whatever soya/rice/almond/whatever milk is on special offer that week and maybe some cat food too.

I often give sanpro - thought I was being original but with the amount of people on this thread who say they donate sanpro I'm surprised they're not overrun!!

mygorgeousmilo – superb post. I just don't understand this fear some people have that someone somewhere might very occasionally get something for nothing. We have far more of a problem in this country with people getting nothing at all: everyone who volunteers in a food bank has seen clients who haven't eaten for a few days, and as well as all the people who are unfairly deprived of benefits, £10bn of benefits go unclaimed each year, partly because of the stigma created by attitudes like Ptumbi's. But hey, better to let a thousand decent people starve than risk one 'scrounger' getting a freebie, isn't it.

At my local supermarket they have the food bank volunteers handing out small lists with the things they are in need of at the entrance. It really helps.
With regards to razors,shampoo ect i would think (and hope) They would be put in extra to the food bot lost one good inplace of such item

Birdshitbridge, we used to hand out lists outside the supermarkets regularly but recently they've been much less accommodating about letting us do that – I'm not sure why. It's particularly difficult as universal credit and other benefits changes are really biting hard now, and we've had an increase in users.

We always give people staple foods, plus one or two treats; we offer toiletries if and when we have them.

Oh gosh you guys I seem to have opened a can of worms!!

1. I drank the wine I'd bought for the food bank earlier, it was lovely and I intend to replace it with some shower gels and sanpro

1. It's great that we are having a dialogue about food banks, and thank you to those who volunteer and have provided some guidance, bit please let's keep it civil even if we don't agree with the views of any of the contributors to this thread.

I've really learnt a lot more about food banks, their users and their staff since I started this thread, I hope it will encourage you all to donate something next time you are able (but not alcohol!!) After all, many of us are only one payday away from needing it ourselves.