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!)

Oh fuck off Ptumbi

Snap

No, split.

Also, do food banks need donations of carrier bags?

i hope they give the wine to the volunteers :) they may be able to swap.it for more chocs...unfortunately the food bank csnt give out wine xx

To those who make irregular donations. I would suggest maybe to donate in Jan and Feb rather than at Xmas.

It's a busy time at the drop in centre/food bank.

Addley - not all, there are big boxes where the T bags are lose. as I said the ones with foil packs are fine.

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.

But Ptumbi, have any of them said they've managed to do that or are you peed off because you imagine they could? Have you actually heard them say they cheated the system to get free stuff from the food bank? Even if they had, as people have pointed out, only a small percentage of benefit recipients are cheating, the huge majority aren't.

Just to make it even easier for people, you can follow some foodbanks on twitter, and they tweet out what they're in need of that week. No need to even remember to go and look!
And of course there are often trolleys with lists on in supermarkets.

steppe your post wasn't there while I was writing mine.

InigoTaran

Yes, carrier bags are definitely needed. Ours used to be donated by Waitrose but since they had to start charging for them, they've stopped doing that.

Not sure if this has already been said but it's good to donate more in the school holidays as those who get free school meals aren't getting them.

purpleprincess - There's a lovely girl who sells The Big Issue outside our local m&s...At Christmas I made her up a toiletry bag with shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser and a few other bits I had knocking around.

That's lovely for you, but if she is homeless where will she shower? Also, she is more likely to sell those items than use them...or worst still, they could be stolen from her and you could have put her in a vulnerable position.

Everyone's heart is in the right place but there needs to be some sense put to play here - it is not about who can think of the most luxurious, fabulous item to donate.

Tinned carrots, potatoes and a tin of mince is a good meal under the circumstances. Birthday cakes? Really? Cakes and biscuits are not essential. Some kids never clean their teeth - it would be better to donate a toothbrush and paste.

So from what a lot of you are saying, things that don't need cooking are good. For example, tinned fruit?

As for JSA I really find it bizarre that anyone would think people choose to be on benefits. It's a horrible demeaning experience. I had a brief period between jobs about 5 years ago and claimed JSA inbetween. I found another job very quickly but having to claim JSA was a deeply unpleasant experience.

I often say everyone should have to spend 6 months working in retail. Maybe everyone should have to go through a JSA claim too?

As for the person who was offended by by middle class condescension comment, I am sorry if you were offended but I was cross that our foodbank was telling us that the poor in my area should not be given treats and it was only after a lot of angry comments on a local Facebook page that they backed down and said they'd take biscuits etc.

It's surely got to be a balance. Many of us feel that treats give people a lift and should be included, but at the same time, if we all just give biscuits and chocolates that won't work either. There's a place for all the everyday stuff like tinned carrots and instant mash.

I was once of the opinion that being on benefits was a choice and a cushy one at that. Maybe it even was 30yrs ago when I was a kid. Now changing your benefits means stopping them whilst they get reassessed. So for weeks on end you have no money. Zero money. There is no money in the bank so you have nothing. Ok eventually your benefits get reinstated but they don't back-pay you! A friend of my sisters was living with her husband. They have 3 kids, he was working. She threw him out for being abusive to the kids and taking drugs. She gave birth a few weeks back. Now she is waiting on a benefits assessment and for some money to be provided. She has no money - he took everything they had of any value, he won't give her any money. They have no car (he took it). She has to catch 3 buses to get into town to attend job centre appointments. She no longer even has the cash to get the bus. Her eldest is 7 and needs new shoes which she has no money for. She couldn't get a job to cover childcare and is only 6 weeks post partum anyway. She has nothing but the foodbank and the support friends and family can provide. She can no longer top up the leccy or gas meters.
My sister has been providing home cooked meals and we all chip in with giving her and the kids lifts to places when we can. We donated presents for her daughters recent birthday.... She is in the shit through no fault of her own. The foodbank is keeping the kids from going too hungry. No free school meals unless you are in receipt of benefits in Wales and she isn't yet!

Yes some people play the system, always have always will. However these days the system can land you in a LOT of difficulty and a totally penniless situation through no fault of your own. It will eventually support this lady and her family but how does she cope until then?

Has anybody actually ever had to use a food here? No?

Well I have and people suggesting that's it's faintly patronising to give these sorts of people any kind of treat and they should just be just giving nutritious food blah blah have no clue what it's like.

It's humiliating enough to have to go to a food bank and when you are at your lowest and the kids are bickering and your depression is kicking in because of your shitty situation that 1 little treat, that little chocolate bar or pack of biscuits or even hot chocfor the kids can make a difference to your mental well being and give that brief lift to keep on fighting that little bit more

Quite a few posters said they have, blackheartsgirl.

I try and put in a couple of tins of cat food or dog food. just because someone hits on hard times for a few weeks and has a food bank, the pets shouldn't suffer.

Black it's about moderation and being sensible. I think buying a birthday cake is ridiculous.

Surely buy 10 tins of value baked beans is of more use than 1 bottle of Dove bodywash. Yes, the bodywash is a 'treat' but the beans can be spread amongst several needy folk.

It seems some people donate to make themselves feel good. Foodbanks were supposed to help people in difficult situations, not kit them out with luxurious items to make them feel better.

Just a well you're not in charge of food banks cosynooks!
Give what you want; food banks won't give people bodywash if they need baked beans. Anything they really can't give will be raffled or sold to staff and volunteers.

Lovely gesture for wine and chocs, they won't take the wine but you can send to me I'll make sure it has a good home!!

This thread has made me so fucking sad and angry (and also happy, to see that so many people are kind and helpful). I must be really sheltered, or maybe it's where I live but I honestly had no idea how widely used and needed food banks were. I don't think there's any collection points in our local supermarkets although I may have missed them. It's gut wrenching that so many people are relying on them to feed themselves and their children.

I am going to make sure I find my local one and donate whatever bits and pieces I can at every shop now.

I think people are being a bit sentimental to buy, say, birthday cakes but frankly I agree with that approach - food poverty doesn't happen in isolation. If a family can be provided with a bit of comfort / a feeling that someone cares by means of a £5 cake then I'm in favour. Even though you can buy however many tins of beans for that money. It's not as though in practice the food banks are overrun with novelty cakes - it sounds like most people buy from a limited list.

Having said that, whoever posted the link upthread to the charity matching up bakers with those who can't afford a bday cake - that is genius!

Surely buy 10 tins of value baked beans is of more use than 1 bottle of Dove bodywash. Yes, the bodywash is a 'treat' but the beans can be spread amongst several needy folk.

I suppose, you could always put both in though

...or worst still, they could be stolen from her and you could have put her in a vulnerable position.

CosyNook this is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read on here. Do you really think homeless people shouldn't have access to anything which might be stolen as it might "put them in a vulnerable position"? They are ALREADY in a vulnerable position! Having a bit of shampoo so that when they get access to a shelter they can get clean is not a bad thing to do, and will not put them at any more risk of criminal gangs than they already are.