To think that food banks who limit to three weeks are as mean spirited as Universal Credit?

[MammaTJ]

I have been reading on FB about someone struggling due to problems with universal credit. They say they have used their three food banks and an extra two they gave them!

When I had to have food bank boxes I got one a week until I told them I did not need them any more, I had them for around 8 months. I think three or five is mean and people in need are people in need until they no longer need it, ie, their circumstances change!

My change was actually getting PIP, which meant an extra £300 a month!

AIBU?

I'm disgusted that FOOD is having to be donated and handed out like this on this scale. Where/when is this ever going to end? While this is going on i don't know how anyone can have any pride in our country. I despair.

Absolutely.

Good banks have always had that rule. When stocks were high and demand still reasonably low, they could waive it. Now, demand is through the roof and they have to enforce it.

If you are given something for nothing by volunteers and donors, be grateful. They are not the government, they are not responsible for the shower of shite that is UC. They are in fact trying to help while also not letting the government and society in general abdicate responsibility.

*food

invisiblekittenattack thanks, I don't have spare money to give so I do that. I love it.
ragwort we do indeed use our discretion and would never turn anyone away hungry. Three is a guideline.
I don't think I've met one piss taker yet. Lots are in tears of embarrassment and despair and some even sort through the bags and give stuff back that they won't use.
There is plenty of food but I'm pretty sure it would run out quickly if people used it as a weekly supplement, unfortunately.
People are very generous at Xmas but it tails off during the year.

If there's a genuine need for food banks the government should be running it and yes you should be able to get enough food until you no longer need it. It shouldn't be down to charities to do this. Surely the first priority of any government budgets must be to ensure none of the population are homeless and starving. Only then should they focus on other needs.
I sincerely hope that charity food banks rapidly become a thing of the past that we no longer need.

Food banks are not free supermarkets.

I agree and if the OPs attitude towards them is commonplace then I'm doubly glad we only give to the pet one.

UC has an advanced payment whist waiting for the regular ones to be set up.

Rather than blame the charities perhaps look at the claimants. I very much doubt that every one has no means of making their own situation better. Many choose a life on benefits as they want to be a SAHP, work part time etc.

Rather than blame the charities perhaps look at the claimants. I very much doubt that every one has no means of making their own situation better. Many choose a life on benefits as they want to be a SAHP, work part time etc
What an awful attitude. It's not true, you obviously don't understand how it works. People are going without and you, you put animals above people. It's people like you that put other folk, folk in need off going to the food bank.

There should be no need for food banks in the first place.

Employers should pay their staff properly.

Then there should be a properly organised benefits system for those that cannot work and those that have lost work. We should all want a functioning benefits system, anybody can lose their job.

People are very generous at Xmas but it tails off during the year.

^^ I really agree with this statement, we are quite literally overwhelmed with donations at Christmas - haven't even got enough storage space - but the donations really drop off around Feb/March. I know many mumsnetters very kindly make special donations at Christmas but it would really help if these could be spread out throughout the year.

Many choose a life on benefits as they want to be a SAHP, work part time etc.

Many claimants work many hours in poorly paid,often insecure jobs, many are unable to work.

People have debt due to previous problems (ill health, caring responsibilities, benefit cock ups and sanctions) so even if they do get their UC much is gone on repayments.

Many are stuck in that cycle. The stress of living like that is highly likely to create ill health (physical or mental) which only compounds the problem.

I wish people on here who are suffering from an empathy bypass would read this

Poverty Safari https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1912147033/ref=cmswwrcpptai_xrmpAb6ZYM10K

written by a great guy who has lived through poverty and now campaigns so that people can understand the complexities of it.

Rather than blame the charities perhaps look at the claimants. I very much doubt that every one has no means of making their own situation better. Many choose a life on benefits as they want to be a SAHP, work part time etc

Are you for real? Wow, I'm stunned at this, I really am.
Please open your mind and enlighten yourself to the current situation because this is totally and utterly untrue.

I really hope that you never find yourself in a bad situation not true. Because I have a felling you would be very very shocked.

That first sentence should have been in bold-that is not my view obviously.

You could also make "I Daniel Blake" one of your things to do over the festive season.
God I actually pity you for your lack of human compassion and naivety.

It's actually a rule designed to make sure that society doesn't depend on them. I was in on the start up of an early food bank. The reasoning was that if Governments and councils (and also individuals) knew that volunteers would feed people indefinitely, there would be no motivation to change.

It was supposed to plug the gap when people change jobs, buy a season ticket, swap/apply for benefits, etc. The intention was not to pad out people's low incomes, but to tide over emergencies.

However, it seems the world has moved on and people need them on a long term basis.

What can they do though? There's very little they can do when they have 30% more people turning up at their doors because the government is allowing those who are the most vulnerable to starve.

They are in a hard place, but you know, sometimes people in the community need to get involved and offer a helping hand.

There's a family I know who are really, really struggling- to the point that mum misses a few days meals a week. She is my cleaner, but we are very close because the exact life she lives was mine a few years ago- different reasons, but the same end game.

I picked her up the veg that Tesco have for &0.29p a bag at the moment. Tatoes, Brussels, carrots, parsnips- cost a quid, then I had a sort out of stuff knocking about the house that we can't eat due to a recent diet change.
There were five bags of tinned food, a box of cereal and a few bottles of juice. It was no skin off my nose, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who could help those who are in need in the community.
im not trying to be sanctimonious or goady, but there is so much food that goes in the bin, why not offer it to a less well off family?

Maybe the food banks would be under less stress, and those who genuinely have no support may get more support from the food banks.

I'm saddened to know that my cleaner has had several situations where she's had to go to the food bank, whilst working- but also at a point where she could have turned to me, I'd have gladly taken her food shopping at any time!

I fear the 'rise in use' of food banks is down to their ease and generosity.

There is a need for those needing a referral, obtaining a small parcel and lots of signposting. But self referral? Unlimited parcels? No questions asked?

Rather than blame the charities perhaps look at the claimants. I very much doubt that every one has no means of making their own situation better. Many choose a life on benefits as they want to be a SAHP, work part time etc

^^^^^ reading that makes me sick, just how can another human being lack any compassion for people who for one reason or another cannot feed themselves?

Contrary to what you believe, the person who I know who uses foodbanks is a lady who shouldn't even be working. At the age of 30 she has such severe heart problems she's often hospitalised, she has a stent, and is likely to need another in the near future- she was hospitalised again in October.
She works every hour she can- I can attest to that, as she's worked during the week, Friday nights then the following Saturday for me.
She is in the predicament she is because she's a single mother after her husband killed himself and left her to bring up kids on her own. She's doing her absolute best.
For this woman, there's nothing to look forward to, no real luxuries. Her clothes are all second hand- given to her. Her kids clothes, all second hand. The luxuries her kids have, is they get to do after school clubs, but there are no holidays, there are no toys just because, there are no trainers that all the other kids have, there's no decent car, just a 15 year old car that can get her to and from her parents where she cares for her mum and dad.
I really hope I haven't outed myself, because I feel awful saying this, but her life is shit. I don't blame her for feeling depressed because it's not a life I would wish on anyone.

Have a bit of compassion, Scrooge.

Why not beat the poor with a big stick?

Some peoples attitudes on here are disgracefull. You can loose it all you know, you could become ill loose your job, your partner/husband etc.
Its all a house of cards, you could be in the same situation as someone who uses a food bank really easily.

I fear the 'rise in use' of food banks is down to their ease and generosity.

Have you personally visited a food bank? - To pick up a parcel containing a tin of baked beans, pasta, tea bags and a fray bentos pie is hardly like getting a hamper from Fortnum and Mason. True - this time of year they may get a pack of mince pies thrown in but it's not exactly luxury food.

Do you really think most people would visit a Food Bank if they were not desperately hungry?

The limit is mean, I don't care what you say

So why post in AIBU?

Supplies are limited. Would it be any less "mean" to support one family for a year and tell another one they can't have a single thing?

Grow up, for fucks sake, realise how lucky you were to get the help you did, and get out there and help the foodbank give for longer instead of sitting there bitching about people who are doing their best to help countless people.

YANBU - I volunteered at a foodbank in our very well off town. The amount of food we collected was amazing - we worried about it going past it's sell by date because we had too few people in need but despite this we still limited the help to 3 vouchers. So although surrounded by plenty these people in need still have nothing and for no good reason. One woman has taken to begging for food on our local facebook page.

I fear the 'rise in use' of food banks is down to their ease and generosity.

This is an interesting point actually. You may wonder how people with homes and cars get find themselves at food banks. Many of us may think that surely feeding yourself and family is the top priority.

It's because they prioritise costs that HAVE to be paid: rent, gas, elec, fuel for the car, school trips, knowing that they do have the food bank to fall back on.

It's hardly taking advantage of the ease and generosity though, it's more a case of making an informed decision on how to prioritise the spending of the little money they have available.

I think you are being very unfair. The food bank is a charitable organisation run by volunteers who often go out of their way for those in need and go above and beyond for them. My dear Mother volunteers at the food bank and has told us some harrowing stories. She and her team have been personally threatened, not just by claimants but by selfish people in super markets when they go and collect donations.

She has personally paid for a vaping kit for someone who had health/money problems exacerbated by smoking (but had tried and failed to give up smoking) as a result his condition and circumstances have improved. She has personally dropped off food to people who had no way to carry the amount of food the distance home. Her and her team have paid out of their own pockets to provide fresh food, eggs fruit etc that isn't included in the packs as they are perishable. She has this week baked a banana bread to give out to people in need as a Christmas treat.

They are understaffed and under resourced they often have lots of some food and not enough of another so they cannot always provide the recommended contents in the bags. This is in one of the wealthiest parts of the UK so i'm sure it is even worse elsewhere.

You are right to have a go at universal credit which sounds like it is an appalling system that is tearing people and families apart but the food bank does not exist to subsidise government programmes as it now does and it is struggling with the growing pressure from recession generally and more recently the changes to well fair. It exists to help the most desperate of the desperate, it has however become the last line of defence in a losing battle. shame on you!

I volunteered at a foodbank in our very well off town - the amount of food we collected was amazing - there is clearly a huge disparity in the volume of food donated to different food banks - I was recently in the North East and was able to donate some food to the local food bank - I got chatting to one of the volunteers and they told me that the volunteers drove to collect food from the South as some Food Banks are overwhelmed with donations whilst others have none.

There is no easy solution to this problem and Food Banks are doing their very best to help people who need the absolute basics.

Food banks should help people stay out of the poverty trap when their circumstances change. If someone sells their car because they can't afford food, then they can't easily get to work anymore. If someone takes a loan from a loan shark/payday lender to feed their kids, then they can't get out from under it again.

People's permanent circumstances shouldn't depend on food banks. But they do.