Does anyone know someone who has had to use a foodbank?

[furryjammies]

I'm very lucky that I have never been unemployed - although at times, especially when the kids were young we hardly had any money and I had to be really careful, buying huge bags of potatoes and cooking everything from scratch to save money - no holidays, nights out etc. I don't know anyone who is living in poverty, although I do know some who got heavily into debt - mostly because of going on lavish holidays etc. Do any of you have friends who have had to rely on a foodbank and if so, what were the reasons? Not judging at all just wondering how common it is.

Yes

Poverty

Hth

Brace yourself OP

Why not ask if anyone here has used a food bank themselves?

How would you know? There is a lot of shame around poverty/not being able to manage on what you have and look after your kids. I don't imagine it's something that users are keen to shout about.

Are you for real?

Yes

Oh god. This is going to end well..

No matter how you may claim not to judge, getting people to say they have needed to use a food bank then exposes them on here to scrutiny which I personally think isn't appropriate and just nosiness.

You could always go and volunteer at a food bank, if you're that interested.

Having worked in a Foodbank, I can categorically say that there were very few lavish holidays around. 🤦

I'm not being judgemental - I'm just wondering how common food poverty is in this country. Can I honestly not ask a question to try and get a better understanding?

And seriously, have you seen the stats for th Trussell Trust alone? That should tell you how common it is.

Is this a daily mail reporter?

Anyway, you might not 'know' anyone living in poverty but that's the point of it today - there are nurses and teachers using foodbanks, people you wouldn't expect to be in poverty. Look around you a bit

So you think that people who struggle to manage to feed themselves are often feckless?

Yes, my ex uses them occasionally. He has a minimum wage job. Once he's paid rent (expensive even just to rent a room where we live) and child maintenance (minimal amount) he has nothing left.

And I don't think for one minute that anyone going to a foodbank has squandered their money - I was talking about friends who had got into debt - entirely different thing.

Yes I know people who've had to use food banks, and no, I'm not going to go into their circumstances (which weren't of their making) for others to judge. Because whether it's the OP or not, some will.

I'm not sure why you would conflate the two issues on the same thread then?

Anyhoo, here's the latest stats from the TT

www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/

Trussel trust report over 1.5million food bank handouts in a year, and there are almost 4milluon children in U.K. living in poverty. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/food-banks-poverty-universal-credit-benefits-trussell-trust-a8884461.html. So it’s not that rare.

As a teacher I knew many families who have had to rely on food banks. I’ve also known professionals (nurses, teachers) who had to rely on them too. It would appear from your post that you and your friends have been lucky and relatively immune to the worst effects of austerity, which is fab for you. But food poverty is a daily real issue for millions of people in this country, not all of whom use food banks.

Yep. My family have used them a few times because of no income.

BarrenFieldofFucks no I haven't seen that and I will look - I am trying to educate myself and no, I'm not a reporter nor do I think anyone using a foodbank is feckless. Where did I even suggest that? My kids couldn't afford to leave home because of their poor wages and I can see that if they did move out they would have very little to live on. Minimum wage jobs don't stretch very far.

Grinding poverty (to the point of needing to survive through using a food bank) is far more than buying large bags of spuds and cooking from scratch. (sigh)

Why do you want to know?

Oh my god, the NW is top of those stats with a number that's massively higher than the others.

I rather get the impression that that food bank users for you rather equate to exhibits in the zoo.
A lot of people using them are struggling with Universal Credit and many are in work.

I think almost all of us will know someone who has had to use a food bank, whether we’re aware of it or not.