Food Parcels

[FeelinFagin]

We received two government food parcels today. I think DH must have said okay on the phone call he got after he received his shielding letter. I have medicated hypertension but presume not needing to shield so don't know if the second box was down to the fact we're a family of 5?
The thing is, he's still going to work. Granted it's isolated with no one else around in his work area, but going to work means technically not shielding. We've also been going shopping (albeit as rarely as humanly possible) as theres 5 of us and need to eat.
I haven't seen a delivery slot at Tesco since all this began, even staying up after midnight to nab a slot.
I just feel guilty that we should probably not have the food parcels. We do have food and we still go out when we have to (DH drives, I don't)
So, should we call up asap and cancel the boxes or use the opportunity to not have to go into the public shopping? What does the MN jury say?

Keep the parcel you received, but please cancel future parcels.

My son delivers food parcels (using his own petrol and time) and says he thinks a good chunk of the people he delivers them to don't need them. It's dispiriting. He feels he could be volunteering to do something more useful, but there is this bl--dy long list of food parcels to drive around.

So please, cancel deliveries of food parcels if you do not need them.

we have received two boxes, I'm a mug for bogoff's so have full pantry and two full large freezers plus large fridge that's bulging - my mother always kept loads of food, result of hard childhood and rationing I think.
Have taken us off list on the internet but 2nd box still arrived, phoned local council who it seems organizes them, they took all my details so hopefully wont receive any more as I think its unethical to have something you don't need just because its free

IF you don’t need to the food, of course you call and cancel. Do you know how much this scheme must cost our government?

Obviously use what’s in the current boxes and donate anything you won’t use to the food bank. But cancel future boxes and you don’t need them!

My aunt specifically said she didn't require a box but they delivered one anyway and would not accept it back, it's not out of the question that the 'no thanks' isn't joined up to the deliveries.

Our neighbour is shielding their young child, they get the boxes and were told they would lose their priority status with the supermarkets if they said they didn't need them (that's what they were told/read).

I take the box to our local collection point for them (at their request!) and it goes straight to local people who need it.

It's not brain surgery, if you don't need it cancel it

Yes, I don't understand why the food boxes are free. I completely support them being delivered and the practical support provided to shielded groups but being vulnerable doesn't automatically make you poor and even if they are, they were buting food before, they don't necessarily have less income.

My parents are very comfortably off and getting free food delivered. The cost of this support (not just the food, all the financial support too) is going to cripple the country for years and it's being given often to people who don't need it.

I guess it's because it would be too difficult/costly to work out who needs it but...

My parents do need the delivery. They don't need it to be free.

We are shielding, but actually shielding so we're not going out to work or the shops.

We've been offered priority delivery with 3 different supermarkets because we're on the government shielding list.

We said from the off that we didn't need food supplies, but have still received a box every week from the government and one from the local council. We've tried to stop them and they still keep coming. But we've given the boxes to 2 elderly neighbours so they're not going to waste.

I work in a school and we’ve been delivering food parcels. Some people have said they don’t need them so haven’t delivered again. Any extras we have we’ve given to families that have asked even though not eligible. We’ve also taken to the single parents where we know getting out and going shopping with children may be difficult.

If you don’t need it cancel it. If you would be able to use it then keep it as it might mean less trips to the supermarket if shielding.

You got a mango??? Jealous. We got the world's biggest onion.
And Fray Bentos pies.

Sadly you can't get a vegetarian option. We tried - everyone denied all responsibility.

My son delivers food parcels (using his own petrol and time) and says he thinks a good chunk of the people he delivers them to don't need them. It's dispiriting. He feels he could be volunteering to do something more useful, but there is this bl--dy long list of food parcels to drive around.

So please, cancel deliveries of food parcels if you do not need them.

You can't always tell who needs shielding. We don't all look at death's door. You can't see DH's cancer or my lupus. And we'd like to keep it that way!

I run a food box programme and have 3-4 people a week donate their government boxes to us. I'd ring up and cancel if you can't use it, but be aware that (as above) it can take a while to filter through the organisational chain.

Today we had someone referred to us who hadn't eaten since Sunday so their children weren't going without. It was just after a gov't box had come in, so I was able to hand them the box, with a few top-ups of cheese, bananas, tomatoes etc, and they were utterly delighted. There are people in acute need - the frustration and difficulty is in getting food to the right people.

I wish we got cheese and tomatoes in the food box. That would be hugely useful.

We got the world's biggest onion.

Yes! Last week we got two bowling balls onions that were so enormous I weighed them. They both weighed over a kg each! If all of this summer's horticultural shows hadn't been cancelled, they might have won a prize! Now chopped up and frozen though - extremely helpful!

Aw I haven't seen a proper, decent sized onion in forever. I'm having to make do with bags of puny, pathetic looking ones that need 3 at least to make one onion for a recipe. I mean, they're better to stop food wastage/more environmentally and farmer friendly to buy because they're the previously unsellable ones but I miss the proper ones and the supersizes giant ones.

I'm jealous.

I made the giant onion into soup. If this goes on til August I am expecting endless giant marrows. ☹️

he thinks a good chunk of the people he delivers them to don't need them. It's dispiriting. He feels he could be volunteering to do something more useful, but there is this bl--dy long list of food parcels to drive around.

Maybe if that's his attitude about helping others, then he should stop volunteering, or was he hoping for more glory?

What? He’s volunteering but doesn’t actually want to do what’s needed?

I'm in Scotland, and have had two of the food parcels now. The system here is we text 1BOX or 2BOX if there's more than 1 person in the family and 1 box won't be enough, to a number on the shielding letter, and STOPBOX to end the service. It says you can stop and start if needed. Does England do it a different way?

These last two weeks my boxes have been the same, except last week I got lentil and bacon soups, and this week tomato soups. I get one box as there's just me.

1 x bread
2 x uht milk
2 x loo roll
1 x 2kg spuds
4 carrots
oranges (last week were 5 of the tiniest mandarins ever, cutest things they were, had me laughing like the video of the lady who got one of those humongous onions)
4 tins soup
1 tin fruit
1 x jar pasta sauce
2 x chopped tomato tins
2 x baked bins tins
1 x mushy peas
1 x tin of tuna fish
rice
pasta
box of 8 instant porridge oats
bar of soap
shower gel (this week I got lynx, neighbour can have that when this is all over)
9 individual sachets of instant coffee
about 12 individually wrapped teabags
250g biscuits (shortbread both weeks)

The letter that comes with our box says if you dont need it, tell the volunteer driver and they can take it back. That doesn't help long term obviously but would work the next time someone turns up.

I've asked our council to reduce the boxes to fortnightly rather than every week and they were happy to change the plan. This is the first week we're not due to get one so it will be interesting to see what happens.

It's very difficult to make a judgement on whether someone is a needy recipient of a box. We are shielding my 13yo DD who is considered extremely vulnerable but from the outside looks perfectly healthy.

We are now able to get priority slots from the supermarkets but that doesn't mean they're guaranteed every week so having the bread and vegetables etc in the food parcel is a godsend.

Anything we dont use will be going to a foodbank

Ooops, that should be 2 x baked beans tins, not bins. Heaven knows where my brain got that from

@Mirador I'm in Scotland too. Our boxes were similar. I wonder if because DH would have said we were a family of five, that's perhaps why we got the two? Not that we have any more vulnerable people in the household. He was phoned because looking at the letter it asks you to contact them first by sending your CHI number by text. He didn't so they must have followed up. Having the boxes has meant that we haven't had to go to the shop which is presumably the point of the boxes but I've sent a text off now.

I got an email today from Asda (to my email and a text to my phone? Even though it's DH who's details are registered as needing shielding?) to say they had been notified we needed a priority delivery slot. So we'll be able to get a delivery but it's not for over two weeks yet. Tesco is a no go so far but with the food item limit it's not much use anyway.

I think our box is getting worse. We only get one loo roll per week now (and it is dreadful quality - not even proper loo roll), no fresh veg, tiny bottles of shower gel, 50g of coffee and random dented tins.

It feels as though we are getting the remnants of some supermarket chuck-out.

And now they say "everyone will be able to socialise in a bubble....OH NOT YOU LOT!"

@FeelinFagin

Yes, I think that's probably why you've got two boxes as there is 5 of you. You're right I'd forgotten we had to register with our CHI and it sent back more information about what we should do, and had the info about the box scheme if we needed it. (As well as the same info in the letters).

I also got an email from ASDA but none of the others yet. Before my first box last week, I hadn't been able to get any shopping for over a month, so this scheme has been a godsend. Truly, and I'm so thankful for it. I didn't sign up at first because I also felt guilty and I'll admit, a bit prideful that I might need some help. I don't have friends or family and I can't drive, so have been reliant on online shopping for well over 10 years now.

I have no idea how long the scheme will go on for, but at least for now, if you find you will need it, you can always sign up again.

Wishing everyone well and stay safe.