OH thinks no kids are left hungry?!!

[ihate2020]

I've joined the cook4kids over the half term in our area.

Oh is pissed of about it and thinks the parents that collect the lunch boxes I've made up are just out to get a freebie and I should spend the money on our own kids

AIBU to say he is a delunsional idiot?

@whiskybysidedoor I do volunteer with a charity who provive food, nightshelters, and signposting to vulnerable single people and families.

I see the impact of insanely high rents, low wages, pre payment meters eating their money, landlords selling houses from under tennants, universal credit delays and not being able to cope with two paydays in a month.

There are also issues with addiction in some families, but they tend not to be the working poor or disabled, who are by far the majority of the people who come to us.

And we help them all the same. If I start judging, I hope I give my head a wobble, and walk away.

@ihate2020

I've joined the cook4kids over the half term in our area.

Oh is pissed of about it and thinks the parents that collect the lunch boxes I've made up are just out to get a freebie and I should spend the money on our own kids

AIBU to say he is a delunsional idiot?

Nope - I'm with your DH - I think a lot of people who collect are just out for a freebie. You will see the light when people turn up in high end cars....

There are NO CHECKS on whether people are "eligible" or "in need".....I also think many of the people who can;'t provide will also be the one who can't be bothered. So I don't think this will help at all.

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Angelic Innocent Your Schools scheme sounds lovely! I think for a fairly minimal outlay ,so many kids and some parents too, can have a break ,drink and toast .Where so many may be struggling not just for food ,but just some company and a few hours away from the gas /electric meter eating their cash up! Not all poor parents are unkind ,some are genuinely struggling and having to choose to eat or heat .Often cold food is all thats on offer ,otherwise good old Mc D or KFC steps in.For a few pounds kids can have some chips /Burgers .Not terribly healthy obv but filling at least .There are some LA/Council flats at a town about 30 miles away ,they have Mc D one side and KFC the other ,(Both in the car park!) Not ideal but many less well off parents will use this to save their fuel bills .Its disgusting to me that in the 21st Century children are still hungry .My own Dad was often hungry as a boy in the 30s and would be appalled were he still alive at this debacle!

Some posts on here are depressingly reminiscent of some of those well-fed Tory MPs pontificating in the House of Commons debate the other day on how people wanting children not to go hungry are "virtue signalling" and that basically children with feckless parents should just be left to suffer. It really is a revolting philosophy, and when it's used to justify refusing to help, it's an actively harmful one.

people wanting children not to go hungry are "virtue signalling"

Yeah, I've noticed that as the new attack line. It's gone on my list as "sign that person is a silly twat to be ignored" along with a few other phrases.

@Bidl

Genuine question - if there are so many hungry children ( and possibly adults) then why is there a childhood and general obesity epidemic ?

Because of a lack of opportunity, education and as a result of hard choices.

If you have £3 left and not much electric credit it can be easier and more realistic to buy kids a portion of chips to share than to cook fresh veg from scratch. Yes you can get the a couple of different veg for 69p each from Aldi but you might need to find bus fare to get there and money for gas or electric to cook it.

Similarly a bag of £1 Pom bears will fill a tiny child’s tummy for a couple of days. It’s hot nutritionally but if you only have £1 you might not have a choice.

@Fairybatman 100%. Plus even if you've got a tenner in the bank, you can get 10 Mcdonald's Saver burgers for that which lasts a lot longer than fresh produce.

@whiskybysidedoor totally agree been working with the food bank/families for near on 8 or 9 years. I started of thinking everyone was desperately in need..... some children are just not some parents priority.

@Oblomov20

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Do the MPs have to pay for these meals? Or are these the ones they claim as expenses?

Children are not going hungry unless their parents are either not applying for the help they're entitled to or the parents are not prioritising the children over their own needs. When lockdown kicked in, DFILs school gave out vouchers for school lunches - the vouchers weren't spent on food for the students and the vulnerable children (who still attended school) turned up without lunches. (The canteen was closed which is why the vouchers were given out instead of them getting the meals at school). The school then handed out food parcels to the families instead of the vouchers and the students STILL came in without food because it was sold/swapped for other things. It got to the point where the very vulnerable children who came to school had the canteen reopened (in a limited capacity) and the school had staff going door-to-door handing out food to students and watching them open it so it couldn't be sold or traded elsewhere.
Food is cheap in this country, benefits have been raised, schools have provisions for pupil premium students - some parents do not care. What you're doing will help hungry children but those children are hungry because of their parents.

Absolutely agree, however we can't let children starve because their parents are useless.

*For those of you that are out of touch and unable to google, over 100 children a week are hospitalised with malnutrition.

''Nearly 2,500 children in England hospitalised with malnutrition since January, new research shows''

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/2500-children-hospitalised-malnutrition-england-a4496106.html*

This is shocking but there is no context to your post. Those with children are provided with top up benefits for the children, it's enough to provide the basics. If that money isn't being spent on providing for the children then the parents are neglectful and social services should be involved.

People voted to leave children hungry.
Children.
Hungry.

It doesn't matter if their parents are absent failing to claim benefits, squandering money IT IS NOT THE CHILDS FAULT.
We are a rich, allegedly civilised, first world country and our politicians voted to leave children hungry.
And thousands agree with them.

Society is regressing and becoming worse. No civilisation should vote to leave its children, its future, hungry.

What a lovely position he is in that he can be so ignorant to the struggles that lots of people face in this country! I suppose he also thinks that if children ARE in fact going hungry it’s only because their parents spend all their money on drugs, alcohol, fags and posh flatscreen TVs etc?
Yanbu and he sounds like an entitled prick I hope your able to open his eyes op- and a huge well done and thank you for volunteering your time/resources to help others!

Dugee things like child benefit and tax credits often go on rent, utilities, council tax...all things that need paying as a priority. Food comes after ensuring you are not actually going to be made homeless.

Many working families earn too much to qualify for other help, but not enough to cover extortionate rents.

Many working families earn too much to qualify for other help, but not enough to cover extortionate rents.

Rent is not extortionate everywhere in the country. I live in a major city and there are cheap areas to rent in.

But Dugee if you live, work, and have children in one area, in a NMW job, you're hardly likely to be spending thousands to move across the country to be unemployed.

Rent is not extortionate everywhere in the country. I live in a major city and there are cheap areas to rent in.
But if you were in a more expensive area before lockdown in March and lost your job due to the pandemic, you’re screwed.
Your reply is an irrelevance, children should not go hungry under any circumstances.

@Dugee

Many working families earn too much to qualify for other help, but not enough to cover extortionate rents.

Rent is not extortionate everywhere in the country. I live in a major city and there are cheap areas to rent in.

So the PP wasn't talking about people living where there aren't extortionate rents. Not everyone lives somewhere with cheap rent. Those are the people who are more likely struggling.

He's very sadly mistaken.

When I was teaching I regularly took food in for kids I knew didn't get anything at home so they could grab something for breakfast. This was years ago but the problem is only worsening, particularly now with so many jobs lost during Covid.

It's incredibly hard for children to concentrate in lessons when they only food they get is their free school lunch.

This is a reality, whether your DH believes it or not.

Your reply is an irrelevance, children should not go hungry under any circumstances.

If the parents are choosing to rent in an extortionate area - when there are cheaper places for them to live in - whilst letting their children go hungry, then it is the parents who have made the choice to let their children go hungry.

If you were a supporter of the government in power, you might find it hard to accept that they were willing to let the children of the poor go hungry, so you might have to invent excuses to yourself so you could rationalise it away.

However, you would be unreasonable to expect other people to believe your excuses.

if you live, work, and have children in one area, in a NMW job, you're hardly likely to be spending thousands to move across the country to be unemployed.

There are NMW jobs all over the country.