Travellers foodbank challenge.

[Devilesko]

Posting for traffic and suggestions.

We have started the fb challenge again this year as it's needed more than ever.
We challenge family members to buy an extra weeks worth of food and donate to food banks. Nobody is left out, we all have to rise to the challenge and want to, tbh.

I have posted on dozens of pages asking to remember to include san pro.
If anyone has suggestions that might be forgotten, I'd appreciate the heads up. Also, just to let the people in supermarkets and food banks aware, as this is usually done on such a big scale.

So far I have family in Leicester and Cheshire signing up. But will post other areas as I become aware.
Any suggestions will be very helpful.
Tia.

@Herja

When I was small (not so long ago, I'm only 30), lots of the shops in the areas we were had 'no travellers' signs whacked up on the door over night. I can remember crying because I had been promised some sweeties and we were physically barred at the door to the shop, while my mum asked if she could just hand over the money and we'd stay outside. Not allowed.

Fuck all has changed it seems.

That's some fucking bullshit behaviour, right there. How awful. I'm so sorry.

@Herja

When I was small (not so long ago, I'm only 30), lots of the shops in the areas we were had 'no travellers' signs whacked up on the door over night. I can remember crying because I had been promised some sweeties and we were physically barred at the door to the shop, while my mum asked if she could just hand over the money and we'd stay outside. Not allowed.

Fuck all has changed it seems.

This is absolutely disgusting- blatant discrimination.

One of our local food banks is in an area where there are a lot of homeless families accommodated in B&Bs where cooking facililities are very limited.

They always welcome pot noodle type things that only require boiling water, and cereal.

And for people with babies that can't/won't breastfeed, formula milk, and nappies are always welcome too.

I sometimes buy a supermarket gift card and drop it off at a food bank, that way the food banks can buy what they need, and it's easier for them than handling cash.

Maybe hand cream? lots of people are finding that their hands are really dry because some of the hand sanitisers are really harsh on the skin

It's brilliant, i love this kind of community effort. Pity it never stops the haters.

I think it's a great idea OP, good for you

I second free from items. I'm veggie so I tend to donate tinned veggie meals - baked beans and veggie sausages, veggie bolognese/chilli/curry and macaroni cheese and ratatouille. I hope that makes it easier for food banks to give food to veggies and vegans.

I would second checking what local food banks need first so you can help fill the gaps.

People can also donate online, useful for anyone vulnerable who may not be able to visit supermarkets at the moment. In addition to food banks some other charities are doing food parcels - I have donated to the Vegetarian Society's food parcel appeal over lockdown for example.

share them out Dev sorry some knobbers are crayoning on the thread

My local is asking for cash donations to do weekly fresh bags and carrier bags also cleaning products

Just a general food bank question, will they accept coffee sachets, the individual ones you get in hotels?

Pre-covid I travelled a lot for work and built up a collection from various hotels but now I'm at home I'm not drinking instant.

Oi. By deleting my first post, you made me look like one of the racist arseholes, @mnhq 😂

Brilliant OP - what a great scheme.
Perhaps some gluten free stuff and vegan, dairy free stuff. It must be very hard if you need a foodbank and csnt eat gluten.

Murmur- I wonder if things need a sell by date? I collected all those small toiletries from everyone when we went on a group holiday and donated them to a homeless shelter, so short term residents could have a fresh shampoo/bath wash for themselves.

@Devilesko Thanks for the thread, I’d never heard of that challenge and it’s a fab idea. I will definitely do it - we are lucky to have the same wages as before lockdown so we can afford it, and we feel very lucky indeed.

I was a bit confused by the OP because I didn’t get the travelers reference. I thought it was related to people who couldn’t take trips because of Covid.

As a family that is very lucky financially, I’m finding this a great suggestion.

Different charitable campaigns have different target audiences. I work for a non-profit where the fundraising focuses on large donations from the 1%. I’m not upset that the pittance someone like me could donate in comparison isn’t part of their campaign.

@TruckinRight

Do all foodbanks refuse alcohol donations? Tbh that surprised me, reading that upthread. I thought a small bottle of wine at Christmas might be a nice thing for a struggling family. Poor does not mean alcoholic... :) Or is that just religious organisations' banks?

No, it's food banks in general, and it's in case they have alcoholic clients or recovering alcoholic clients, as giving them alcohol might be a trigger.

Source: has mum who is alkie

@CaffiSaliMali

I think it's a great idea OP, good for you

I second free from items. I'm veggie so I tend to donate tinned veggie meals - baked beans and veggie sausages, veggie bolognese/chilli/curry and macaroni cheese and ratatouille. I hope that makes it easier for food banks to give food to veggies and vegans.

I would second checking what local food banks need first so you can help fill the gaps.

People can also donate online, useful for anyone vulnerable who may not be able to visit supermarkets at the moment. In addition to food banks some other charities are doing food parcels - I have donated to the Vegetarian Society's food parcel appeal over lockdown for example.

Yep, there's tons of milk alternatives out there too, same with GF stuff.

I said I'd post as more came in and some are giving 24 hours for some donations, others by xmas, so sounds like it may be spread out until xmas and then a huge one before xmas.

We have Peterborough, York, Blackpool, Barnsley, Martinsburg West Virginia.

Do all foodbanks refuse alcohol donations? Tbh that surprised me, reading that upthread. I thought a small bottle of wine at Christmas might be a nice thing for a struggling family. Poor does not mean alcoholic... smile Or is that just religious organisations' banks?

I think I was the person who mentioned that. In the case of our foodbank, it's to do with the way we work, and it might be different in other places.

We have teams of volunteers who sort donations and make up 'standard' packs for one, two and four people. Then when requests come in the volunteers dealing with that grab a ready-made pack from the store, add bread milk and spread (we are very lucky to have fridges and freezers and can give a limited amount of fresh stuff), and any extra requests like nappies, and hands it to the person when they collect.

Of course not all food bank users are alcoholic, probably very few are. But some will be (as in any cross section of the population) and we try to keep the level of questioning down to a minimum so we're not going to ask them if there is any issue with alcohol. We don't want to make people feel they have to jump through any more hoops to get help, and they don't want to discuss their possible addiction issues with us. It's easier to make everything alcohol free.

We're an independent. I don't know what the Trussell Trust position is.

(cross posted with PhilS)

Great idea op. Shame it got derailed at the start.

My idea would be to include some gluten free or dairy free food for people with allergies.

Good luck

Not sure why people are being so negative! It is a great cause and some people can afford to donate one weeks worth of a shop to the food bank. Just because some can't doesn't mean they need to be bitter.

I would like to do this and have mentioned to my dh that towards the end of Jan would probably be a good idea ( many people get December pay early so January can be tight). I think you have had some great suggestions from pp. I would maybe include some cleaning products.

Cross posts - I meant to post my reply a few hours ago but didn't press post

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime

I like our local Morrisons option, a trolley full of prebagged up food at the entrance with the price on it anywhere from £2-£10, you pick a bag up at the door, pay for it with your normal shopping and put it in the food bank trolley at the other end. Works brilliantly.

This is a great idea.

@Devilesko

I said I'd post as more came in and some are giving 24 hours for some donations, others by xmas, so sounds like it may be spread out until xmas and then a huge one before xmas.

We have Peterborough, York, Blackpool, Barnsley, Martinsburg West Virginia.

Awesome!

I wonder if foodbanks would accept Multivitamins?

Most cannot distribute fresh food, so those in receipt of their boxes could well be a bit deficient in some vitamins etc. I'm supporting a pregnant woman who is reliant on her local foodbank at the moment. She's really worried about nutrition for her developing baby. I expect some destitute parents are worrying about their own kids' diets.

That's a good question @saraclara!

Ours have said big packs are fine so maybe ask on their FB page?