Donating food to the NHS - AIBU

[Helpthefoodbanks]

My social media feed locally is full of people donating food etc to the NHS staff. The latest one was 100 bags full to take up there from donations - which is deserved because the NHS are obviously working their backsides off and deserve the recognition.

However at the same time, the local food banks are crying out for donations. I took some stuff round the other day and they said they were running low and although people donated lots at the start of the pandemic it’s slowed in donations and they have so many more families to feed.

I know it shouldn’t be an either/or but AIBU to think that maybe donations of food/money may be better sent to help those struggling financially?

Fully accept some hospital staff may also be struggling financially but it just feels like people think they’ve done their bit by donating there when infact it’s not the place that needs it most? Definitely not bashing NHS, they don’t even ask for it - it’s all good Samaritans organising.

I don’t think I understand what you’re saying @Windchangeface, is it just that we should let people waste money if they want to?
I think most people want to make a difference when giving to charity rather than doing it for the sake of it. If I was donating somewhere that it turned out didn’t actually need any money then I would much rather they told me so that I could donate elsewhere which did have room for funding.
Food banks are the only charity I give to in the developed world because you can make more of an impact with less money in the poorest countries. But I don’t think the comparison between a food bank and a health charity is a good one, because people will also die without food!

Icu nurse here, YANBU

Whilst we are always grateful for donations of food and treats we definitely do not need it, and there are definitely people out there who need it more than we do

NHS worker here. YANBU. On this matter I am impressed with our Trust which has been putting out public messages to say they will be working with local food banks and charities to redistribute donated food and to please not send in donations of fresh food. Possibly (hopefully) some of the donations people are seeing ‘going to the NHS’ are being reallocated.

I consider myself lucky to still have a job and an income. I don’t need free food. Hugely grateful for the sentiment behind it and for the odd box of chocolates of course though!

I think it's lovely to send tea, coffee, biscuits, treats for the staff room, but it seems very unnecessary to be donating food shop items to people who are working and earning a wage. Surely it makes more sense to send things like that to a central place like a food bank.

@DianaT1969 I have including a few from a local nhs worker asking closed pubs if they have snacks near sell by date they can donate. I’m all for supporting the nhs but what about the poor pub landlords, they have families to support and no income. It’s getting grabby now in my opinion which is a shame

My wife loves it, they get Chinese or Indian delivered every weekend to the ICU ward, come to think of it, she works alot more weekends now, free takeaway

Certainly not happening in our County, we have two hospitals here and Dh works in both of them. In the first wave they had a few pizzas and some crisps but nothing in second wave. At no time have bags of groceries been offered to staff Dh is quite annoyed at this thread as he feels it’s a nasty insinuation about NHS staff.
There’s been a few unpleasant digs about NHS staff on threads recently. Now they are greedy fuckers stealing from the poor are they??
Dh eats breakfast at 6.45am and doesn’t have a bloody chance to eat again until he gets home which can be anytime after 7pm.

Round here it's all the MLM bots asking people to buy thier ridiculously overpriced hand cream on behalf of NHS workers making themselves a nice little profit and promoting thier 'business' in the process

In our area it's different food items though.

The foodbanks want tins and things that can be stored, and NHS donations tend to be fresh fruit and veg.

Obviously things may be different at different trusts/wards.

I haven’t at any point slated NHS workers, I’ve said that the ‘good Samaritans’ collecting food for them and donating would be better placed directing to food banks.

It’s great to see some trusts are redirecting things there anyway but the NHS has enough on its plate right now without having to appear thankful and arrange redistribution.

I couldn’t agree more surely it would be far better to donate the food to the many families struggling to eat and children living in deprivation.

YANBU, it is all over my local groups.
We've got so many virtue signallers asking for food/treats and gifts for the hospital workers. We've even had the staff ASK for certain things. The latest thing is asking others to cook meals for the 'poor NHS workers' because they are working so hard and deserve good meals - baring in mind the hospital has a huge and very heavily staff discounted canteen.
Zero fucks are given when it is suggested that food banks might need it more. I even tried to post the link to the fundraising page the Excluded UK group were doing, to try and help the most desolate of us members on there. Those that have lost everything and I mean everything. That wasn't allowed by the admin/moderators though. If it isn't about saving the NHS, no one cares.

Good point OP about the NHS potentially now having additional work to redistribute donations.

YES to the MLM angle Daisy. I’ve seen a lot of those attempts on Facebook.

I am NHS - it has been horrible. But I dont need regular food donations, as if anything I am better off between extra shifts/overtime. I have had things like chocolates and an easter egg last year which felt like a really nice way to be recognized. But personally I would prefer bigger donations of food to go to food banks.

The local vicar did a collection of toiletries, toothpaste, soap, deodorant etc for the patients in hospital, thought this was a good idea.

I work for the NHS - our trust has said in every way possible that whilst it is much appreciated, food isn’t needed and they would prefer it was diverted to local food banks etc.

Still there is a constant stream of food just turning up- anything that can be donated (fresh fruit for example) often is but most of the time it’s huge trays of sandwiches or pizzas or cakes etc.

It is really kind of people and I don’t want to sound ungrateful but it could definitely be better used elsewhere.

Our NHS trust has asked people to donate to foodbanks instead. I think that makes sense: we're still getting paid!