to expect people not to give ridiculous items to food bank...

[MariaAngustias]

I volunteer at a food bank. Everything is weighed in then weighed out for audit purposes. Whilst there are many lovely and generous people who donate to use there are some people who give such odd and weird things - out of date food, opened packets, packs of hair dye (yep, few of these at moment), medication ... and obviously this stuff cannot be given out but it has to be sorted, weighed and then disposed of. Why?!

I don’t see a problem with out of date food, as long as it’s still safe to eat. Some shops sell out of date goods at discount prices.
Maybe do as suggested and leave these kind of items , as free to anyone that wants them for fb users.

We have a free food place that a lovely lady organised to take the food that was going to waste from the supermarkets. So all of it is effectively out of date.
Of course all still edible and mostly it’s bread, cakes and veg.

Other people donate their used once shampoos and bath stuff. Stops it going to waste. Hair dye, opened boxes of other stuff. Why not?

@hoodathunkit

This thread remonded me of a very moving acount bout the delivery of listick to the women of the Bergen Belsen death camp upon its liberation

Extract from the diary of Lieutenant Colonel Mervin Willett Gonin DSO

It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived, though it may have no connection, that a very large quantity of lipstick arrived. This was not at all what we men wanted, we were screaming for hundreds and thousands of other things and I don't know who asked for lipstick. I wish so much that I could discover who did it, it was the action of genius, sheer unadulterated brilliance. I believe nothing did more for those internees than the lipstick. Women lay in bed with no sheets and no nightie but with scarlet red lips, you saw them wandering about with nothing but a blanket over their shoulders, but with scarlet red lips. I saw a woman dead on the post mortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick. At last someone had done something to make them individuals again, they were someone, no longer merely the number tattooed on the arm. At last they could take an interest in their appearance. That lipstick started to give them back their humanity."

source: (scroll down - includes extremely distressing material)

www.bergenbelsen.co.uk/pages/Database/ReliefStaffAccount.asp?HeroesID=17&=17

sometimes cosmetics / items of self care and adornment can be incredibly important to people's self esteem and wellbeing

I've read this before thunkit and it never fails to move me.

The importance of recognising the other person's humanity and dignity can't be underestimated. It's especially important when the other person has been treated like sh*t for years (whether by an oppressive and brutal regime or by the Social Services) - it makes them feel that they have worth and are valued.

Thank you for this post reminding us of this.

I don't really see a problem with this, other than opened packets of edibles when you don't know how they've been stored. If people want to help themselves to a box of hair dye, a packet of biscuits gone past its best before, or the best part of an expensive bottle of shampoo in addition to the essentials, why not?

I've helped gather enough harvest festival donations to know that invariably people really do mean well, and they would be mortified if they knew they'd made a mistake and given something unusable. They're not taking the piss out of those less fortunate.

People NEED sanitary towels and shampoo. Hair dye isn't a necessity.

To you maybe,but give people the choice.

I cleared out my press a few weeks ago. Everything in date ,its just i was doing a big clearout and i got rid of cereal,[not opened],jam,peas,beans, biscuits leftover from Christmas.

I gave them to a homeless charity and the woman was delighted with it.

“To you maybe,but give people the choice.”

Maybe give them to charity rather than a food bank though?!

I'm just attempting to download the Olio app.

Is for food only or toiletries etc too?

People NEED sanitary towels and shampoo. Hair dye isn't a necessity.
Some of us think poor people deserve some luxuries rather than just bread and water.

Stuff like opened packs of nappies or even san pro- genuine question - how do you dispose of them?
There becomes a point when your DC dont need (or grow out of) that size nappy or (I'm assuming) you no longer need san pro. It would be hugely wasteful and un-eco to chuck away for example 10 nappies! Where can they go?

We run a food pantry which is basically a food bank but people come in a choose what they’d like. We work on the principles of Dignity in Practice, Nourish Scotland guidelines. We’d happily take donated hair dye and also have a stand of best before food. We can’t put out use by food past it’s date though, we can only put it out on the date to use it by.

There is a lot of people who's instinct is to always find someone who can use something they don't want. And while in many cases, that's a fabulous attitude, it does need to be tempered with the fact a lot of things you have no choice but to throw out.

There was a thread a few months ago about someone who had lots of biscuits given to them, and the packets had been opened and one or 2 taken, but otherwise a full tin, but she was on a diet, and didn't want to eat them. The usual option of "take to work, put in the coffee room with a note saying help yourself" wasn't there as she was working from home. There were so many posters who were genuinely upset and angry at the suggest she just threw them out. Because it was wasteful. The alternative was the OP eat them and ruin all her hard work dieting. But they were determined if she just thought, there would be somewhere they could go.

Its that mindset that means opened packets end up food banks. Some people need to told its ok to throw stuff.

@fizbosshoes

Stuff like opened packs of nappies or even san pro- genuine question - how do you dispose of them? There becomes a point when your DC dont need (or grow out of) that size nappy or (I'm assuming) you no longer need san pro. It would be hugely wasteful and un-eco to chuck away for example 10 nappies! Where can they go?

Local Facebook group? That’s what I’ve done.

@fizbosshoes - if you dont know someone you can give them to, you put them in the bin.

Sometimes you have to accept putting things in the bin that still have some "use" even if you can't/won't use them.

It is ok to throw things that can't be recycled, handed on or used.

I agree with those who say self esteem and toiletries are important, that is why we pack them. However these things get routinely put in boxes as we all need them, along with other items such as pet food or nappies. Imagine how giving out hair dye would actually work - we get a request for a certain dye, colour, brand and then go looking for it. Practically it just would not work. This is all done in a Warehouse environment, we are busy, we have desperate families waiting for essential items, we try to make boxes as lovely as we can but literally do not have time to sort out requests for hair dye (much as we would love to) so therefore it is just impractical. Maybe give such items to a charity shop instead?

@Everythingiswonderful

Some food banks accept washing powder.
I’ve seen that listed on the “things we need” section on my local food banks website before.

I don’t know if all food banks accept washing powder, or their preferred sizes of box. When I donated some, I picked a box of the detergent tablets - the sort that have 40 or so washing tablets wrapped in pairs, I figured that way if they were splitting it up among a number of people, it would be easier than measuring out powder into bags.

I think it's a bit insulting to people who are already in a difficult position and shows a lack of thought. Seems more of an exercise in alleviating guilt about food/general waste on the part of the giver rather than thinking about how it might make someone feel to receive out-of-date food or opened items, as well as the extra work it creates for the food bank workers.

I don't give to them because I don't agree that people should have to rely on them.)

I am sure nobody thinks people should have to rely on them. But sadly they do so it is a good thing to donate to them.

Not sure why they don't accept baby formula, I would guess because of tampering fears. I imagine that most people who need to use food banks probably get the healthy start vouchers which should help towards the cost of formula anyway.

As mentioned before it is really important to find how your local Food Bank operates and what they can accept as donations - and whilst the 'random' table is useful for 'odd' items (ie: hair dye) some FBs only operate a 'delivery' service so there wouldn't be any option for a table of random items.

Regarding the question about washing powder - yes we would take it at our independent FB but would prefer small packs or individual 'tabs' rather than those enormous boxes of washing powder.

Another poster asked how soon donations are used after being collected from the supermarket- again this will vary depending on stock levels and if the donations need to be 'logged in' and recorded but we generally use most donations within a couple of weeks ... apart from baked beans which languish on the shelves for months .

And I don't know if the comment about donating a bottle of whisky was a joke but I don't think any FB in the country would feel comfortable about giving out alcohol- it really isn't appropriate.

@sweeneytoddsrazor

I don't give to them because I don't agree that people should have to rely on them.)

I am sure nobody thinks people should have to rely on them. But sadly they do so it is a good thing to donate to them.

Not sure why they don't accept baby formula, I would guess because of tampering fears. I imagine that most people who need to use food banks probably get the healthy start vouchers which should help towards the cost of formula anyway.

Actually probably not, most people who rely on food banks are employed. Healthy start vouchers are given to those on unemployment benefits

@HeartsAndClubs

I’d be surprised if they’re allowed to give out out of date food.

Supermarkets have very strict guidelines re out of date food, so if someone were to take some at a food bank and fall ill who would be liable?

There is a difference between use by dates, for fresh food, which cover food safety, and best before dates, which are meaningless and there's no reason not to eat food past them.

There is a proposal to get rid of them, in fact some manufacturers have already stopped printing them on packaging, as it leads to food waste.

@PrelovedWithValue

It would depend on the colour of the Dye, Pink, Purple or bright colours may not be appropriate, but Blonde, Brown Black and even Red would be of use

What difference does the colour make? Genuinely confused by that comment

Sorry I put it rather clumsily I didn't mean coloured hair itself is inappropriate (I have pale pink hair myself) what I meant was in terms of donations and wanting to give something a bit nicer than food then generic colours would be better because more people would be able to take advantage of the donation, if I can go back to my husbands charity shop, he will put out hair dye, if the dye is a generic colour like Blonde they will sell immediately, if pink, blue purple they can sit on the shelf for weeks until that certain someone comes in, I would imagine that's the same with food banks

www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/Provision-of-formula-milk-at-food-banks-Unicef-UK-Baby-Friendly-Initiative.pdf Here are the rules for food banks and baby formula, there are very strict rules around formula for safety reasons and they would refer a family needing milk onto other places.

I thought food banks WANTED toiletry products. I usually give sanitary products and nappies etc.

Bashfulclam. Your post is patronising. Anyone can have an allergic reaction to hairdye just because someone needs the support of a food bank doesn't mean they aren't aware of personal allergies or sensitivities. Your talk of chaotic households with shared bathrooms with limited hot water could describe any student house or flat share. Hair dyes are expensive and would eat into right budget. A table with unopened toiletries and beauty items sou ds lien the way to go