To ask how long you think food banks should support people for?

[tartanbaker]

I help to run an independent food bank, & we currently support over 100 families. We are nearing our capacity (in terms of numbers we can help) due to limited storage etc, but there are new people applying all the time. We give people food every week, and some families have been registered with us for about 2 years now. They are still needy, and we all know that things are going to continue being tough for the foreseeable future, so my question is…if you were to donate to a food bank, how would you want them to use your food/money? Continuing to help everyone for as long as they ask for help, even though it might mean turning others away? Or telling existing families who rely on you that you can’t help them any more because you are going to help new people now? It’s so hard, and an ongoing debate we are having, and I’d be really interested to hear other people’s opinions. Both options seem really tough….

I guess its easy for people to think its a lifestyle choice, because that in some way distances themself from the situation
"If they didn't buy drugs/cigarettes/alcohol/have pets/gamble etc and managed their money better they would be ok..."

Because its actually a far more grim reality when people are budgeting and not wasting money and still not able to make ends meet than that means the problem is closer to home (and not as easily solved) than you think.

You realise this sounds horribly paternalistic?

It doesn’t follow that because someone needs emergency help, they must need cooking lessons.

What we need is to put benefit levels back up to modestly survivable amounts, and fund proper social welfare interventions for those who cannot cope.

An off shoot of the food bank provides, once a week, raw ingredients and a recipe. Families are expected to cook together, children to learn.
This is educating and giving pride and respect I find this bloody patronising. The recipe fair enough. But it's not educating anyone who already knows how to cook I don't want to be expected to cook with my family they cook with me when I decide I want them to.

Yes! Why assume because someone has a low income they can't cook ffs.

That's probably a major part of your problem right there - the one I help at had to stop this because of the colossal abuse, both of the system and the staff, by some who turned out not to actually need it at all

Undoubtedly, but it also means you get to serve people who do need help but who don’t want to be “in the system” - newly arrived refugees are an obvious one, but there are others.

The other thing to it is the definition of “need”. If someone can feed themselves and their kids instant noodles and baked beans, do they need or not need the food bank if that food bank offers fruit, veg, meat/eggs/milk that they couldn’t otherwise afford? Eating decently, in other words?

Our food bank doesn’t allow orders but does set out fresh fruit and veg for people to say yes or no to. We buy bananas only most weeks, because the rest is excess from shops and allotments. And in general very few people are what might be perceived as greedy - most will say no thanks to things they don’t like or don’t know what to do with, and are happy with what is pretty basic fare. Iirc last week we had parsnips, onions, carrots, potatoes, mangoes and mixed bags of herbs.

(As I wrote above I’m in the OP’s position, in my own work.)

(Self referral) also means you get to serve people who do need help but who don’t want to be “in the system” - newly arrived refugees are an obvious one, but there are others

This is very true, though if we accept that those in need must retain autonomy (and personally I do) that comes with consequences if for whatever reason they'd rather not be in the system - and therefore, given the issue of abuse, I'm not sure the answer is to dispense help regardless

Write to your MP and ask them this question. Also, why not write to the Prime Minister and ask him?

The cooking classes in the town community kitchen are popular tailored for different age groups and family situations. So yes they offer cooking from the basics, budget, family, batch cooking, classes for primary age, secondary, going in further education and for those who want to gain the confidence to cook and those who can't be bothered to cook now their circumstances have changed.

Making and eating together food enhances a social life and gives a secure warm place for a chat. Some find it hard to ask for the help of a parcel, some will only need temporary help, some come to depend, some just look forward to seeing a face they can trust at the foodbank or community larder. Surely going from being given a selection of donated ready to tear open and add water, open tin and heat, boil pasta and add whatever you have been given to choosing and being able to cook the food you want to eat is the aim and not a dependancy on tinned stew, tinned custard, jelly pots, hot dogs and plain pasta.

But I think that you're missing the point. Many of those using this bank are spending their money on addictions of one sort or another. So that is a lifestyle choice.

Those budgeting etc are the ones that should be prioritised in these scenarios, as harsh as thsy sounds. They're the ones who can't change their circumstances immediately and are the ones I believe in these scenarios should receive priority for assistance.

ChoiceMummy - Just because some has a lifestyle choice that takes the money they earn from work, are given in benefits or steal does not mean they can not change this situation either by themselves or with aid starting with the provision of food.

I haven’t had time to read all of the posts on this thread but my initial reaction would be to prioritise new referrals.
My concern is that the longer you provide to some families (note the word ‘some’) the more they become dependent on your services. 2 years gives people time to sort out short term financial problems, possibly take on extra hours at work/additional jobs etc.
My understanding was that food banks are to provide short term help in exceptional/emergency situations? Yes, in an ideal world, they should be in a position to help everyone, but in reality that’s not the case.
It’s a bit like the UC uplift in a way, in that it became ‘the norm’ for many people, and it was never intended to be a permanent fix. I know you could argue that benefit levels are too low, but that’s a whole new debate…..

That's a difficult one. Nobody in need of a food bank should be turned away, it's a sad state of affairs when there are more families in need than resources available.
Could you reduce, but not stop, the help to long term users? So they get a food hamper once a fortnight rather than every week? Or make up smaller parcel so more can be made with what you have?
Or is there any way of seeing who is in most genuine need? Its possible that those needing this help long term could be poor at money management or wasting money on other things and need support to change their habits (and I mean that in a genuine non judgemental way, I absolutely don't want to kick anyone when they are down)

@JustLyra as a complete aside, I help to run a children’s clothing exchange. Anybody can use it, people drop outgrown clothes off and can take whatever they like although if they don’t have anything to exchange there is no requirement.

We had 100 families come today and a whole room full of clothes donated. Four hours of eight of us sorting and we got through about half! I think it works particularly well because middle class, eco conscious mums drop off masses of high quality clothes and take a lot less than they drop off. It enable us to create clothes parcels for those who can’t make it to the exchange or are in need to deliver.

It’s a really tough one. I am in the position of having recently visited a food bank for the first time. It was a horrid feeling. I felt like a failure and embarrassed at needing help but my kids needed feeding so I had to suck it up and go. Obviously I am so grateful that these places exist but the numbers of people needing them is increasing so much and will continue to increase so how are they to cope?

As horrid as it sounds could you limit visits more? So that you could help more people but less frequently? Every other week or every third week etc. I’m sure these people will be grateful for anything you can do to help and understand that the numbers of people needing help are more than you can handle without cutting back somewhere?

Look we are not a third world country. Food banks need not to exist. A succession of greedy governments have created this situation. The Tories despise the poor, the needy, the old- want to kill them off TBH. So first step is don't vote Tory!
If you run a food bank then as far as I am concerned you should be helping everyone that comes through your door. We can't go back to the Victorian ethic of deserving/undeserving poor.
Anyway come October, when energy prices go up again, there will be civil unrest, and Sainsbury's etc. will be robbed. Hungry people with hungry kids will be desperate. You mark my words.
People who used to give to food banks are now using them!! There's only so much charity can do.
There's a very dark time ahead.

Both interesting reads…

amp.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/24/food-banks-are-no-solution-to-poverty

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/food-bank-pandemic-poverty-uk#:~:text=Worse%2C%20critics%20fear%20the%20very,line%20has%20divided%20the%20sector.

Food bank I donate to is a ‘just turn up’ one. No referral needed. Our local residents group started a donation scheme at start of pandemic. Noticed food donations from group are now much lower. But apparently demand at food bank is bigger than ever. I don’t have an answer. Just keep giving what I can. How on earth did we end up with this in 2022?

Very difficult. Mainstream foodbanks need a referral then give 3 sets of parcels. Others have their regulars. The problem with this is dependency and the way the bank becomes elitist, i.e. just the regulars, no new ones joining. I do think that from the start it should be made clear that the service is short term, 3 or 6 months, and by the agreed end date the service is removed for, say a year. It is unfair to new, needy people that they are turned away while your regulars turn up with their empty bags for their free food. You are creating a dependency and 5 years down the line will have the same people coming to you. Is this your intention?

I donate once a year, getting my grandson to deliver the bags to our foodbank. I check their online list for their most in need items. I usually donate: tinned meat & fish, dried milk, tinned rice, tinned custard, hazelnut or chocolate spread, jam, marmalade, tinned tomatoes, tinned fruit. As I donate in November/December, I usually put in boxes of mince pies & jam tarts too. Soup and beans are not required at my local food bank, so I never donate those.

@tartanbaker
Could you perhaps change the system to by weekly or seek extra storage facilities?

You need to help the ones currently receiving the help and the ones in the future. Could you apply for funding from the national lottery as they help local charities or is there a community shop in the area, where people on benefits can go and get food at reduced cost. I think bread fruit and veg are just 20p. If you Google it and see if there any in your areas also get a local newspaper to do an article to highlight the work you do and ask if people can donate. I would also apply to tv shows or radio stations that could give you some much needed publicity. There is also go fund me on face book. If the government hadn’t bled this country dry by giving themselves a pat on the back whilst giving money and favours to each on one hand and closing hospitals, community centres and causing unemployment on the other then we wouldn’t be in this mess. They only help businesses and they despise the ordinary person working or otherwise. I feel very sorry for anyone today as there’s very little hope for anyone and it’s only going to get worse. So sad for everyone involved as the greedy power hungry government don’t go hungry or worry about their utility bills children are going to school hungry, parents are going without eating. Everything is so expensive how can anyone climb up the ladder. Even people in jobs are using the food banks. One day there will be riots on the street and total unrest. 😢

I think you have to turn away the long term clients. These are the people who will carry on coming back forever if they could. There's not much incentive to help yourself when someone is continually providing what you need for free. Absolutely provide support by signposting to other appropriate agencies, but there has to be a limit on how many handouts people are given.

Give other people a chance as well. Hopefully you'll find that many of the new referrals will only need short-term support and you'll be able to help many more people.

Many of those using this bank are spending their money on addictions of one sort or another. So that is a lifestyle choice.

Addiction is not a 'lifestyle choice'. People need to be helped out of it.

And they've had 2 years to have changed their lifestyle habits /addictions. For most addiction will always win so shouldn't the rationalised support go to those who have not had this support for 2 years and are not wasting their financial resources on lifestyle choices.

Addiction isn’t a lifestyle choice.