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….

One really clear indication of many longer FB users situations is likely to be energy bills. The biggest part of mine from pandemic onward, are standing charges and VAT, not actual energy use. The money goes on keeping service on, not using them.

Over time, bag contents requests can tell you a lot about people's situations, especially if you run a x items from this list, and y, and z from these others, system.

I had to turn down anything requiring more than a kettle or very lightly one ring heating, so my bag (vegetarian) was things like dried noodles, Bulgar wheat, easy cook pasta, tinned beans, tinned veg, tinned/packet soup, powdered mash, and cold food. (eight items max weekly)

Any available veg/fruit that could be eaten raw or kettle cooked.

Always pasta never rice? - May be personal taste but generally safer to cook more with same power usage, then eat cold for days because fridge turned off/ non existent.

Wants tinned chick peas, tinned lentils, tinned plain beans, will give left eye for rarities like tinned macaroni cheese, ratatouille, tahini? But never any dried versions, or many 'nice' veg? = can't afford to cook them.

Never jam, biscuits, bread, cake, other luxuries? (even when allowed two from this list weekly) = Managing health condition

Never baked beans, and spaghetti in tomato sauce - Managing health condition (or just taste.)

Never flour? Health condition/can't afford to cook with it other than stirred in to soup etc as a thickener.

Swapping out food for additional loo rolls, cleaning products etc? (two from household list weekly) - Managing illness.

I don't think adding in a comment about the £20 uplift is "fair" given that majority of uc claimants are actually working. So the real argument would be that salaries should be higher to not require these top ups!

Plenty of food bank users are also working and desperate not to be pushed into the benefits system!

Those are difficult circumstances to have to restrict access etc but, as hard as that is, these are the consequences of the choices those people have made. Rightly or wrongly. And surely the needs of those on the ever increasing waiting list also have as equal moral right to the access these have had and chosen to remain in those circumstances?

And what is a 'culture of dependence' if not the benefit system?

Post pandemic it seems wanting to work when disabled and struggling to make enough, is an unacceptable 'lifestyle choice'.
We should now all be on ‘entitled to’ benefits - where someone unqualified gets to ignore what
consultants say, and decide actually we should be working, which is what we were trying to continue doing all along, but now we have to start all over again finding those often rare opportunities that we can actually get!

I was already on UC when the uplift was introduced, so it was a nice bonus. I could actually treat myself.

A lot of people started claiming UC after the £20 uplift was brought in, and only knew their benefit amount including it. Then it was removed. It was no hardship for me, but it would have been for those people who only ever knew claiming UC with the extra.

The most needy whether that be the newest or oldest family.

I appreciate what food banks do but I think it is currently a band aid which, if it is a required service (which it sadly is) it should be centrally funded by gov, not relying on volunteers :(

Obviously give to everyone who needs it is the ideal. But if it gets to the point where new people are turned away then a new system needs to be put in place. Everyone gets re referred every 6 months.

Haven’t read all the thread yet. With the empty shelves situation ongoing it’s a double whammy. I have noticed my local supermarket food bank boxes have been much sparser recently. Like everyone else I shop for family 1st and make donations where I can.

I think ideally as long as they need. Weekly foodbanks become community and provide a lot more than just food. At the food bank I originally volunteered at and then later started using if food supplies were low people were given less.

Unlike every other element of UC the uplift was never listed separately which did cause problems. My issue was the month it ended was also the one energy suppliers started putting up direct debits so it was a double hit. I still wasn't recieving the correct amount of UC I was entitled to either so it was very difficult when it was cut. I had to go back to using the food bank.

I think the situation is only going to get worse /harder with the increased gas and electric tarrifs

mines gone up over £100 a month. It’s ouch but I can afford it but will be many who just can’t

I’ve asked before but what is a standard weekly collection for a single person and family of 4. 2 kids 2 adults

You will have to get statistical about it. everyone will have to reapply and their needs assessed and you could create a scoring algorithm and the most needy are provided a service weekly. You could notify those in the bottom 10% that their service provision is at risk if more needy applicants apply.
Ask a series of questions about income vs outgoings, dependants, dependencies etc.

Both of my parents are alcoholics and I'd give those with addiction negative points unless they have children to be honest because by feeding those you are actually just enabling them to buy more alcohol or drugs. It's a harsh reality I know. But a single parent on the bread line after falling on hard times like my mother at one point should take priority over a 70 year old alcoholic like my father at the moment for example.
It would be easy ti keep the data up to date on excel but you would have to be careful with data protection. I would keep no personal details and assign a number to each case. This will also ensure fairness is maintained.

I don't have an opinion as someone who donates. I trust the foodbank to be able to decide how to spread the resources and don't think I should have a say in that, given that I'm not an expert on resource distribution. As long as the food I donate goes into someone's belly that's fine.

You will have to get statistical about it. everyone will have to reapply and their needs assessed and you could create a scoring algorithm and the most needy are provided a service weekly. You could notify those in the bottom 10% that their service provision is at risk if more needy applicants apply.

Ask a series of questions about income vs outgoings, dependants, dependencies etc.

i’m not sure (and I mean this kindly) if you have a handle on the realities / logistical and staffing limitations of how most food banks operate. The above reads like six impossible things before breakfast to me, and we’re about as well-resourced and professionally skilled as food banks go.

A food bank serving a hundred families probably doesn't have the access to data nor the overhead capacity to do this in a way that was more than fairly arbitrary. It would be faux precision, use up staff time and be unlikely to improve fairness.

I never said I begrudged people who were on it. I was explaining my circumstances so people could make a rough mental note of how much I was receiving and had to budget with. The minimum amount available to a single mum of one, who isn't on any disability benefits.

Our local food bank has a 'cooking' initiative running at the moment. Providing recipes, ingredients and materials - teaching people to make basic meals/batch cooking etc.

I spent the day talking to people who wanted food vouchers. Two people I spoke to were over pension age and both were not claiming all the benefits they are entitled to. One should be getting £25 per week more and the other £40 a week more than they currently get. None of the people I spoke to pay council tax by direct debit so will not get the £150 energy rebate automatically and they needed to be told how to claim it from their council. There is a value to getting people who need food vouchers properly assessed as there are services, support and funds not being claimed. I see it every day. Food banks fulfill an immediate need so to be effective in the longer term it makes sense to partner with advice services.