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….

When people are able to ‘self refer’ for access to free stuff why would anyone expect demand to be anything other than limitless? This may sound harsh, but the best way for food banks to target help at those in most need is to have strictly enforced eligibility criteria. Or every freeloader & chancer for miles around will be queuing up outside.

Yes how strict are the criteria? It must be tough deciding the cut off point.

Ps. Are Tinned veg helpful to food banks or not?

Doubt a labour government would be any better though

There isn't an easy answer to this at all. Maybe a reapplication process every year where you look at people's circumstances and decide who you can help for the next year or every six months. The government of course don't give a shit.

Not a food bank, but a school uniform and baby bank - we've had to make some tough choices recently which has sadly meant we've had to reduce the amount of choice we give people. It's the only way to limit the costs so we can try and cope with the number of new referrals.

The foodbank that shares our building used to be complete free choice. It's now a set bag for the number of people (taking into account any allergies etc) with a few extras that people can choose.

Taking away choice is hard because allowing a part-control does make it feel like a better experience, but unfortunately when it comes to it it's always better (imo) to stretch the resourse to help as many families as possible.

Self referral is vital. It means the most vulnerable can get quick access to help. Unfortunately some will take the piss if not genuinely entitled but that’s just unfortunate.

I can't understand why people can't see how a person in desperate circumstances hasn't improved their situation in 2 years that have included a pandemic and massive cost of living increases.

The issue with that is how stretched other services are atm.

We have families in the uniform bank that I'm involved in that even a few years ago would have a decent level of social work involvement that currently have none because of shortages.

I also know of at least three families who've asked their social workers to do a referral that just hasn't been done yet as the SW is snowed under.

GP's locally have pretty much stopped getting involved in referrals.

There's a balance to be found between the small (and it's always been small in my experience) number of pisstakers and making it accessible for those that need it. There's a reason many have relaxed their referral criteria.

That's fucking heartbreaking.

Longer term solution may be a social supermarket model e.g. people pay £3 per week and can choose x number of items. Working really well in my town. There are still food banks for emergency provision/people who are destitute.

I think you need to look more closely at the people that you have been supporting for two years to establish why they are still reliant on you after such a long time.
Have their circumstances changed? Have they been reassessed for benefits? Are they actually using everything that you are giving them or simply taking it because it's being offered? Do they still need this kind of help or are they showing up because it's part of their routine?

I don't think you should turn away new people in need. I do think that you need to make people aware that you will support them but it can't be a long term situation. Good luck OP.

You can only ask people if they can manage without and hope they are honest. I do dontate to food banks regularly but had a HORRIBLE experience with my own mum. Last years xmas dinner for 6 was bought and in the freezer, we needed nothing. Mum rang me up delighted that a local charity had given her a chicken and all the trimmings !! I was furious that she accepted it, She is loaded and should not in my opinion, have accepted it and I dam well told her so. People on my street are very good at passing things on but I am tempted to put a tracker on the pasta to see how many homes it gets passed onto. People LOVE something for nothing. Seriously I would ASK "do you still need this ? we have so many families needing help" and HOPE more people are honest than not

Me neither - it shows a complete lack of empathy and understanding.

A referral from an outside agency for every parcel on a first referred first served basis. Then some new people come in on new referrals, and for the people who have an ongoing need they have ongoing referrals. And if the referrals stop, they have a break from parcels.

I don't know, but it makes me so angry that we are treating emergency food parcels as another public service in this country instead of the relief of temporary emergency food shortage that it should be. How we have accepted it as part of life now is just devastating. It's essentially food aid, it has no place in a civilised society.

I would put a notice up advising that the food bank is full and therefore families in need are being turned away and asking people to consider their ongoing needs and if their position has improved could they be sogn posted to other services that could help them move forward such as introduction to food waste prevention teams who work with supermarkets and move on near end dated food for v little or advisor's who can help with budgeting.

I've often wondered if people have to actually referred to food banks or can they just turn up? There was a lady on the local radio the other day saying that some people turn up with fake nails and brand new phones iPhone sometimes? I hope this doesn't mean people in genuine hardship have to go without? Terrible if so😕

I'm appalled at the number of people on this thread who can't see how an individual or family can be in need of a food bank for two years and can't be 'fixed' by other agencies. Here's a few examples:

• Single parents. Can't work because childcare costs are more than they would earn. Shortage of council houses. Private rents sky high. Bills increasing.
• Low wage families with one partner in work and the other not because, again, childcare costs. Minimum wage is not enough to live on.
• Elderly on a state pension. Again, shortage of council housing, sky high rents etc.
• Disabled... likewise but add in added cost of carers and getting around (not fully covered by things like PIP)
• Disabled, but not disabled enough for the government. The assessment system is a scandal, so many cases of people dying who were declared 'fit to work'. There are many people who are too disabled for an employer to keep them on but not disabled enough for benefits.
• Drugs and alcohol dependency. It's all very well saying 'get social services or healthcare involved' but those services just aren't there anymore, they have been cut to the bone. And they and their kids still need to eat.

And that is just a few. None of those situations is necessarily going to change in 2 years. When it is due to young children, then after a few more years it will improve. Others won't see any light at the end of the tunnel until they die. OP it is such a difficult situation. Could you set up a 'still good food' community pantry where people can buy very cheap food just past its sell by date? Some of your clients may be able to manage that, and free up the completely free food parcels for others.

As part of my job, I support people to go to a food bank. The no questions asked model is by far the most appropriate for the people I work with. By the time they are seeking help, they are already hungry. They also struggle with bureaucracy and even with support, seeking a referral is a barrier. We provide a lot of support around budgeting and support them to get help with other organisations for debt and benefit advice. But there are still frequently situations where they are in immediate need of food. They're also not people who rely on it for years at a time, so closing to new clients would hurt them, they frequently need support for a few weeks to months to see them through a crisis.

It totally depends on the foodbank - some are referral only, some are open and some are a mix.

The lady on the radio sounds like she was just spouting tropes about poor people tbh.

This was going to be my suggestion! If you do every other week you essentially double the amount of people you can help.

@Spoldge45

When I was in a refuge there were many of us with fancy false nails and new iPhones. the iPhones because if you can get a phone on credit/pay monthly its often the only way to get a new phone fast and on a new number and that the abuser has never had time to track. some people even had smart phones funded through support services. Or through catalogues like very/little woods where you can spread payments. a few of the women there were trained in hair/beauty/nails and often couldn't work or earn. Thats just one example of why somebody might have false nails and a new iPhone. Circumstances can change really fast, i have met homeless families who had a few bad luck things happen and went from middle salaries and rented houses to emergency accommodation and food banks within a surprisingly short time.

A lot of people struggle with budgeting due to impulsivity (ADHD, bipolar, BPD, spring to mind), addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling etc. Of course there are irresponsible people, but most have challenges and difficulties that are not easy to overcome and don't any less deserve sympathy or food than anyone else. And government has systematically stripped back all the support so that all there is is self will and food banks.

A hard choice

you can’t turn away new people

equally 2yrs is. Very long to be solely reliant on a food bank

not sure what the solution is

a weaning off process so every other week

or everyone gets less

you say you send a list out and they choose
.
what is an average weekly list of say. Single person v a family of 2 adults and 2 kids

Every 6 months everyone had to re apply. Make it know how many slots there are and that there is a waitlist. Anyone can be added to the waitlist at any time. Your waitlist position could change and only the top ten in the waitlist get told "you are in the top ten".

If you are a charity, you made need to make public the details of how you determine need.

All the best and very very deep thanks for the great work you continue to do for your local community!