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 think this is too much responsibility for one independent organisation trying to help people. Nobody is more deserving than somebody else of food. New people are no more deserving of help than people who have already been helped and vice versa. I would probably go with individual circumstances. So maybe give food to people who were in lots of debt and couldn't borrow anymore before giving to people who had no money but could borrow a bit. That's terrible because it will lead people onto debt but people who have already maxed out all their borrowing options are going to find obtaining food very difficult. All food banks can do is try to help. They can't solve all the problems of all the people.

Perhaps people's finances should be examined to see if it's a genuine case of not having enough money or mismanagement of finances. My sister uses a food bank from time to time. I used to help her out when she was skint and down to her last penny, until I realised that she always managed to afford her 20 pack of benson and hedges every day.

No answer to OP question, but this is honestly the saddest thread I have seen in a long time 😢

This. It’s absolutely atrocious that foodbanks are needed at all. Nobody should ever be turned away from one.

Doubt a labour government would be any better though

I’d bet my house it would.

THEY SHOULDN'T NEED FOODBANKS IN THE FIRST PLACE!! WHY HAS IT BECOME SO NORMALISED - THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD BE ASKING YOURSELVES.

I thought ,it was a one of ,like one voucher ,for one lot of shopping
id no idea people were getting their food shop weekly provided.wow ,no wonder they don’t want to stop.
do you provide vegan food ,

They shouldn't. That doesn't change the fact that they do.

Simply withdrawing the assistance won't change government policy or the position people are in though...

All the people saying that people should be limited to three food parcels in 12 months so that they don't build up a dependency on them... that's all very well if people are in a position to budget more carefully or increase their income in some way. However, I work in this area and we are increasingly seeing people with negative budgets who simply cannot make ends meet no matter how effectively they "manage" their money. You can't manage it if there just isn't enough. And while it's easy to say that they need to find ways of increasing their income, not everyone has the ability or the opportunity to do that.

The problem is this fucking government which is pushing people into the most desperate situations. It really isn't a case of cancelling Netflix and cutting back on a few fags. Or buying value brands as a government minister so helpfully suggested the other day. I honestly think most people have absolutely no idea how the most vulnerable people in our society are being forced to live. It is shocking and it is shameful.

Most food banks only give a maximum of three times a year. A small number do not have this rule and have differing rules.

All bar the Trussel run foodbanks round here have dropped that rule because of how dire situations have become for some people.

We need an absolute overhaul of the way we are functioning. We need to teach better budgeting, cooking and financial planning.

Benefits should be time limited (unless you are so sick or disabled that any form of paid employment is not possible). They should also come in the form of allocated amounts for gas/ electricity / oil and food vouchers. Good vouchers include basic but very nutritious foods (no breakfast cereals etc, but porridge, fruit, veg, meats for stewing). Recipe ideas and meal plans. Support people to get back on their feet and living well.

As long as they need it. Surely you have eligibility criteria. It's better to get more donations/ funding than to cut people off.

This

Its a difficult one as i guess people become reliant on it but then you wont be able to help others even if some only need it as a short term fix?

I know someone who went to the food bank then got a new car delivered the next day, so i wonder how many take advantage and deprive others of the help they need?

I honestly think most people have absolutely no idea how the most vulnerable people in our society are being forced to live. It is shocking and it is shameful.

I think that's very clear by some of the language on the thread.

A lot of people would be shocked by things like delays in PIP appeals for example. I have a friend whose partner has lost his PIP, she's lost her carers while they wait for the appeal - the date is seven months away... It's a massive impact on their budget and the only advice she's been given by her MP is "it'll be backdated when you win" (as he very clearly will!).

Far easier to have the "well people will rely on it" attitude like it's a life choice, when for the vast majority it's not.

I think neither option is ideal. You need to be upfront with the people who donate to you long term and ask for more support/food donations/sponsorship going forward until things improve for the country.

Yes that’s tough but you absolutely cannot let down families that have been relying on you long term. If they were already in poverty before the cost of living crisis then they are in a much more precarious position that is only getting worse.

For the people who are just beginning to fall into poverty, you need to contact other community groups like mosques, churches, temples, synagogue, community Facebook groups. Explain how desperate the situation is and use your experience and expertise to guide them in opening more food banks/soup kitchens/community outreach schemes.

I know it sucks if you are already doing everything you can in awful circumstances with no help from gov to be asked to do more but I assume you are doing this in the first place because you care.

I would also contact your newly elected labour or libdem or green councillor and ask for ideas, resources, use of space etc as they will be keen to show they are getting to work etc

You said space was an issue. Would you be able to collect more donations from local businesses if you had more space? Are there unused buildings owned by the council that they could give you use of?

Is there a celebrity with connections to your area who could retweet their followers to help you?

Yes, because vouchers worked so well for school meals...

There wasn't issues with people being stuck with vouchers for supermarkets they couldn't afford to get to or delays in them being issued.

Issuing vouchers also completely goes against teaching budgeting. Not to mention actually giving people a bit of respect and dignity.

What we actually need to do is address the cost of living and stop pretending that there is a huge issue with people scamming benefits. They've already been attacked and cut to the bone as it is.

When people are able to ‘self refer’ for access to free stuff why would anyone expect demand to be anything other than limitless?

Well, think about yourself. I can near-on promise that if you live in a town or city there is a social supermarket, gurdwara, church or community cafe doing free meals at least one day a week, on a self-referral basis. Have you looked it up? Do you go? Do you use it, as someone presumably not in food poverty? No, because you don’t need it and because it’s not something for nothing really - it’s your time (which is worth less and less the poorer you are), and because there is HUGE stigma attached to food bank use. It’s not like Waitrose flinging open their doors and shouting “Free food here today!”

I’m sure there are some chancers. We feed hundreds a week, and I can’t promise that there isn’t someone in the queue patting themselves on the back for scoring some free food. But we chat a lot with our regulars and when you get to know more you (we) always come away very clearly understanding why they are using our services.

But vouchers could be allocated in exact basic amounts so you have just enough to live on and cover all amenities . I.e. you have a 4 person allocated food allowance per week so that you don't get to the point of needing food banks.

The school meal vouchers were hurried in. A better system would be required.

I agree to prioritise those with no income at all. I'm on the lowest income for a family of two, I don't get PIP or anything like that and I manage without a food bank.

There will always be chancers, of course. People who take advantage of the system. However, there are also loads of people who are really, really struggling, yet find it incredibly difficult to ask for help. Most people have reached the point of absolute desperation when they finally turn to the foodbanks. They should be met with compassion, not judgement.

I don't know tbh. I used to work for a Trussel Trust food Bank and did support the 3 vouchers in 3/6 months rule. On the whole, if a client in genuine need appeared they wouldn't get turned away empty handed, but it did mean we could help more people and keep it as an emergency measure.

Lol. What about the huge proportion of people on benefits who are in work. If you have a zero hour contract and your employer won’t tell you if you are working till the day before they it is very hard to get a second job to work around that.

If you have no experience of modern working practices then yes this is a great idea for getting people to ‘stop relying on benefits.’

It’s hardly something people are relying on if they are sat in the cold watching their kids eat a meal from a food bank because their benefits don’t rise in line with inflation and neither do their wages.

They would only be relying on it and therefore in need of weening off of it if it was actually enough to live on.

I agree that we need broader education in this country but it will never happen as long as conservatives are in power because the Eton set don’t want the working classes to have reasoning and problem solving skills incase it weakens their hold on their placid workforce.

But what is the "lowest income"? Some people work and earn some income but they are in part time or irregular work and they don't have enough to get by. Their outgoings may also be different from yours, through no fault of their own. It's great that you can manage without needing a foodbank but you can't assume that others' circumstances are identical to your own.