To wonder what will happen to food banks when

[dottypotter]

Nobody has anything left to donate because they are all feeling the squeeze themselves.

It's tight for everyone and as they only rely on donations what would happen?

I am on UC (have been for nearly 5 years), and the worst bit is seeing the judgemental comments from people who have no fucking clue what it is like.
Of course I have a phone... you need one to claim UC to start with. Mine is a smartphone that a relative gave me, and it has a PAYG sim in it. Other people might be tied to contracts that they had before they fell on hard times.
Of course I have flat screen TV.... that is the only TV you can buy now. Am I meant to be watching just four channels on a CRT from the 80s?
Everyone things that can comment on what you spend your money on, as it is "my tax", yet they wont reserve the same comments for other people who are also paid by taxpayers such as anyone who works for the NHS. Or the MPs who claim what I get a month on UC for their weekly expenses.

According to a lot of people that feel the need to pass judgement online... I should have sold everything I own before being allowed to claim (or the Job Centre should come and value everything in my house), that benefits are not meant to go on pet food/vet bills, that anyone on UC is not allowed on holiday ever, that I should be paid in food and energy vouchers only, that if I can budget and afford something nice for myself then it means I am getting too much money and it should be reduced.

People who come out with crap like that, and work in foodbanks, should give their damn heads a wobble. Like a PP said, they are working in such an environment to give themselves a sense of superiority.

Isn’t it funny that the people who apparently have worked in the foodbanks are the most uncaring.

If you don’t want to give or can’t then don’t but don’t judge those that do. That could be you in the future.

As for the poster who said about ‘junkies’, do you know their story? Do you know how they ended up where they are?

Isn’t it funny that the people who apparently have worked in the foodbanks are the most uncaring

It’s more shocking than funny. This thread’s just awful.

I'm not worried for tressel trust apart from wondering where exactly they are coming from.

I've had a direct debit to them for a couple of months. Recently I was told to expect their brand new news letter shortly. As well as getting an electronic version of said letter, bigging up Tressell Trust, I also got a copy through the post.

I emailed them, about a month ago. I asked how much the production of the letter cost, and what they hoped to gain from it.

I've had no response at all.

My take on the situation is that they prefer to spend money on telling those of us who already contribute to them, how wonderful they are, than to actually feed people in dire need.

I'm now about to cancel the direct debit and have sourced a local independent food bank who seem to be doing what I intend my donation to d o, feed desperate people

What's "funny" is some of the posters on this thread are giving off about the horrendous abuse of children in Telford. Many abused children grow up to have serious MH and addiction problems.

But fuck them "junkies" at the food bank.🤔

I don't think that FB volunteers are the least caring although I can appreciate it seems that way. There are so many factors as to why people use FBs and to be perfectly blunt, at least where I live, in many cases it's not because they can't afford food. We have been supporting someone at our local FB for over 12 years ... he clearly needs a lot more than a weekly food parcel but it is so hard for untrained volunteers to know exactly what to do .. there is very, very little support from Social Service and other 'agencies'. The default seems to be 'give someone a voucher for the FB' and let someone else pick up the pieces

user interesting comments ... I am involved in an independent FB and we intend to stay that way... Trussel Trust actually came to visit us and tried to get us to 'join' their network ( for a fee !) - we declined. I am sure there are lots of very well meaning volunteers at Trussel Trust but it is not a model we wish to be part of.

I suspect at some point the government will step in, not necessarily because it is the right thing to do. Just to be clear, I don’t support what I am about to say, I am just pragmatic enough to recognize reality.

You can have two versions of extreme deprivation in a country. In one, the remaining wealth is extremely concentrated within a very small group. In that scenario, order is often maintained with draconian military policies and even targeted deprivation.

in a place like the uk, while there is some extreme wealth, there is also going to be a large economic upper class. To allow that group to maintain their freedoms and privilege, the economic lower classes have to be placated enough to not rebel.

Tbf people have plenty of notice to increase their hours to pay their bills. Unemployment is very low and there are plenty of vacancies recruiting. Don't work part time and expect the government or food banks to pick up the tab.

If someone is full time and still needs FB then fair enough. I'm a single parent FT worker and can afford my bills.

I can't decide if some of these posts are taking the piss or not ! I mean just work harder seems to be the Mantra !

@JinCocktail and you don't give a shiny shit about FT workers who are on low wages and paying high rents, do you? There are full time qualified nurses needing to use food banks!

@pointythings I did say 'if someone is FT and still needs a FB then fair enough'. If someone chooses to work PT and then use a FB then yes, I am critical of that decision.

What about a single parent who works a 20 hour contract in the Co op because she can't get childcare or her ours increased is that a "choice "

@JinCocktail but it isn't as simple as 'get more hours', is it? And you probably know that too. People on low pay are often also on ZHC, and if they take additional work and become less available to their first employer, that employer is likely to give them fewer hours and they're no further forward. Then there's childcare - we all know how astronomically expensive that is! And lastly there is the shitshow that is UC - a system which doesn't understand that some months have two payrolls in them and therefore views the claimant as 'earning too much, cuts them off UC and they have to start a fresh claim.

It's very easy to look at it from a comfortable position of working FT and earning enough, even as a single parent (I am one too) - but a little empathy for those less fortunate goes a long way.

It didn’t take long for the fake “I work in a food bank and all the users have x, y or z luxury item” to come crawling out of the woodwork did it?

Most food bank “workers” are volunteers and most users from my experience tend to be those who are vulnerable in some way. Many elderly, disabled or learning difficulties with the occasional family thrown in.

But if it suits your narrow minded agenda to think it’s all feckless shysters then rock on.

We have more food banks than McDonalds in this country.🤯 It's a fucking travesty and is the fault of 12 years of corruption and incompetence by our Tory government.

Them and their mates are richer, the banks, despite their recklessness are fine, but some Mnetters prefer to blame the poor, mentally ill, destitute and hard working families who've been shafted.

Dicks.😡

Some people are unable to work and can't just increase their hours to get more pay.

My Rotary Club, and most others in this area, have been supporting local food banks more than in previous years, since the start if lockdown when it became apparent that there was going to he an increase in food bank usage. It has been difficult as we haven't been able to hold our usual fund raising events, but we have done what we can, and will continue to help too. There are also Lion Clubs, Probus, WI, Round Table and other service associations in all towns in the country.

You can donate with Sainsbury's, they are in partnership with Fair share. It was originally a COVID / lockdown thing but thankfully they have continued it. You can donate [as little as] a £1.

@GCHeretic

I fear you may have missed my point here.

I feel I am very well paid, certainly above both mean and median earnings.

My point is that since Rishi Sunak's NI increase earlier this year I am worse off - by £40 a month in my pocket. Which £40 is pretty much the value of the extra tins and toiletries I have been sticking in the foodbank collection at the supermarket.

I run a food bank (non TT). The bulk of our stock comes from Fareshare rather than direct donations, but we have noticed even that changing and shifting as people feel the pinch. In odd ways - we usually get a fairly even selection of items (proteins, dairy, fruit, veg) but lately we've received things that are much more difficult to make use of - this week that included a frozen 25kg Christmas pudding. But sometimes we receive highly valuable stock - Lurpak, good cuts of meat approaching Use By - clearly because the market for these things has shrunk and the supermarket needs to clear it.

On the other hand, the crisis has attuned more people to the reality of food poverty and volunteer numbers are up.

Low and middle income people bailed out the banks?

How on Earth do you reach that conclusion? Lie and middle income workers are net recipients from tax and benefits; they pay nothing in, so have paid literally zero towards bank bail outs.

Work more hours is a better characterization of what people are saying.

Every child has two parents, and it’s the responsibility of both of them to work as hard as they can to provide for them.

Before using a good bank I’d expect both parents to be taking on extra work. One can be working day shifts at the weekend, the other can be doing evening work in the week.

If you are very well paid what is the dilemma? You are surely able to contribute as you have been.

@MsFrenchie Austerity was the policy where public sector workers, most of them on low and middle incomes suffered pay freezes and lower than inflation pay rises to pay for the banking bail outs. Council budgets were cut. Budgets across all departments were cut.

That's why the UK is suffering so badly due to massive inflation and Rishi is having to dole out sweeties.