aibu to buy instant latte for the foodbank

[painochocolate]

My DH says they'd prefer pasta and tinned goods but I like to buy three of whatever treat I'm getting for myself and put two in the foodbank. So this week it was instant latte. He thinks that's nuts. Aibu?

IME of working with people who often have to use food banks little ‘luxuries’ like latte sachets mean the world. Something families often find tricky is when there’s not enough to make the same meal for everyone eg one tin of beans for a family of 4. I always try to donate a families worth of something on a theme. So maybe breakfast would be box of cereal, UHT milk and long life orange juice or 2x jars of pasta sauce/mayo, bag of pasta, 2x tins of tuna and a tin of sweetcorn. Something that could feed a family a full meal rather than random bits and bobs. No idea if they get sorted and distributed like that but I hope so. Seasonal things like Easter eggs or selection packs are also gratefully accepted too. Something that will bring a little bit of joy and help people feel like a worthy human who deserves a treat goes a very long way. We once had a catered lunch event at work so took the left overs to a family. The joy that a half eaten bag of kettle chips, mini muffins and some sandwiches brought to this family was incredibly humbling.

You are certainly not being unreasonable instant drinks are very useful, we'll received and a nice treat

When I used to take my contributions directly to the food bank during covid (as opposed to the drop off point in my church) I sometimes included bottles of Coke, energy drinks and the like and I was told that’s what they really needed! So I expect your boxes of instant lattes are well received!

I donate kettle items on a regular basis and that includes instant lattes etc. Not everyone has easy access to a fridge and not everyone likes black coffee!

I often slip in chocolate or biscuits alongside things like beans, shampoo and tinned fish etc.

Wait people, OP asked AIBU for donating instant latte….not for examples.

This link explains the “bonus table”. And btw lists ask for tea/sugar/milk…. Latte sachets are coffee/sugar/milk.

http://lutonfoodbank.org.uk/exploring-distribution-centre/

I help run an independent food bank. Thank you, OP, and all others who donate to their local food bank - the best advice I can give is to ask what they need. Treats are lovely, but items for meals are much more important really. (And, of course, we don’t hand out anything with alcohol in.). It’s also worth thinking about all the different circumstances that people may live in - eg those who only have a microwave, or only a hob and no cooker, and we also have a few homeless clients who have no electricity to cook at all. Nutritious, healthy food, whatever your circumstances, is always our aim.

I never buy economy food for food bank collections, I get two of whatever I'm buying for us. Why shouldn't people have nice stuff from a food bank? Someone on the thread said tins of ham and carrots are good choices, but even if I was rich i wouldn't buy those things for us. Latte sachets, pots of nice porridge to make up with water, those ready tuna pasta meals that don't need a fridge etc, those are what I donate

I think it’s a nice thought - it’s a practical luxury. When we do a food bank shop, we look at the list and make sure we pick off the essentials but also add things like that, too. The basics are important but it’s the instant lattes and treats that make help people feel they’re actually living, not just alive. Little luxuries. Tiny lifts.

@painochocolate each local foodbank has an up to date list of what they want and what they don’t need at the moment.
People posting random lists from their areas aren’t helpful for you, I don’t think.
I donate basic food items as well as chocolates and biscuits we are given but also nice toiletries ( from advent calendars etc ) as I think that sort of thing would cheer me up and make me feel more human if I’d fallen on hard times.

WeII, instant Iatte might not be the most usefuI donation, but I can teII you that during one horribIe period when food banks kept my famiIy from starving, the occasionaI "treat" item was a smaII bIessing, a IittIe benediction. It made me, and my kids, depending on the treat, feeI Iike "normaI foIks" for just a bit.

But lots of people buy economy foods for themselves. Someone earlier on the thread said weetabix were first choice of cereal at their local foodbank. I can pay £2.10 for Tesco or £4.20 for branded - and I buy the Tesco for myself too.

Your donations sound lovely but I hate this idea that economy brands aren't a good donation. They're often not that different from more expensive brands.

I have used a food bank a few times, being a single mum and going through periods of struggling, at our local one you get to pick items you need and to be able to pick a treat item is literally a treat, tins and pasta are good but just because people are on hard times it doesn’t mean they don’t want some chilli sauce or pot noodles or lattes, I had two teenage kids to feed and all those extra bits really made a difference. Op you are putting smiles on faces so please continue with the treats!

I always get chocolate digestives or hobnobs for the food bank. A hot cup of tea and a few choc biscs can help make many situations a tiny bit less shitty.

You don't like to treat yourself?

Do they accept money?

It annoys me when supermarkets have food banks post tills

Please avoid basics levels. The people receiving often feel they're at the bottom of the pile and only deserve the worst stuff, we want to avoid that.

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I can only afford basic levels of food. Not the luxury range. But don't quite need the support of a food bank (yet).

Not everyone donating to a food bank can afford to buy the more expensive versions of the same item.

And generally speaking you can often buy 2-3 packs of something basic for the cost of 1 thing in the premium range so the money goes a bit further 🤷🏼‍♀️

Biscuits are a treat too but nobody ever frowns at those in the food bank box. I think an adult treat is nice. Good shout. I hope you put it in directly or via a store and not in the home of a volunteer - more chance of the lattes getting to the food bank.

You clearly never have!

As I said, and again, I have been a recipient of food parcels - no one is giving out JUST treats. It is not the case that donating something like lattes or a packet of biscuits means someone will go without a tin of beans or a packet of spaghetti.

Parcels/foodbank boxes are made up of staple items, and treats or theres a fresh fruit/veg and a treat table to take a number of items from.

The staple stuff gets you fed for a few days. The little extras give you a few moments of pleasure on top of that.

If you've never relied on charity donations/hand outs to stay fed, you have absolutely no fucking idea what that feels like and what a difference it makes.

I dont get why british people fund things like foodbanks and help the goverment not take responsibility for people who cant feed their families, food banks should not be growing or even be a thing in 2023 when the goverment sends billions abroad for a war nothing to do with the UK.

I held out for ten years after the explosion of food bank use under David Cameron.

By 2020, with the pandemic hitting hard locally, it didn't seem that my objection was helping anyone. So I started to donate and continue to vote against the party that facilitated this.

It is shocking how quickly foodbanks have become a normal part of everyday life. I'm with you there.

I agree with this. I volunteer at a rescue and we very sadly take in a lot of pets who have been given up for financial reasons, and sometimes quite thin.

Our local independent food bank gets donations from local schools for the harvest festival every year. They normally send a list out asking for tea, coffee, pasta, beans, tinned fruit and veg type stuff. One year they suggested that people buy one step up from the essentials/ value ranges as how would we feel to have nothing but value/ essentials food to eat.

Lots of backlash as it felt really cheeky although I’m sure was well intentioned. Plenty of people can only afford essentials ranges to feed their kids and you would like them to buy a bag of pasta at twice the price as it’s not good enough for you to give away.

Government thinks food banks are marvellous gives a sense of community and all that ! Our local MSP thinks the food banks in our area are wonderful and stood up in Scottish Parliament and said so, no of course there shouldn't be food banks in 2023 but here we are.

@Bliss1221

What is the alternative? We let people, including children, starve to send a message to the government?

Whilst I think people might enjoy a treat, the essentials are the priority so if you are only putting 1 thing in, I would select something that would be most useful to more people. Even something like instant chocolate, because children would be able to have that rather than coffee.