To think food banks aren’t fit for purpose

[ForFirmBiscuit]

I don’t need to use a food bank but when I did they gave me tins of soup, a small tin of meat pie, a litre of UHT and a small bag of oats, nothing fresh. I didn’t get much and I was really hungry as there wasn’t enough calories and it was insubstantial. It gave me loads of anxiety to be so hungry. It’s always been like that.
I think food banks should be supplied by the council and given proper budgets for good food, even if they made batches of soup themselves to give out it would be more filling than a tin of soup

I suspect (though don't know for sure) that welfare payments are much lower relatively to what they were, the price of food in general is higher, and wages at the bottom end of the scale are not enough to prevent you from needing a benefit top up so clearly aren't high enough..

In 2010 there were 35 foodbanks nationally.
Now 14 years later (under the Tories) there are 1,172 foodbanks.
Just look at that increase & think how many households rely on them.
There shouldn't even be foodbanks.
It's a shocking statistic, and councils can't find them because of all the cuts from central government & they're already cutting services that support those facing multiple-disadvantage.

Please vote wisely on July 4th, everyone.
Get the Tories out.

*can't find them? Can't find them!!! Oops

You were provided with food when you were in need, for free.

You got tins ot soup and a meat pie - that’s 3 meals. Oats and milk - more meals.

Wouldn’t you have been hungrier and more anxious without it?

Be grateful beggar.

*Can't FUND them!

Benefits are never going to be enough to live on but people on working benefits or low earners might have extortionate rent and high bills they have cars to get to work but struggle for petrol etc so a little bit of extra food saves them a few £s.

My god that is far too many .

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2024/jun/11/how-britain-became-a-food-bank-nation
I have been a child protection social worker for nearly 20 years. The levels of poverty and cuts to supporting services over recent years is shameful. For all the talk of austerity we remain one of the richest countries in the world.

A lot of people had fk all in the 1980s. By comparison people today dont know they're born.

There have always been food banks like the ones run by the salvation army but they were really small.

I worked in welfare benefits in the past and people used to be able to go to the DWP and get a crisis loan which was an emergency same day payment if they had no food, it was normally a loan but sometimes a grant. It was repayable and now the DWP refer you to a food bank.

I like the food pantry model a lot better. In my village people pay £2 or £3 and are allowed one meat item, 1 freezer item, some shelf items and some fruit and veg.

Absolutely awful that anyone in this country should not be able to adequately afford good food with either a job or a functioning welfare state.
It should not be a charity affair.
Austerity was an ideological choice, not a necessity.

Fresh, heathy food is in abundance, and somewhat cheap for the basic stuff. Obviously fuel and materials cost more, but I have always thought tinned and dried goods, apart from tampons and cereal are a bit of a let down considering the wealth we have to share.

Like health care, food poverty should be the government's responsibility, since we all pay tax, even on benefits, so this a a poor show, and I agree with the OP.

This actually reminds me of the situation during the Irish famine/Great hunger. People starving and supposed to be happy for any old slop they got.

Oh I forgot about crisis loans so they are not a thing anymore?

Some real working class boot-strappers on here.
I made good so fuck you it was worse in the 80's.

i have had a privileged life, and thank christ I am not so ignorant.

I'm guessing we didn't personally 😜

Oh do one!

People had fuck all because there was fuck all to have! And why? Because of Thatcher. And here we are again. I remember it very well. Along with the three day week and the winter of discontent in the 70's, and its never been as bad as this.

I am a carer for my parents which means I can only work 13 hours a week at minimum wage to be sure I wont lose the carers allowance for the sake of one hours work at minimum wage.

A carer has to care for a minimum of 35 hours per week to qualify which means that they are paid less than £2.50 per hour for what they do, which save ££££ against the cost of paid carers that would have to be provided if we didnt do it. Then there is universal credit top up which is barely enough to scrape by. During the winter it really can be a choice between heating and eating, I have gone without just this last winter just to make sure that the electric bill is paid.

Just because the boomers had a tight few years in the late eighties due to interest rates doesnt mean that they had it worse than anyone does now. To suggest that is naive at best and downright offensive at worst.

There would be more waste doing it that way. Plus not everyone even has cooking facilities or even a fridge to keep food fresh. Our local food bank a few months back were asking for kettle food for people with no cooking facilities. So things like porridge pots pot noodles and mug shots etc.

I even heard of people giving stuff back because they couldn't heat the food given. There are foodshares at community centres that collect food out of date but still good enough to eat. The community centre be near me has a community fridge. It's open to anyone more to reduce food waste. They got donated a fridge and freezer. So any food that can be frozen goes in there.

They do ask for donations for petrol money for the volunteers who collect the food. But foodbanks is more about providing non perishable food. So people with limited income aren't wasting food if they have no electric for the fridge or no means to cook food. A four pinter of milk wouldn't stay fresh 3 days out a fridge. But long life milk does.

If you generally can't afford to buy food then it's a case of survival yes you might of still be hungry with no nutrition benefits but you didn't starve to death that's what they are used for!!!!

Kind of agree with this. I lived in a house share with four people claiming Universal Credit (myself included.) They all got more than me because they were older, me and the other woman didn't get food bank stuff, the two blokes did. Why couldn't they budget the same as us? (Well I know why.) I paid my rent (bills included) and what was left over was plenty. This was a few years ago as well. I felt bad enough about losing my job and needing UC in the first place, and I feel like food banks are for people who are absolutely desperate because they can't get UC or they've had them payments stopped, or they need the help as a stop gap before it kicks in.

I work at a city food bank - we're able to give out food in greater quantity than OP received, but as others have said, we simply cannot supply fresh food because of the storage issues. It has to be packaged, canned, or long life.

People had more social housing in the 1980s.

Housing unaffordability is a big reason why people can't afford other essentials.

I agree with previous posters. There shouldn't be any foodbanks because there shouldn't be a need for them.

More social housing would go a long way towards addressing that.

Of course it's not the only need. A supportive benefits system, improved child support sudtemy, and good well-funded public services are needed too.

Some might say, fuck morals and it's too expensive but it's actually a false economy to not have that.
Housing, health, and poverty. All are interlinked. So if people had enough money to live on, decent affordable housing, and timely and effective support when needed, it would actually reduce need for help. So not only morally right thing to do but also helps the economy.

OP I'm sorry you were in that position and I hope things are better for you now.

I know our local Trussell trust foodbank gives basics of tins and long life stuff but they also do "family bags" so their might be a few more treat items, but I think it's regulated and counted by the items.

Food banks shouldn't even exist never mind be supplied by the council.

They rely on donations and staffed by volunteers.
The government take their existence to their benefit too much as it is.

However, regarding the post about 'boomers', let's not go down the pitting generations against each other as an unhelpful and unpleasant distraction from the actual issues and solutions.

Within every generation there's a divide. And in fact stats from Age UK and Independent Age show that inequality within older groups is the most extreme.

It's not only younger people needing foodbanks.

Although I pointed out in my previous post there was more social housing in the 1980s, not everyone got it. There's 2 million over 50s private renting today. Many have been in long-term poverty.

The way to address the issues is to ensure everyone in need gets appropriate help, regardless of age.