To be really pissed off about my office's attitude towards our food bank donation

[LookingForAHandHold]

Every year we run an office collection for a local food bank. This year we're doing one for families with nothing and young children.

So far im the only one who has really donated. I understand times are tough, but it's £1 for a pack of biscuits in Iceland.

People are making horrible comments too, about the branded names etc and the ungrateful brats who don't deserve it. It's for young children. It just breaks my heart.

I'm so close to taking it all home and donating it myself

Fuck me this thread is depressing.

People disparaging children is highly discouraging.

People not happening to give to the office charity of choice is not a big deal. I select my giving carefully. I want to be sure I fully agree with the organization. It needs to be a cause I care about, well run, and not associated with a religious organization. There are so many places a bit of money can do some good that passing up one for another doesn’t make someone a bad person.

Maybe it’s not people’s charity of choice. My OH’s colleague regularly comes into work weighed down with biscuits from the food bank which she doesn’t want. Kinda puts a person off donating.

why not offer donations to a few charities next year?

They never said branded things only. Just as a treat if possible

I think the OP is getting a really hard time here! I’m sure most of her colleagues could afford a packet of biscuits/tin of soup/ beans etc! Seems very mean spirited to resent hungry children hoping for a Cadburys selection box at Christmas!

To be honest that would piss me off.
I can't afford brand names and have to make do with cheaper versions.
If I could spare a bit of cash for food bank items I would be annoyed about the foodbank asking for named brands which are much more expensive and I'd be much less inclined to donate something.
It's cheeky of the foodbank really.

I don't really like your attitude either, but it might be just the way you've written here. You're judging other people when you actually know nothing about their lifestyles or whether they donate to other charities or whatever.
It's optional to donate to the food bank and if people don't want to, for whatever reason, it's none of your business.

Sources are cited at the bottom. It's not going to be an exact science. Like with your example of physical donations, we give a lot to individuals - impossible to measure. But I think the information is interesting none the less.

With the cost of living as it is, people may be considering branded goods as a treat for their own children (money doesn't go far these days), so it could come across as the charity seeming ungrateful or grabby. Could you rebrand the collection and say in any follow-up email that all donations (not just branded) will be gratefully received?

Wow I didn’t realise that was a thing. The vast majority of what I buy for my family is un-named brands, nothing wrong with that at all, I find that a really strange and short sighted request

I think it's the request for branded items which triggered the unpleasant comments.... our household income is relatively high but I always buy supermarket own brand stuff... because why wouldn't I? I bought a huge box of own brand cornflakes for 80p yesterday...rather than the £3/4 or whatever it was for kelloggs.

You would have been better off donating that £90 to the foodbank. They can get deals from suppliers abd wholesalers. You've paid the supermarket mark up.

Are you saying you asked people to donate branded stuff? Loads of people can't afford to buy themselves branded stuff. Tesco do coco pops. Buy two boxes of those for the same price and make your money go further.

Yeah I guess they mean try not to buy Tesco value if you are buying Tesco finest? So buy what you'd buy yourself if possible.

There's obviously something your colleagues are in protest about OP, whether it is the named brands or specifying chocolate/biscuits etc. For them to not only NOT donate anything, but also to keep harping on about it when they pass it, something in the poster/message has irked people enough to boycott it.

I think it's a mixed message in a way, it's for homeless families with no food, but they are being asked to donate name brand biscuits and chocolates? Surely people with no food, want food, and you should be able to donate anything to that cause, or at least non name branded biscuits and chocolates??

I bet it's the named brand thing putting people off, I think that is an utterly ridiculous thing to specify, people aren't buying themselves named brand anymore as it's so expensive, and non named brands from the likes or aldi and lidl are just as good, if not better, than named brands that cost 3 times as much.

I always donate to charities and food banks, but I'm not sure I'd want to give to a charity who were so choosy in what they want people to give from their own pockets.. there's no reason for it at all.

Do you think starving children care if they have cadburys chocolate or happy shopper?? or the aldi version of coco pops?

@SaagAloopa no, I didn't ask them to donate anything! I just said everything was welcome. The poster that I've printed out has said name brands if possible

I think it's this too. It would annoy me if someone specified branded food products

I think the poster has pissed them off

And the massive pile of branded products you've bought in

@SaagAloopa I just bought things I'd have liked at Christmas when I was a kid. That's what they asked for on the poster

Is this food bank registered (Trussel Trust or other) as I'm pretty sure they don't request specific brands.
They might have weekly lists of items they're short of or specific campaigns at Christmas time, though the Xmas specific items are probably boxed up and ready to be delivered.

@pumpkinpillow it's a small independent one, im going to pack it in tomorrow when I go in though because I've clearly done the wrong thing

Participated in an office food bank collection.
Many people contributed food
Delivered to food bank

Food bank sent letter, requesting no more food, but money for a van

We all voted to support another type of charity the next year

I think that would be wise. Don't let your employer's desire for PR become your problem, and if you want to make any more kind donations you can do them directly in your own name. No need for anyone else to get credit for your actions.

Can you see how badly it comes across for the charity to ask for named brands if possible?

If they can afford to chip in requests like that their poster is not sending the message that any suitable donations are much needed and appreciated. It is sending the message that people who use food banks only want donations from people who feed their own families entirely on named brands. That excludes the majority of us.

Why not set up a local free food pantry ?
There are several where I live

You can get free food via Olio or Fareshare or other food waste apps