Foodbank buying items from shops?

[girlfriend44]

I always thought that foodbanks were given out of date stock when I saw them collecting from shops and supermarkets.
I have now found out they buy items from certain retailers at a reduced price.
They put orders in. Where does the money come from to purchase?
Also they have vans, which cost money in petrol etc.
Anyone else think the same, never realised they were collecting stuff they had ordered in. I thought it was donated to them?÷

register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4017223/financial-history

I volunteered at one through work before Christmas. It is shocking the amount of out of date crap people donate.

Maybe it’s just me, but your diet would be pretty grim if you relied on the stuff donated, a lot of tinned stuff. They used the money donated to buy fresh stuff which they give out that day.

What was surprising was the amount of ‘returns’ perhaps showing that if the had more cash donations they could give out what was really needed.

But they're not homeless, they're on mumsnet so presumably with wifi/on a phone etc and comfortable enough to be scrolling mumsnet so this doesn't relate.

What do you have against food banks OP?

I suspect it’s the people who use them that you have a problem with?

Donations

They're a charity

There are many people, me included, who donate money to food banks so that they can operate and buy the things they need. Otherwise they only end up with what’s going out of date or is overstocked or that people in supermarkets think they’d like as donations.

Which I imagine means a lot of short dated fresh food that people might not have the facilities or be able to afford to cook, such as mince, and a lot of dried food like pasta and rice. When what they probably need is tinned food, toiletries and things that can be cooked without too much energy. No point giving someone who can’t afford food a cut of meat that needs 3 hours in the oven to cook, or lentils that need to be soaked for hours.

Always one isn't there.
Trying to read into something that wasn't there.
It was a genuine question.

@WiseLurker there are normally lists on the collection bins. I've also got an app that tells me what is urgently needed at our local banks. I'm sure lovely Christmas pudding/jams go down a treat - it's more the bizarre ingredients that don't get wanted/taken.

Slightly off topic but now that many people shop on line and get their shopping delivered I thought that not as much would get donated.
So I got in touch with tesco and asda and asked if there was a way a extra page could be added to their shopping page so we could buy things and automatically get them pit in the donations box .

Both shops said it wasn't practical. Really? that seems like a brush off to me.
I know I could donate £s but I can't always guarantee that I can afford a DD each month.

And if working your arse off didn't earn you enough money to pay rent, bills, essentials and food, what would you do?

If you were disabled and couldn't earn enough (and benefits don't cover it) to pay for rent, bills, essentials and food, what would you do?

I understand it's hard to comprehend that minimum wage and benefits aren't enough to afford a basic standard of living in some areas. I understand that it's hard for a person who has never had no money to comprehend that people can't just spend £1 and have something. But please, at least, try to understand basic maths, compassion, and empathy.

A lot of people in poverty are already working their arse off. But they need somewhere to live, a lot of the time they need to pay for childcare in order to be able to work their arse off. This costs money which takes away from the food budget. You can't be that naive not to realise it.
To illustrate, band 5 NHS worker on 37,5 h contract takes home £1950. Full day nursery fee in South West is £109 per day. This is £980 per month of you count 15 free hours. Rent for a one bedroom flat is approximately £995 per month. And that is all your money gone. If you are a two person household, things are better but not by much because you still have to pay your bills, transport to work, clothes on your back... There is usually very little left for food. If one of you had a disability or if, God forbid, you have a mortgage....well, we can maths this shit until the cows come home, can't we? And that's a professional job which pays above minimum wage. Many people aren't in this position at all and make do with a lot less.

Some people have so little money and are in so much debt that it would take a minor miracle for them to be able to have enough money month on month.

What is wrong with you?

Our foodbanks have a 'treat' shelf with all the extras people donate that aren't on the list

People are allowed to choose a couple of items from there when they go.

A nice morale boost

They’d also get universal credit, help with rent, PIP, DLA, etc etc. maybe some maintenance from partner. don’t think it’s as clear cut as that

There are some moral stinkers on Mumsnet.

What's your issue? What's the point of this thread?

Have you asked the foodbank rather than the supermarket? Ours has a means for people to do online shopping for them, it’s on something called bankuet apparently.

I tried that too.

Got nowhere

Surely a separate box for foodbank items isn't beyond the realms of coding - and a separate bag on the picker's trolley

Additional staff, storage and distribution costs make foodbanks an extra layer of doo-gooder interference.

Some people will donate money as that's easier than getting to a shop and then getting stuff to the food bank. Also it means the foodbanks can stock up on anything they need that people haven't donated. I don't think they would not use fancy stuff, but if you are using a food bank you probably want a good number of staple essentials too.

You know nurses, care workers and teachers unfortunately have to access food banks too? Or don't they work hard enough for you?

I only donate money not food. Then they can decide what they need rather than dealing with random tins of soup.

Housing Associations give out referrals to food banks, just after they insist tenants pay their rent / arrears or put their rent accounts in credit. So they take the money, telling tenants not to panic they have no money for food, as they'll give them a voucher to visit the food bank. I know, I worked for a HA that does this and common amongst all HAs. Yes, I know you should pay your rent, but incomes are struggling to even cover social rents now. I raise this as whether money or food you are also facilitating organisations to take with one hand and give what you donate with another. I hate that food banks are needed and they are allowing issues with employment, behaviours that see food banks as top up shops, wage stagnation and benefits that should be addressed but sadly aren't.

Meanwhile.back in the UK.........