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I always thought that foodbanks were given out of date stock when I saw them collecting from shops and supermarkets.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?÷

They don’t give out out of date food! Why would people be given that?

As others have said, the money you donate to food banks goes on buying item. And they also come to the supermarket to collect the stuff people donate at the supermarket.

And this is why some of us donate money to food banks. You do realise they have costs like renting storage space, running a collection vehicle (and in some cases delivery, for the most vulnerable), and being in, say, pasta when they've been given 5 thousand packs of pasta sauce and fuck all else. It lets them spend on what is most needed to help their vulnerable customers, not what we think they might need.

Yeah, it's pretty bizarre that you thought they only gave out food destined for the bin, op 🙄
Weird post altogether.

Not a food bank, but the charity I work for runs a lunch club for the homeless and others that can't afford hot meals.
We have an arrangement with local supermarkets - some is donated, other stuff sold to us at reduced price.

As well as cash donations, some food banks may get support from grants.

Maybe you just haven’t understood the meaning of ‘dietary requirements’. Sounds like this as been a specific needs referral.

I volunteer for a local Foodbank . The monetary donations we receive are usually spent on things like Gluten Free , Dairy Free products .
Donations have been down this Festive Period which we are assuming is partly due to the WFP being stopped . DH and I donated ours in the past as did other people we know .

So you are struggling to pay your rent/mortgage, utilities etc, can't eat bread/wraps/pasta as you can't afford the more expensive GF free versions, can only buy specific stock cubes/gravy and other food items that don't contain hidden gluten like malt vinegar, even cheap and filling porridge oats are a no.... and you think a food shop with those dietary and financial restrictions would be easy to manage? Having an autoimmune disease where consuming gluten causes the immune system to attack and damage parts of your body isn't easy at best of times, v difficult to keep yourself healthy if you can't access the food you need.

There was a whole thread about whether people should donate Christmas puddings once - and it got quite heated!

I can’t see why people wouldn’t eat the odd Christmas pudding in Jan/ Feb, but I guess it’s only useful as an “extra”, it wouldn’t do much good instead of proper, healthy food.

After all, there’s a reason most people don’t eat them all year round - they’re an “a little goes a long way”’type of food, and not everyone likes them!

Ooh no I didnt know about that thank you I will have a look

Why would they be given out of date stock?! People using food banks need safe, in-date food as much as any person?

Clearly you have never donated (which you should remedy if you are able), but food banks are supported in a variety of ways. You can donate money to them directly to enable them to buy the items they need. You can purchase and donate (IN DATE) food, toiletry and household items, either dropping them off directly or leaving them at collection points in supermarkets etc. And then there are some businesses which offer you the option to round up your total when you buy something and donate the extra to a food bank (I think Dominoes is one such, there are likely others).

Its always worth researching your local food bank and seeing what items they need before making a donation, so that you can get the right things to them. It’s not always the items you expect that they are short of.

And how long do you deem is "long enough" for someone to get back on their feet exactly? 2 weeks? Three weeks?
It's abhorrent that as a society we need food banks at all, much worse that we judge people who have to use them.

Count yourself lucky that you can't imagine being unable to afford to feed your family

What a strange post. I volunteer with our local food bank. When we have an empty space in the store cupboard we go to the shop and purchase more items.

Some people get really pissed when they are behind us at the till but I never know why! It’s much quicker to input 24 cans of rice pudding and 12 packets of noodles than scan a trolley full of random items!

We often apply for grants from the local authority and we run lots of fund raising activities.

It wasn’t though was it. You can deny it all you want, but some of us are capable of reading between the lines.

I would assume from the monthly standing order that I have with the Trussell Trust... because I trust them to buy what is necessary when it is necessary and I understand that if they are able to buy in bulk. They are doing what needs to be done and OP, I find your post incredibly sad.

Those questioning how long food banks offer support:

We offer 2 food parcels for a month for 3 months and then once a month. We have some users for the last 3 years but often families dip in and out as required.

We ask for evidence that they need to service which alines with what the charity commission suggest.

You'd think so would you?
Tescos app has a 'save for later' so if you have put something in your basket but change your mind it takes it out but reminds you when you next shop.
So why can't they have 'donate to food bank' too.

People can donate money so their not overwhelmed with bags of pasta and pasta sauce etc. I would rather donate then they can buy what's in demand. They need the vans to collect the food which obviously costs. Some do it voluntarily there's a community fridge accross the road from our house. It's mainly to reduce food waste. They can take out of date food still good enough to eat. Food banks though only take unperishable food and has to be in date.

Our local community fridge picks up out of date food from participating supermarkets to avoid it going to landfill. I use it - to avoid the food going into landfill. I've just made homemade curried parsnip soup, yesterday was fresh tomato soup, and tonight was salmon and veg katsu curry. All free and not wasted.

We (and lots of others!) donate money to our local food bank every month. It means they can look at the donations they have and then top up any missing items and offer more consistent support to people. It’s also easier for me as I don’t have to remember to drop off donations!

If it was a genuine question you wouldn't have needed to ask your follow up "but who pays for the..." because it had already been answered multiple times by then.

I think there's some confusion here between food banks (to which people in hardship are referred), and no-waste initiatives, which collect excess food and sell it to the local community for minimal charge. Our local no-waste organisation runs a food hub, which is open to everyone.

Maybe that's what I was thinking of then.
There's the app where you can collect food yourself.

Individuals who donate money on a one off or regular basis
Local businesses who support charities
The tens of thousands of charitable trusts in the UK
Gifts people leave in their wills
People who run marathons, cake sales, jump out of planes and do all kinds of weird and wonderful things.

Sorry have you just came out from a rock and discovered what charities are?

There seem to be posters here who think Food Bank clients should be grateful for out of date food, that they should work around any food allergies or intolerance and not need help for more than a few weeks because they should work harder to change their situation!