DH is using community pantry for free food

[cookingaroast]

There is a community pantry in our village, with the purpose being to cut food waste. I completely support cutting down on food waste, and the food provided is all from supermarkets who would otherwise throw the food out. My issue is more I'm a bit uncomfortable with us taking the food.
We are both in the tech industry and both fall into the higher tax bracket for our salaries, more than capable of paying for food ourselves.

I've said to DH I don't think we should be utilising this resource and leave the food for others who need it more than us but he loves the bargains (free food) he gets from it. He genuinely wants to show off the stuff he's picked up whenever he goes - which is usually once a week.

I guess I feel a bit uncomfortable that this free food could be a lifeline to people. I do like charity shopping and getting a bargain but I don't feel as bad, as I'm paying what they decide they feel it's worth and the money is going to charity. This is completely free and run by volunteers.

That is yours. Mine says it is for everyone, and says that several times on their front page.

I use the community pantry although I don’t need to. The one I use is connected to the church I attend, and when I go it has already held its weekly opening and still has food going to waste. It doesn’t open again until the Thursday the following week. I think, given it’s to combat food waste, I’m okay to use this food especially since it is going to end up in the bin by the time I attend! Community pantry’s are usually not well utilised, if they’re isn’t enough to go round then yes I agree but I know ours has too much stock so I think it should be used by more people!

My mum used to work for Boots (like 25 years ago) and one of her tasks at the end of the day was to dispose of expired food from the sandwich department. Sandwich packs were opened and chucked in, yogurt pots were meant to be opened and poured directly into the bin. Milk based drinks presumably the same.
The theory was they didn't want people not to have it but it would have meant people had to break into the bins which was trespassing and the bin area was not safe for those members of the public trying to do it.
Thankfully now shops like Boots donate to the Community Fridge/Pantry schemes.

That's a shame. In my experience CF do get bored and stop visiting.

Not all of them are the same, that should be very clear by now.

Mine says the aim is to reduce food waste and clearly states that it is for everyone.

Bingo

I am a food waste hero for olio.

My stats for last month - 1500 items shared, 1100 items collected between 55 people

I predominantly do 9:45pm sainsbury pick ups so a lot of the salad bags, bean sprouts, stir fry etc don't get shared and end up in my bin but 75% of what I collected got shared to the local community between 10pm and 11pm at night. I don't care if you are rich or poor - if you are willing to come out and collect bread, milk and potato salad at 10pm you are welcome at my door. I would rather give it to Johnny money bags than feed my dustbin.

well our community pantry is clearly for everyone - and they accept cash donations from anyone who is able to give. They often send out a message on Sat morning saying they "still have X boxes" of certain products and please come and take some to save it going to landfill ....

Well done to OP's DH for reducing food waste !

"About
We’ll pass on food that shops and supermarkets can’t sell but is still good to eat. You can also pass on your own unwanted sealed packaged food items that are still in date or fresh fruit and vegetables. Surplus home grown veg is always welcome.
Open to all and anyone can share or take food.
Opening hours
Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am – 1pm."

We used to use one, mostly giving away surplus from Co-Op, Morrisons and Holland & Barrett (one of our local employers). It's for everyone, and honestly they couldn't usually give away everything that they have anyway. It's for food to not go to waste, not a food bank. The only bad thing would maybe be taking things that you couldn't actually use, but pantries are different to food banks

"What is the difference between a food bank and food pantry?

Food banks act as a grocery store of sorts for community partners and are responsible for ensuring that partners have the resources they need to feed those seeking help. A food pantry is an independent community site that distributes food and other products directly to those facing hunger".

You can dress it up whatever way you like but food pantries are not there for high income tax bracket earners to take freebies!
If my husband went to a food bank to get free food I'd be furious!
I bet the OP's husband is one of those people who never gives a penny to charity. Imagine if all the people in the world were like him. No-one in need would receive assistance. There would be no compassion, no hope and no dignity for those who couldn't fend for themselves. It would be a dog eat dog world!

Nope.
Our local food hub says "A group for preventing good food going to waste and sharing it with the local community. Not a food bank, everyone welcome."

Not all food pantries/hub/community sharing schemes are the same. This thread has clearly explained that MANY times.

If my husband went to a food bank to get free food I'd be furious!

He wouldn't get a referral for a food bank.

It's a shame you'd be furious with him for bringing some bread home that would end up in landfill.

It''d be the greedy taking bread from the mouths of the needy!

And some do exist to primarily help people in need. Saying nope doesn't diminish that.

Ridiculous hyperbole, especially in the case of an anti waste community pantry, which you previously confused with a food bank despite attempting to differentiate the two.

If the food is there and about to go off, then for whatever reason, it's not going to get to people in food poverty in time and it's headed for waste. It's far better that it goes to someone who's going to eat it, even if they're not struggling to afford food, than to landfill.

I bet the OP's husband is one of those people who never gives a penny to charity.

There is literally no reason to assume this. Absolutely ridiculous.

I think a lot of people have immediately jumped on to the idea that he's stealing from a food bank. Once it was established that actually he's using a community resource for its intended purpose (though I agree donating to its upkeep would be a noble thing to do), they can't seem to let go of the moral righteousness. So they have to ignore the facts and come up with absolutely mad reasonings as to why it's better that the food should just get dumped, rather than be eaten. That's why the poster a little while back was rabbiting on about how she always wears second hand clothes; it's got nothing to do with the subject under discussion, but she's got to make the husband a baddie somehow and that means justifying food waste; so she had to offset that with her second hand wardrobe.

Ridiculous.

Edited for typos.

Not all food banks operate on a referral system - again this is because some people are too proud to ask for help and would rather go without than having to go to a GP or social services and ask to be referred on

I think it's fair enough as long as he just takes what you will use and doesn't take the piss. Otherwise it could end up going to waste.

Oh you mean me. I made a couple of sentences saying that there's more to being eco than saving food from landfill.

I didn't realise that we had to sit and talk only about how many cabbages it was appropriate to take from a pantry if you are a high earner

I can't remember the poster's name and can't be bothered to go back and check, but if you say it was you, perhaps it was. And yeah, my summary was accurate.

I know our local hub always has food left. The needy have had the same opportunity to take food as anyone else.

I took some bread yesterday. The bread that wasn't taken will have been binned. They are unable to distribute to the needy.

From the CAB website "You’ll usually need to get a referral to a food bank before you can use it. This includes all food banks run by the Trussell Trust."

I'm pretty sure OP and Sam9769's husbands are not turning up at non-referral food banks to claim their food parcel.

SOME.

I was correcting a PP who said "A food pantry is an independent community site that distributes food and other products directly to those facing hunger"

This is not true. Some operate in this way, most do not.

It just makes me laugh! Those not in need who are are abusing food pantries and taking freebies are all attempting to justify their actions by saying that the food they are taking would go to landfill in any event. They don't know that the food they have taken would have gone to landfill. No one has said for example that they go shortly before the pantry closes for the day and only take what is left and what they know would be thrown away. It's also notable that no one has said that they pay for the food they take to assist with the upkeep of the pantry. I doubt if those good people who volunteer would be doing so if that thought they were spending their time and efforts given to the likes of the OP's greedy tech husband who should be giving rather than taking! I also think Thatcyancat that you doth protest too much!

He didn't go to a food bank, he went to a community pantry.

The vast majority of community pantries are about preventing food waste and are open to everyone.

If more people used community pantries instead of believing they were the same as food banks and just for poor people then it would be wonderful because even less food would be wasted.

Everyone pays for the food at the community pantry I use. You also have to pay a £5 yearly membership fee.

what if the needy don't want it and it is the OP's husband or a dustbin?