To think that I might give my token to the hedgehogs?

[Autumnalbride]

~ PLEASE SEE PIC FOR CONTEXT ~

Is it necessarily because people don't care? Or is there just less opportunity to support hedgehogs?

I have the foodbank app and when I do a big payday shop, I go through the app and put one of each of their must needed items in a bag, plus a treat like a packet of biscuits or something and maybe some baby food pouches, and then put it in the donation drop off thing on my way out. Costs me maybe £20-£30 a month.
But I don't get much opportunity to support hedgehogs and I really really love wildlife and I am concerned about hedgehogs declining.

So although this isn't where I live and I haven't had the choice, I can imagine looking at that with a token in my hand and thinking, hmm, I've literally just given to the foodbank, I could give this free token to the hedgehogs.

Is that bad?

I’m not one of those people who considers animals superior to people, but I’ve only seen one live hedgehog in my life, but plenty of dead ones on roads. So I’d choose the hedgehogs.

We still give to the food bank (a monthly DD to the Trussel trust and ad hoc food donations to our local food bank), but it's with a sense of unease.

We have close friends who volunteer at our local food bank. Several men who seem to be alcoholics have gone there regularly for years. They receive benefits, but presumably use that to buy alcohol rather than food. Their drinking problems became noticeably worse when the food bank was there to give them free food.

There are also a number of parents who smoke while in the queue, in front of their children. Again, presumably they spend their money on cigarettes whilst others are donating food to them.

We certainly couldn't afford to donate what we do if we had expensive habits like that. And I hate the idea that I'm contributing towards enabling not just laziness and dependence, but also addiction, anti-social behaviour, and harm to children's health.

We continue to give to the food banks, partly because we know there are people in genuine need, and partly because my husband is I guess softer hearted than I am! And - incidentally - we've done a fair bit of practical work to help hedgehogs locally, although not by any regular financial donations.

But the unintended consequences of food banks concern me. Our town also had community fridges, where you can donate a suggested £2.50 (but don't have to), and take a share of food early on, or at the end an enormous amount of food - whatever would otherwise get wasted. It's open to anyone, but more effort than the food bank because the food is less predictable, and includes lots of fresh, slightly beyond best food.

Today I went at the end and took 5kg potatoes, several loaves of bread, 2kg carrots, 4 cabbages, 3 dozen tomatoes and a few other things. I tend to share some with friends and neighbours, but use lots and preserve the rest in various ways. I rarely see the long-term foodbank regulars at the community fridge, and sometimes cynically wonder if it's because it's more effort, and perhaps beneath them because some things are past their best. It seems madness that there's food going straight to be composted today (i couldn't practically take it all), whilst tomorrow we'll be buying tinned food requested by the food bank.

Yes, I know that living in poverty is exhausting and that not everyone has the same capacity to cook/preserve food etc. But my past includes addiction and a period of grinding poverty, and those experiences increase my concern about the effect foodbank rather than decreasing it.

Excellent point. By looking after the ecosystem, we’re looking after people.

It's a public post. It's not on a private group on Facebook. You don't even need a Facebook account to see it.
You can control the audience very easily on Facebook. He has chosen to put this out there to absolutely everyone. He WANTS people to see it and share it.

My parents spent money on fags and booze when I was a kid. A lot of money in fact, out of the very little we had.
The salvation army used to give me toys and clothes. Did I not deserve them because my parents didn't give me anything?
Do kids not deserve to eat because they have shit parents?

It's not a zero-sum game though. People will care about various things. Some worry about children having enough to eat, some are passionate about wildlife. All of it is better than not caring at all or being actively destructive.

I'd rather donate to save hedgehogs than some other causes. Not unreasonable at all OP.

For context, I am a member of the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust. Wildlife matters.

We still give to the food bank (a monthly DD to the Trussel trust and ad hoc food donations to our local food bank), but it's with a sense of unease

They're middle class do-gooders. They won't take sugar oh my goodness dahling, poor people can't have SUGAR. My local one moaned about advent calendars being donated at Christmas. And they won't take baby formula (they absolutely can and the government has said they can).

I'd donate to other food banks not run by them.

How is it shitty, it’s the guys attempt at comedy on a public page, not an extract from his journal.

I was responding specifically to her saying that the reason she feels uneasy giving to foodbanks is because she sees parents smoking in foodbank queues and they have money for cigarettes.

I was just pointing out that that's not the children's fault.

I was maybe a bit harsh because she did say she still donates to them. But I've heard attitudes like this my whole life and finding it so upsetting that people think they won't donate because parents are shit. It just means kids suffer more than they already do.

Me too! 🥰🐝

Everyone loves a Mrs Tiggywinkle. After seeing them occasionally in my garden I bought a bag of hedgehog food and put a bit out every evening. Tbh we tend to put things like toothpaste and floss in the food bank bins, things people still need but perhaps don't get donated so often, we also take bits to local Buddhist monastery. There are so many things that need help but you be selective and make your own decisions.

The opinion of Gary from Monmouth is not one that needs to trouble you.

He's entitled to it, but it's an opinion, not an edict.

That's a fair point. I'm sorry you went through that growing up, my response was overly dismissive, I apologise.

I far prefer hedgehogs to most people, so I think you did good :)

Hedgehogs > Garys.

Personally I would give all donations to the animals.

I pay loads of tax some of which is then given to the various food bank charities in grants so I already feel I do my bit for that.

Hedgehogs all the way for me! And I wouldn’t apologise or feel bad about that! Infact, any animal charity

I like hedgehogs more than people tbh.

All those spines and yet still fewer pricks when you're dealing with Hedgehogs, I find.

No one cares who you give your token to.

Supermarket donations are tokenistic (pun intended).

I work in the charity sector. These Waitrose (and Tesco) donations tokens decide how much each charity gets. The lowest amount of tokens gets £500, the middle £1000, the highest £1500.

As a charity, it's bloody infuriating. With the Tesco version you apply for this 'grant' about 1-1.5 years before it's actually in the shop (if you're lucky), up to 2 years before you get the money. You can't plan much because it needs to be something there is no urgent need for, and you really can't do much with £500 these days.

Your anger should be aimed at the supermarket for making this process difficult for the charities. Why can't they just split £2000 equally without the hassle? They'd probably save themselves £1000 in time, and could add that to the donation to give £1k each instead of £666.66.

(Yes I know it's just marketing to make supermarket customers think they're doing something positive and local.)

Humans just don't seem to like other humans unfortunately. A few weeks ago an elderly lady fell down some steps in town, along with her dog. There must have been hundreds of comments asking if the dog was ok and some of them were quite angry towards the lady for falling in the first place and taking the dog with her! Hardly anyone asked if the lady was ok.

Thank you xxx

That's absolutely horrible 😞