Food banks

[Rachel8967]

Struggling to make ends meet with my current salary and am struggling to afford food with my energy bills and rent costs. I’m feeling really embarrassed. Has anyone accessed food banks? How do they work?

Getting an additional job isn’t an option. I already work full time in the NHS with antisocial hours. I could potentially get a different job but after putting in so many years at university and accumulating huge amounts of student debt I can’t believe I’m in this position :(.

With traditional food banks you need a referral from, for example, a social worker.
But there are community fridges, social supermarkets, olio etc where you can get food for free or very cheap without a referral

Trussell Trust has a free national helpline
Help through Hardship, on 0808 2082138 open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. They will be able to guide you. I am so sorry you are in this position.

Community fridges operate slightly differently around the country, ours is free and you don't need to get a voucher, just turn up and help yourself here, no restrictions but they ask you to only take what you need to allow others to take good too.

I also suggest finding out the exact time they yellow label at your local supermarket, eg I live near a Waitrose and they second sticker 90 mins before closing, I've had chickens for 50p, veg for 10p etc.

Whereabouts are you based, OP? We have a great local community group who have a community fridge.

Please don't feel embarrassed. You are definitely not alone. You are working hard in a job that is really important and essential and there are definitely people out there who can help you over a difficult period.

Trussell Trust Foodbanks have a voucher system. Don't let it put you off, give them a call/check website and they will tell you how to get a voucher.

Citizens Advice, Job Centre, Community health treams, health visitor, housing officer, schools sometimes refer.

If you don't have any of the above, speak to them as they will help you. Lots of people are in this situation, don't be embarrassed.

Please don't feel embarrassed Rachel - we all need a helping hand from time to time, and it sounds like you spend a lot of your life helping others, so this is a way that others can now help you. Depending on where you live, different food banks will have different rules - the one I help run doesn't require a referral at all to start with, so you could collect an emergency bag straight away. Google food banks in your area - most will now have a website where you can check criteria/opening hours etc. Honestly, we are really used to people feeling embarrassed, and it is then our job to make you feel as welcome & comfortable & as we can when you are there.

Food banks might offer a temporary solution, but won't solve the problem long term.

Are you able to move areas? There are plenty of places where you could afford to live reasonably comfortably on a graduate NHS salary so I assume that you're in a high cost area and your rent is taking up too much of your income.

If you have unsecured debt and are unable to make the payments as well as basic expenses like rent, bills, food and travel then that's a trigger to look for a formal solution to your debts if you have them - you shouldn't be in a position where you can't cover basic essentials due to debt repayments.

Op there is never ever any shame to find yourself in this position! Only complete compassion.
one thing that worked with a lady I know in the same positions was she tried to give back if you like.now I start by saying in no way do you have to in order to earn your right to food.but after her own hardship she really wanted to give back. So she worked an evening a week in soup kitchen.and also got her hospital trust to set up food bank crates in all their departments. Once handed out to patients some packets can’t be offered out again.but we’re perfectly safe for use.the amount they got to donate back to the food banks and charities was astounding.
And she was straight to the kitchen to see how they were using food waste.

Thanks so much everyone. It’s been really helpful.

Unfortunately I can’t change where I live because I’m a junior doctor and whilst we could rank hospitals at the start it’s decided by your rank at medical school and this situational judgement test we have to do so I’m pretty much stuck living where I am now.

I could start looking for a job outside of medicine. I’ve considered taking up tutoring for A level sciences and maths instead because it pays a lot more. That’s probably my best option right now.

Will there be a long term benefit to staying in medicine if you can stick it out?

Have a look at the olio app where you are. It's all about saving the carbon cost of surplus food, so you're helping the environment by collecting some. I give away allsorts - fresh fruit and veg, ready meals that can go in the freezer etc

Don't give up your job, OP. Long term it's a much better prospect than the alternative. This will be a temporary issue that we can help you fix.

First question is have you got any family or friends who can help you?

Can you free up any money by transferring debts to 0% rates etc?

Some areas have local food banks where you can self refer and can help to support longer term.

Don't give up your job OP - it's incredibly difficult to find a job right now. Can you get some locum shifts / work? 30,000 pound jobs are quite hard to come by and usually need specific training.

Food banks are simple - most don't need a referral but you can actually get a referral from many places - including your GP. Have you contacted the BMA?

Also make sure you have applied for all grants in your local area you are able to.

As a junior doctor you have a reasonable salary and good future earning potential so you will have no problem getting credit to get you through the early years.

Obviously you are not going to quit and become a tutor because the longer term earning potential is miserable by comparison.

Many communities have started up food pantries. In my area it’s £2.50 per shop for a set amount of items, you donate stuff just as you do to a foodbank and they use the income to purchase fresh items. I follow this one on FB, it’s similar to the one near me and the stuff looks really fresh. Drill Hall Pantry. It’s a fabulous idea and also stops food waste. Maybe there’s one near you that you don’t know about?

Olio and Too Good Too Go (particularly the latter with anti social hours) are both worth looking at too - both apps. We got 30 pounds of Leon's the other day for 3 pounds - perfect for working late, and lunches the next day etc.

Have you any dependent children or a partner?
I appreciate junior doctors are not on a high salary but I’m fairly sure it’s enough to feed yourself.

Definitely check whether you have a local community food bank.
We don’t ask for referrals.
You walk in, we ask for the first half of your postcode and how many adult and children are in your household.
Take your own bags if possible.

Our food is the laid out in sections, fruit and veg, tins, bakery, fridge etc and each has a coloured sticker above- green is take as much as you want, red is only take what you need.

A volunteer will then pick what you ask for and place in a bag for you. Don’t be afraid to take as much as you need.

At the exit there is then a donation tin, we ask for £2 pp if possible.

So the starting salary is £40k - can you do more shifts to supplement?

Can you live in a house share?

www.yourlocalpantry.co.uk/pantry-listings/

Low cost food e.g. one local Pantry gives £15.00 worth of food for £4.50. After 8 shops there, the 9th is free.

A Pantry is:

Member-run: Pantries operate along cooperative lines, and many volunteers are members too.
Open to all: You don’t need a referral - anyone who lives in an area served by a Pantry can join.
Long-lasting: You can join for as long as you want, and can choose to go every week or just occasionally.

Pantries stock an abundant and wide range of top-quality food including fresh fruit and veg, frozen and chilled food, meat and dairy products, and long-life tinned and packaged food.

Would it help if you asked for help with your budget ?
A Junior Doctor is on a much better salary than most families. Maybe the wise folk on MN could help you look at where the money is going and maybe where savings could be made ?
I think a lot of people who donate to the Trussell Trust or to their local food banks would be a bit surprised to find their donations going to people who earn so very much more than them

What a stupid comment do you have any idea of the costs involved in moving house lol if op is struggling to feed herself I doubt she has a few grand to spare to move to a cheaper area lol

Thanks so much all.

Trying not to go into specifics as it does feel really embarrassing and I’d had for this not to be kept anonymous. I never thought I’d be in this position.

I budget very carefully using an excel spreadsheet.

Whilst medicine will have better earnings when you get further into the career, my priorities at the moment are maintaining the roof over our heads, paying my energy bills , childcare costs, petrol and doing my best with food by going through the reduced sections in the evenings.

Whilst there are locums available, the locum rates are capped by our hospital to quite low levels. It’s a decision to locum vs. childcare which is just as expensive so there wouldn’t be much net income.

I’ve cancelled my BMA membership as can’t afford it.

In response to ‘Laurie Fairy Cake’

My starting salary is 29K after 5 years of medical school accumulating huge amounts of debt. i think a lot of people don’t know the reality

Sorry to hear you are struggling and don't have enough to cover basic living costs - that's a lot to deal with. I hope their is a pantry in your area and you can access good food at a low cost. Many people are turning to FoodBanks for help and lots of people working in the NHS do too.