Trussell Trust research on foodbank usage over school holidays

[AliceDMumsnet]

Hello,

The Trussell Trust have been in touch about their recent research which shows a rise in the number of children being fed by foodbanks over the summer holidays, with 4,412 more three day emergency food supplies being given to children in July and August 2016 than in the previous two months.

Between July and August 2016, of all 67,506 three day emergency food supplies from The Trussell Trust foodbank network that went to children,

27% went to 0-4 year olds

47% went to 5-11 year olds

21% went to 12-16 year olds

5% went to children of an unknown age.

The new figures come as The Trussell Trust launches its national Summer Appeal and encourages people to donate to their local foodbank as the school holidays start.

We at Mumsnet HQ sometimes get asked what Mumsnet users think about families using foodbanks, and about our users' experiences of using them themselves, so do please let us know what you think. Do you have experience of using foodbanks to feed yourself and/or your family?

Thanks,
MNHQ

Would you mind me asking why you don't just budget better so that your children have electricity, Copper?

Genuine question.

You are quick to judge others for lack of budgeting among other things. Be interesting to see if you are able to use that same judgement on your own situation.

Copper you are apparently so clued up on one issue you can't take the blinkers off and see that there are actually many other issues and situations which require help and compassion.

If I didn't have a food bank delivery at one point my only other option was to literally beg or steal.

But, hey, my 4 dc and i had a roof over our heads in a refuge (that I very nearly couldn't get housing benefit for and would have had to leave because my ex screwed us over) so we didn't deserve help

'there you go you see, so many of the posters here claiming they need the child benefit to pay the bills have attitudes like this.'

What, that they have to pay rent no matter what? Imagine, what a shocking attitude to have, that it's paramount to try to keep a roof over your kids' heads .

'We washed in cold water, as do most of the world, as have most Europeans done throughout history.'

Most of Europe didn't wash throughout history, but open fires have been used for the 'convenience' of heating for millennia. The Romans used to pipe hot water under buildings to heat them. It's hardly modern pampering .

'Most of the uk is NOT cold enough to NEED heating. To use for comfort and convenience , yes, but this is the first generation for whom it has been universal, I'e certainly had many times in my life without it, it is not necessary, certainly not in the summer, certainly not instead of using child benefit to feed children.'

There's a wealth of scientific evidence that this is patently untrue and being consistently cold has a negative impact on health, particularly in the very young and very old.

Child Benefit is to pay for the well-being of the child, it is not a food grant or it would be in the form of food vouchers.

But carry on, you're digging a lovely hole . . . here, have some rope, too.

Most of the uk is NOT cold enough to NEED heating

An estimated 9,000 people died last winter in England and Wales as a result of living in a cold home, a university study has suggested.

This was taken from a BBC article March 2016 which was a study by ULC.

9000 deaths.
Do not tell me it is not cold enough in this country to need heat Copper

I am not offering an ignorant and weak argument at all, and I am far far better informed than a lot of you.

How?
Because you say so?
Becsuse you work with 1 vulnerable client group?
Please enlighten us all to your superiorty Copper

Would you mind me asking why you don't just budget better so that your children have electricity, Copper? it was an electrical fault, which took a week to be repaired, but we often camp, and spend weeks without electricity.

but if I didn't have enough money for electricity and food, I would simply not top up the meter, its no big deal.

An estimated 9,000 people died last winter in England and Wales as a result of living in a cold home, a university study has suggested.

excess winter deaths are mostly caused by respiratory infections, which spread more in winter.

not related to heating, healthy active individuals can stay warm in other ways.

but again, if you are choosing between heating and feeding your children in the summer holidays, think about saving money on heating! Some people just don't because they consider it a necessity. It really isn't, particularly in the summer.

More people die in winter. More people die in the dark. That's just how human beings function.

'but if I didn't have enough money for electricity and food, I would simply not top up the meter, its no big deal.'

How did you prepare and store food then? You can't even boil water for a packet of noodles without hot water.

Without leccy.

this thread is asking what we think of food banks. many people think they are a self full filling prophesy, they cause issues, they infantalise recipients, they create dependency.

However, they are a good source of extra sales for the super markets that collect donations at the till!!!

I worked in a school of over 1700 students, all the parents were contacted and asked to send a food bank donation to the school every week.

There was near total blanket refusal and disapproval. There were competitions set up to see which form, and which year could collect the most, this was met by scorn. In a whole year there wasn't even enough collected to fill a suitcase.

That is what people think of food banks.

There is real poverty and destitution in the UK. Food banks are a distraction, a bit of fuss and palava, and self congratulating amongst a few people

They are helping very few people who genuinely need help.

excess winter deaths are mostly caused by respiratory infections, which spread more in winter.

not related to heating, healthy active individuals can stay warm in other ways.

Read the first line. It states as a result of living in a cold home
Or are you going to ignore that bit because it does not fit your fucked up agenda?

Also electricity/gas is not just used for heat. It is used to cook, to heat water and for medical equipment.
Poor people turn off their heating in summer. They are poor not stupid Copper

You think being poor is simply because people have not budgeted correctly. I have never heard anything so stupid in my life.

You say you work with the homeless.....how do you think they got there? Was it because they did not keep tgeir utility costs low enough

Your last post is bullshit.

The reason we have so many people living in poverty is 30+ years of disastrous economic policies. End of. 'Hard work' won't pull you out of poverty when wages have been stagnating for over a decade, and most jobs are insecure and badly paid (there are still plenty of large corporations using every dodge they can think of to pay less than the minimum wage). The housing bubble and the explosion of buy-to-let means that most people are spending a far larger proportion of their income on housing costs.
What is needed, more than ever, is universal basic income. The one thing that would fix the vast majority of social problems is to, purely and simply, GIVE POOR PEOPLE MORE MONEY. Unconditionally. Up the top rate of income tax and increase corporation tax, and go after those who dodge it, to fund this. More money for the poorest boosts the overall economy and everyone benefits.

Your last post is bullshit

do you seriously believe you know what happened in the school I worked in better than I do?

They won't ever be supporting a foodbank again! there are plenty of other charities children and families are happy to support.

I'm not sure if cosmic is doubting that 1700 people from the same school all take the same stance as you about food banks, or doubting you ever having worked in a school given your lack of empathy, either way I'm with cosmic.

You seriously need to get out of your narrow little world and take a good look around you.

You are lying Copper.
1700 plus parents did not collectivly turn their back on supporting a foodbank and voice their disapproval. Never happened.

Unless it was a school for cybermen no emotion and a hive mind? If not then nope you are making it up.

You really dont have a clue.
The street homeless you believe we shoud support (and not support foodbanks) visit homeless shelters/soup kitchens and churches so they can get food, a hot meal if possible. That food is donated. From FOODBANKS, members of the public, local food businesses and cash donations.

The homeless shelter in my city also runs a food bank and charity shop which anyone can be refered to.
They do all they can to stop people becoming homeless so the choice is not rent or food.

I suppose if you worked with the homeless charities you would know that

You are lying Copper.
1700 plus parents did not collectivly turn their back on supporting a foodbank and voice their disapproval. Never happened.

well, you see you have now totally lot all credibility with anyone who knows the school, and it has been mentioned here, so there are parents from there who look at these forums.

It did happen, I watched it happen and go on happening. It carried on for a year.

The pupils and parents at that school are for the most part caring and generous people.

What they did not appreciate was being expected to hand over what was for some of them, scarce and carefully budgeted for food to be handed to neighbours in the same position as them, using the food bank.

even the wealthy ones who could easily have afforded to give plenty, point blank refused to get involved .

The street homeless you believe we shoud support (and not support foodbanks) visit homeless shelters/soup kitchens and churches so they can get food, a hot meal if possible. That food is donated. From FOODBANKS,

This would be illegal.

You cannot represent a charity as donating to one group of people, than give it to another. But of course you would know that, supposedly with all your power and high connections.

They do all they can to stop people becoming homeless so the choice is not rent or food.

hmm, you don't understand what "no recourse to public funds" actually means do you.

maybe you should research it a little, then you might understand why we have orphaned teenagers putting their heads down on the actual pavement every night in the UK.

This would be illegal.

You cannot represent a charity as donating to one group of people, than give it to another. But of course you would know that, supposedly with all your power and high connections.

Ha ha everytime you post I realise how little you know.
No it is not illegal.
Foodbanks are open to all who need them. So if you donate to a foodbank it can be distributed to anyone in need of food.

How else do you think shelters and soup kitchens work? The fairies provide the food?

I have no power but I do have proffessional connections. I work for a charity that supports those who access foodbanks and shelters amongst other things so I have a decent understanding of how it works. Unlike you it seems.

Having no access to public funds is 1 of the many reasons people become homeless. Not paying rent to buy food is another.
What is it you are finding so difficult to understand?
You think people are homeless for 1 reason only? Very odd.

Dd's primary school make regular collections for the foodbank. It is a very mixed catchment area and no doubt some of the children are at times fed by the foodbank. Each collection brings in a haul of food (generally three shopping trolleys piled high) so it doesn't ring true to me that from a school five times bigger than dd's there was a blanket refusal to donate.
All schools local to me make a collection of food for Harvest Festival and donate that to the foodbank as it is always reported in the local press how much is donated then in terms of families they are able to feed as a consequence.

COPPER. I have never in my life come across anyone so lacking in compassion or empathy and I simply do not believe that this individual has even an ounce of the humanity required to think of anyone other than itself, let alone work with those less advantaged. Utter fabrication IMO. I cannot bring myself to read any more - it is just too depressing to think there are individuals like you out there.

Fleshmarketclose what a lovely thing to do! I think the point is that it is the most vulnerable people, those already receiving benefits, tax credits, etc who cannot manage. Let's face it everything has gone up massively and people cannot survive and make ends meet no matter how careful or frugal they are.

Copperbeech33 you obviously despise people in the UK who cannot manage because of your past homelessness and/or extensive travelling in third world countries where the poverty is indeed horrific. However we are not in a race to the bottom. Yes, a child in poverty in the UK will be better of than a Street child in India. A young person thrown out of his home is in a dangerous situation wherever they are in the world. I am concerned that food banks only give 3 days food and discourage repeat requests or so I am told.