Thoughts on Foodbanks

[GlasgowSWFB]

Hi there. It would be really useful to hear your thoughts about foodbanks.

Have you ever been to one?

Have you ever donated to one?

Do you have any criticisms?

Do you have any questions?

Thanks.

Why would you find that useful? What are your thoughts?

Yes, though not as a user

Yes, regularly

Yes, many criticisms of our government's priorities that don't seem to involve families- most working now- living in poverty

Which paper do you work for?

Which paper do you work for?
this

What essay is due?

Which paper/arse-wiper do you work for?

What suspicious times we live in?

I have been a foodbank volunteer/trustee for nearly 9 years.

We really value feedback to serve people better.

We are happy to help students with projects, essay, dissertations.

We speak to the press and have received very good treatment from them.

Our ambition is to close.

Thank you. Especially for your donations. We know the difference they make.

@GlasgowSWFB

Here are some of my thoughts apols for the long post:

Have you ever been to one? No, haven’t needed to use one thankfully

Have you ever donated to one?

Yes, I’ve donated food occasionally, and money as well, between 15 and 150 pounds on an adhoc basis. Usually when the cost of living crisis is in the media and I’m reminded how tough a time some of us are having atm.

Do you have any criticisms?

That’s a tricky one. On one hand I find it utterly depressing that in a wealthy country such as the UK you can have people going hungry, and even more horrifying, people not having enough to eat while they are actually working. On the other hand I’m very glad that food banks exist and hugely admire people who dedicate their time and resources to making them work.

As with all effective charities, the fear is they are stepping in using free labour to do what a good government of a wealthy country should be doing- providing an adequate safety net for all their people. We can afford to feed everybody. For that reason I feel having an aspect of the movement that’s advocating for the rights of the people it’s serves is also important, as is highlighting government failure in this regard. However I understand that’s not always possible too. Maybe if people using the foodbank we’re also encouraged to/ facilitated in making contact with their local representatives this would be useful? Or even just encouraged to or helped to register to vote? Not sure but feels like there should be some synergy there.

Another aspect I find difficult with charities like food banks is my worry about the efficiency of it. I have a preference for the provision of money directly to people generally as I think the evidence around this shows that people tend to be very good at meeting their own needs when they have the flexibility of cash to buy what they need themselves. So in an ideal world, food banks would look a little like very low priced supermarkets where people are given money to buy what they want when they want it. Ideally it would be low on priced because I would expect that donations from retail businesses and a foodbank’s ability to bulk buy and sell goods without a profit should mean lower prices. I don’t know enough about how foodbanks work to know if something like this would work in practice, but I suppose there’s a slight paternalistic, maybe disempowering aspect to just being given food without too much choice (I could be wrong about this- maybe people 100% get to choose what they want but that’s been my impression).

I worry too about people just giving food in the supermarket, it’s great that people can feel like they’re helping, and donate nice products they think will be important for people but my guess is this adds to the sorting burden for volunteers and means the food bank offer might be less consistent as well. I think ideally, something like “tap to pay” donation unit should also be available at the collection sites, just a really quick and easy way of donating if you’re walking by, being able donate any amount from 50p to £3000 (this is actually possible on some smart phone apps, Google pay for example can have a pretty high pay limit).

Do you have any questions?
Yes! (But some are very complex so I don’t necessarily expect answers at all, just providing them in case they are helpful)

What do you see as the most useful ways people can support a foodBank?

What notable changes have you seen over the course of the time your foodbank(s) have been open? (Thinking in terms of demographics, items requested, most demanding times of the year, any policy changes that have impacted of FB activity)

You say you don’t want to exist, which makes sense, I wonder is there a medium to long term food strategy that Foodbanks have developed or have endorsed that would help ensure this happens?

Do you know if there is any research done on relationship between the expansion of charitable foodbanks and the provision of similar services by national government or local councils? I.E. is there any sign that foodbanks have maybe led to gov spending being reallocated away from food provision initiatives?

thank you for the work you and your colleagues do.

Thank you so much for the time and thought that went into that reply. It is very helpful.

I totally agree with most of your points. A fuller answer, which your post deserves, will need to wait until tomorrow. I am up early for my day job. (Accountant not journalist! 😉).

Thank you again.

Yes, as a donor
Yes
Criticisms - not of the food bank or its staff but I don't donate food any more because I sat in the car park and watched men in their 30s collect bags of food, then sit on the wall outside, smoking. If they can afford to smoke then they don't need a food bank.

Now I give nappies and children's toothbrushes etc.

Thank you again! And no need to apologise for the long post. We hope a lot of people read it.

We are glad you have never had to use a foodbank. Hopefully that will never change but if we have learned one thing over the past eight and a half years it is that almost anyone could find themselves in the position of needing help.

Thank you for your donations. We know how much of a difference they make. As an accountant and our treasurer, I would hope that your money donations are under Gift Aid. It adds 25% to the gift at no extra cost to you.

Thank you for the criticisms. We so welcome these and almost always agree with them. They often are about things we have no influence over but seeing other people's take on thin hogs can and has informed some of our campaigning. If it is something we can change we are very open to it. While we don't want to exist as a foodbank, for as long as we are needed we want to be the best foodbank we possibly can be.

Your paragraph starting "That's a tricky one." We have said and written very similar things many times in the past. With your permission we would like to quote that on social media.

Free labour - we would say volunteers - that is very true. We couldn't exist without them.

We are involved in advocacy in campaigning and advocacy at various levels. As a small individual charity, as part of the Trussell Trust network (across Glasgow, Scotland and the UK) and along with other food charities including IFAN.

This thread is part of that process.

One of our favourite quotes is from St Augustine 1600 years ago. "Charity is no substitute for justice withheld". We want justice. For people to be relying on charity to put food on their tables in a rich country is so wrong.

As a charity we cannot be party political. We work with local politicians from various parties. We have a great relationship with our local MP and the team in the constituency office.

We are looking to give more of a voice to the people we are privileged to serve.

There is an exaggeration put about that the problems driving people to foodbanks is that they can't cook and they can't budget. While most people could benefit from increased skills in those areas it isn't a complete answer. We are often asked for items such as cooking oil indicating that many people want to cook. But then we get people increasingly asking us for items that don't needed cooked - because they can't afford the electricity/gas.

For us we want to see people able to choose and buy their own food with their own money.

Low price supermarkets - in various forms - community supermarkets, pantries, etc - are spreading fast and we welcome them and are working with some locally. They offer some choice which we are unable to do for reasons given below and the dignity of being able to pay for it.

I don't think bulk buying is much of a possibility especially compared to the buying power of the main supermarkets. Keeping the price down is dependent on donations of food, money, free labour.

They aren't a complete answer. They often rely on surplus food and supplies of that are unpredictable both in range and quantity. But they do help.

We don't and can't give much choice. The model on which we operate is to give a three day food parcel that is as balanced as possible. Our premises, staffing, and general logistics make that impossible. Before Covid, where we were welcoming people into the buildings where we are hosted to a cafe type environment, we were able to give some element of choice and, if we were quiet enough, to swap items over. We are hoping to get back to that soon.

Giving in supermarkets. Very good points. The sorting can be a challenge especially from the big collections (also at sports clubs) is a bit of a challenge to us. Both in sorting and also in storing. We never have too much food - we sometimes have too little storage. But they are very important sources of food for us. We are able to ask in store for things we need which helps the balance of stock. We are buying in about £2,500 food per month and this enables us to address the balance.

The "tap to pay" at collection sites is a wonderful suggestion. We have a JustGiving account which is our main source of income and we also have text giving. We had never thought of advertising these at the collection points - we will look into that.

Best ways of supporting?

Donations of time, money, food are always needed. People should contact their local foodbank (and they will have one!) to find out what is most needed. Standing orders (with Gift Aid) are very welcome. They remain our only "guaranteed" source of income each month.

The more people that are involved in advocacy and campaigning, the better. That can be as basic as challenging underlying assumptions (some of which are close to being myths) on social media.

Contacting local politicians. Asking questions at hustings.

The demographics are broadening with an increasing range of social backgrounds.

We see - and welcome - different groups of refugees and asylum seekers - we have recently seen our first Ukrainians.

Covid was and is very significant. We actually found our numbers falling for a time largely as a result of the various measures which were in place. A lot of groups popped up to address community needs. The extra £20 on Universal Credit was very helpful and the removal of it was a major blow.

The numbers overall appear to be falling in Scotland and increasing in England. Some of the measures taken by the Scottish Government are making a difference.

Have foodbanks led to Government spending being diverted? That is difficult to answer. We think that may be the case and we do ask ourselves the question "what if we just closed - would Governments take the load?" We have never come to that conclusion and hopefully the campaigning will more than offset that.

I think all foodbanks want to close and it will require Government action. The 2019 general election saw one major party making a pledge to remove the need for foodbanks within three years. We welcomed the aspiration. However, the impact of Covid and other shocks to the system would probably have derailed that.

So than you again.

If you or anyone else would like to contact us directly please email [email protected]

Hopefully the goods that you so graciously provide are going to mothers who are non smokers. So judgemental.

I think that food banks should not really be necessary in this Country, but sadly they are needed. I have donated before, and should do a bit more now.

Brilliant thread, we donate £30 a month to our local food Bank. I used to give stuff from my weekly shop to my church who would then pass on but figured it was better for the food bank to just have the money to use as they see fit.

The fact people need to use food banks is a national disgrace.

This is my main thought on the issue. I've donated (small amounts of cash on an ad-hoc basis). I've never needed to use a food bank but I'm a single parent and don't have a lot to spare myself.

What a disgraceful government we have. Fucking Boris with his £800 a roll wallpaper and wanting to build £150k treehouses. Utterly appalling.

No

Yes

The people who run my local one (hackney food bank) don't collect the donation bin from the supermarket, so it gets to overflowing, people stop donating, and the food expires. Very frustrating.

I have a real problem with the food bank model - much along the lines of a PP’s eloquent post above. If people want to help they should really consider donating money which can be used efficiently. A pay point at collection points on the supermarket is a great idea.

The massive inefficiency of me paying retail (rather than wholesale) price for a single tin of beans then that needing to be transported, sorted, handed out makes me quite angry.

I also think removal of choice is quite dehumanising. There are some great studies of how well people do if you give them a reasonable lump sum and let them make their own choices.

Thanks so much for this thorough reply, you are welcome to use any of my post which you might find useful on social media or any other campaign material.

I completely agree with you regarding the myths associated with poverty and food scarcity, particularly the idea that what is missing are “skills” to cook from scratch or knowledge about what constitutes healthy food. A lot of research I’ve seen related to healthy eating and good meal planning for example show that what’s most likely to be missing is money and secure expectation of money, as well as mental “bandwidth” which is likely to be taken up with concerns about working, caring duties and worries about the future.

Another myth that I’ve seen crop up is the idea that if people need to use a foodBank it’s likely because they’ve made some sort of mistake in life or because they mismanage their money, as you point out though there’s a broad range people who need this sort of support with about 13% of workers experience poverty in the UK.

I always giftaid for this type of charity. I’m glad to hear that you have a good relationship with public reps locally and I will make an extra effort to raise the issue of food poverty, food banks and fuel poverty with my local representatives.

Thanks again for all the work you and your colleagues do.

I managed a trussel trust food bank for three years. I left because I don’t think it was serving the community effectively. There were several groups of customers who had a file of addresses and decoys they could use to claim inordinate amounts of food that was then sold on or returned to stores for vouchers. All the food bank did was put a black pen through the barcodes on donations and agree with the local supermarkets not to accept returns for those items. The food bank I worked for took no responsibility to ensure the food being donated went to the people who really needed it as they didn’t want to appear judgemental. I’m glad I left 7 years ago and choose to donate to other charities now. It’s a shame really.

Thanks for your donations and thank you that you are continuing to donate nappies. Just after we opened we had a young mum who could only change dirty nappies and not wet ones. That appalled me. My first granddaughter was in nappies at that time and it really made it personal for me in a way it hadn't been before.

We can understand and share your reservations about "inappropriate" spending being "subsidised" by our donors. Our approach on this is to take the view that "who are we are we to choose between the deserving and undeserving poor?"?

We had a woman who came to us. Terrible circumstances and she really needed help from the support charity who referred her to us. She used to ask for nappies and when asked "what size?" Replied "what have you got?" We checked and discovered that she was selling them. Rather than send her away we simply said "sorry, we don't have any."

On the spectrum between naive and cynical we always err on the trusting side but recognise we have a duty to our donors to make sure that we use their donations wisely.

I am sure your local foodbank have gone through similar thought processes about nappies.

Thank you.

Totally agree. Thank you for. Your past and future donations.

Thank you for doing that. It's lovely giving something physical - my granddaughter and the tins of chickpeas comes to mind" but a regular donation is very flexible and can be pinpointed. I hope if you are a taxpayer and your local foodbank is a registered charity you are using Gift Aid. That turns £30 into £37.50 at no extra cost to yourself.

Thanks again.

I came on to say the same 🤔

We could not agree more.

We sometimes refer to our existence as a stain on society.

Someone said "there is no shame in going to a foodbank, the shame is for society that has allowed them to be necessary."

I volunteer at the local homeless shelter.

The foodbank model has become a necessity but imo it does not actually help people to become responsible.

Like all of us, the people who use it are looking at their budget and doing basic maths. So for example, they have £40 and need food / cigs/ bus fare/ whatever bill and they start to make the calculation..........food bank will cover food, so that leaves £x for bus fare, £x for cigs, £x for whatever bill.

That's how they can still smoke.

We would all do the same in this situation - get what we can for free and use the money we do have elsewhere. Why pay for food when you can get it for free is the basic maths? Yes, you have to be at rock bottom to be having to make these calculations, but it is not to say they definitely 100% cannot afford to eat. The model enables people to not have to factor in food.

Also, the food is always pretty gross and nutritionally non-viable. It certainly doesn't encourage cheap home cooking.