food banks collecting in supermarkets

[TotallySociallyInept]

I popped into a supermarket on my way home. Not in the town I usually shop. This town is notorious for it very wealthy residents the whole area is. There was someone collecting for the food bank in the foyer. Lots of people took a list leaflet (they didn't have to, the fb person wasn't in the way or holding them out to people) I took one too. As I went round I tried to get as much as I could afford for the bank. In the past I have come very close to needing a fb. So my heart goes out to people and families that need them especially near Xmas. I'm not at all well off now. But I felt I could do this even if I may regret it later on in the month. I spent about £25-30. I take ages to shop. So when I came to hand over 3 bags to the bank, I was shocked to see the trolleys almost as empty as I went in and the fb person surprised I was giving him bags instead of 1 or 2 items. I wondered if this was normal? if they collect in less affluent areas, do they get more donations because people have more empathy? Or is just me?

Hi totally. I have reported your thread so hq can see you want it moved.

Id try to tell you how to do it but without knowing which version of the site your looking at I'd just confuse us both.

Lovely thread

I did the collection recently for our local FB at the next town along which is very wealthy area. Lots of people were so genrerous and kind. Onean took the little list and came back with one of everything on it - very literal! It was around Diwali time and I had Asian families handing over 2 or 3 bags full. Just as important were the pensioners donating a solitary tin of soup.

The only rude people were the well of looking, dripping in gold and Boden older white women. They were the ones who turned away with faces that showed actual disgust! They were the people whose made point of stopping to tell me that "these poor people wouldn't need to beg for food if they stopped smoking", and who asked if the food was for "English people only?". It was hard not to tell them to go fuck themselves I tell you!

I'm always amazed that the pet food box seems to get more donations than the people food one.

It's just the same in my local Sainsbury's too ouryve. Same kind of mentality that results in a donkey sanctuary being the richest charity in the UK, while domestic violence charities are woefully underfunded .

www.theguardian.com/money/2008/apr/23/charitablegiving.childprotection

Helena
Thank you. I've no idea were it would go either.
Hopefully MNHQ will help when the thread dies down so it can then be there for reference purposes

I go to the supermarket every other day and will donate every time, so 'only' put a couple of things in at a time. It amounts to a bag or 2 over the course of a week.

The pizza video was sweet but a bit disingenuous. The people he asked had 1 item of food (single slice of pizza, 1 burger) and he was clearly well dressed etc when he asked them, designer watch on show etc and did not appear all that persuasive with them, his body language was very different and he didn't talk as much.
When he approached the homeless man who had more than 1 portion, he was more covered up, hunkered down to the man's level and engaged him in much more emotive and persuasive conservation and was holding a soda cup as if he was going to start begging too. So, yes, the homeless man was more generous than the others who may well have been able to go and buy another burger or whatever but I'm not surprised that they weren't inclined to give their single portion meal over to a person who did not appear to be at all in need and in fact looked pretty comfortably off (nice watch on the one, designer trainers on the other). Had the 'experiment' been giving the homeless man a single slice of pizza and the guy standing in front of him like he did the others, he may not have got the same result.

The variables with the homeless man were completely different to those with the other people so you can't compare the results and draw a conclusion beyond it was a shit experiment.

I realise this isn't a science thread. As you were

SqueezeyCheeseWeasel
Love the name

Went to tesco today and their food bank trolleys were full. I wouldn't say it's a well off area either.

Stubbornstains, a donkey sanctuary isn't the richest charity in the UK, it's just receiving more than a DA charity in public donations. But people can donate to whatever they want, and domestic abuse has plenty of public money spent on it so it's something tax payers are already contributing to, unlike donkeys. Many charities are underfunded.

thanks, socially

I of course meant conVERSAtion there, not conSERVAtion

The Elizabeth svensen donkey sanctuary help hundreds (probably thousands) of children with additional needs every year. For some of those children riding or grooming the donkeys is an excellent source of therapy.

Is that the 'Devon based' one from the article Inthedark?

If so, that was a bit of a pointless and misleading article from the guardian there. Just goes to how how easily our opinions can be swayed by shit journalism.

Thanks everyone for the great advice on what to buy for food banks. I think it's a great idea for supermarkets to have a trolley by the entrance for people to put stuff in. I think relying on people to make the effort to find out when their local food bank is collecting and then buying stuff and taking it there or whatever doesn't yield as much stuff at all (I totally hold my hands up and say that I am one of those people who doesn't really 'make the effort' as much as I should, but whenever there is a trolley, I buy a few bits to put in it)

I don't really know about the 'affluent people don't care' attitude, or the looking down on people because they only put in 3 items as opposed to 3 bags, but whatever. The tescos is my very non affluent town had a trolley about half full, so I don't know what that says.

That video posted on the first page has been on my Facebook recently with people sharing it and saying they couldn't stop crying etc - I watched it and thought it was the fakest thing I had ever seen!

Anyways, its good to have a think about what things to put in next time I am at the supermarket - San pro, toothpaste, instant noodles, instant mash - got it!

I believe it is the same one woowoo because the Elizabeth sevensden donkey trust and the other main one (can't remember its name) merged a couple of years ago and became known simply as 'the donkey sanctuary'. The donkey sanctuary do indeed have a branch in Devon so I believe it is the same one that provides therapy to many children and adults who have additional needs.
The work that they do is very worthwhile. Obviously the work that domestic violence charities do is also very worthwhile but we shouldn't be arguing about whether one worthwhile charity gets more donations than another worthwhile charity. I agree that the guardian article is misleading but a simple google will show anybody that the donkey sanctuary do great work with humans and that the funds don't just provide a home for donkeys (although that is a great side benefit of the work that they do).

I live in a wealthy area, own my own home but am cash poor. I'd hate anyone to think i was being tight by giving one thing but thats all I can afford.

I usually buy all my shopping online but spotted a collection (by the exit) of a supermarket yesterday. No leaflets. I was pleased to see people had donated posh Christmas chocolates and other treats. I intend to donate. What are the best items to give?

nicely there are lists upthread but mainly seems to be stuff you can cool with a kettle/microwave so smash/tinned curries/porridge etc, nappies, san pro, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, pet food, as well as things that would put a smile on your own face, so chocolate, puddings, treats etc.

*cook not cool!

I think it's unhelpful to suggest affluent people should be putting bags of food in (I know that's not exactly what you said, but people have taken it that way). Much better to encourage everyone to add one or two things to their shop and put it in. If everyone did this, it would make a HUGE difference.

I think the idea of putting signs on shelves to flag up the items the food bank needs is a fantastic idea.

I'm also always a bit torn on the luxuries v basics debate. Sometimes I put in treats because I think they might be valued, like some advent calendars the other week. But I wonder how helpful this is, and if the fb organizers are cursing people for putting in fripperies instead of milk powder or tins or whatever.

While I can see the benefit of having signs next to particular ties in supermarkets showing whether some then is needed by the food bank, I think that's a bit of a slippery slope.

There is already enough signage around supermarkets what with special offers and the like, why should the food bank get special treatment over other charities when they already get collection points? We could end up being expected to donate to diabetes UK with every purchase of chocolate, to the British heart foundation with every purchase of cheap sausages and bacon, or to the Red Cross every time we buy plasters.

People should never be made to feel pressured into donating, I think charity works better when everyone just gives to causes that affect them or their loved ones or that they care about for personal reasons.

Can someone who works for / volunteers with food banks let me know whether it's better for me to buy less branded items or more of the basics stuff. I normally eat the basics stuff but I don't know if it's looked down on to donate it?

Often branded stuff has lower sugar and salt, but donate whatever you can. It makes no difference to us.

Our local food bank is currently looking for shampoo, deodorant, washing up liquid, nappies, baby wipes and washing powder in addition to food.

I was just going to ask - don't know if this is a shit idea but.

I travel a lot with work and always take the mini toiletries from hotels - I have a few shampoo, body wash, lotion type things. Would they be of any use or would I look weird giving them to anywhere ? ( they are all unused obvs)