My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

This topic is for sponsored discussions. If you'd like to run one with us, please email [email protected].

MNHQ have commented on this thread

Sponsored threads

Let's talk food poverty with Oxfam and Unilever - read how MN bloggers got on during a recent visit - you could win a £250 voucher NOW CLOSED

92 replies

AnnMumsnet · 19/12/2014 10:38

As you may know we have been working with Oxfam and Unilever to showcase their efforts with the work currently being undertaken via their partners Trussell Trust and FareShare with foodbanks in the UK. All together the support from Unilever is worth over 2 million meals to those in need.

You can find out more about the project, and Oxfam’s role here: here

Unilever says "Many UK families struggle to make ends meet. At Unilever, we are working with Oxfam, and its partners, Trussell Trust and FareShare to turn this around. We see a bright future where people from every background can thrive"

Since 2012, Unilever has helped provide nearly two million meals by supporting Oxfam’s work in the UK. This has included helping to set up foodbanks with the Trussell Trust and enabling the distribution of good quality surplus food through FareShare.

Oxfam recently hosted 4 MN bloggers for a day where they learnt about the projects first hand - they say "we were pleased to give the chance for the bloggers to explore, engage and to inspire them to write about food poverty in the UK and Oxfam's role in addressing the issue".

You can read about how the bloggers got on my reading their - sometimes very moving - blog posts by clicking on their names below:

In this post, Being Tilly's Mummy describes her own experience of struggling to feed her family, and how going to a food bank helped her get back on her feet, on a practical level, but also emotionally. Visiting Brent reminded her that a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear is sometimes just as important as receiving the food.

Blogger WitWitWoo wasn't sure what to expect when she visited the Trussell Trust's food bank - especially when she learnt it was in a church - and was a little nervous about the experience. But what she found a warm, safe, welcoming environment, free from judgement.

For Joy to the World, the experience made her realise how important it is to bust taboos around using food banks - she found laughter and camaraderie there, and was struck by the kindness and generosity of local business owners who were donating food.

For casa costello - who went to Liverpool - she was overwhelmingly aware of the dingity - saying "nNo-one should be made to feel worthless or embarrassed about needing the help and this was such a strong message at Crosby"

themeltonhouse was unable to attend at the last minute but also blogged

On this thread we'd like to hear about your perceptions and possibly experiences of foodbanks. For example; have you made a direct donation, does your business get involved with this scheme, have you been on the receiving end of a foodbank, do you think you need support like this?

Sometimes this is a contentious issue, but whatever your view, please post your thoughts below. As a gesture of thanks, one winner who posts will win a £250 voucher for the store of their choice (from Unilever).

Please add your comment by 2 January 2015. Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Let's talk food poverty with Oxfam and Unilever - read how MN bloggers got on during a recent visit - you could win a £250 voucher NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
Report
Princessxo · 23/12/2014 23:48

I know someone who uses a foodbank and I also try and help as much as I can. It's wonderful that the service is there for those that need it.

Report
Daariina · 23/12/2014 23:56

Coming from a poor background myself, I know what it's like to be in poverty. I've never had the luxury though to have the option of foodbanks so it was always starvation for me. When I came to live in the UK, it was like several doors just opened. I think it's amazing that foodbanks are there.

Report
ButterflyOfFreedom · 24/12/2014 07:56

It seems very strange to me that we need food banks in this country but it is obvious that we do. Such a sad state of affairs.
How can we walk into a supermarket and see so much food, so much choice - and know that a lot is wasted / thrown away, then hear so many stories of how much in demand food banks are?!

I'm lucky in that I have never had to use one but I have donated.

I just hope the Government can do something to help eradicate hunger, malnutrition & poverty.

Report
Summergarden · 24/12/2014 08:12

Fortunately I have never needed to use one. I have seen Foodbank collection bins in some supermarkets but must confess I have never got around to donating to one. I wouldn't be completely sure about what was best to donate, based on seeing posts on Internet forums about baked beans not being accepted etc.

I do think it is outrageous that such a service is needed in the UK, one of the wealthiest countries of the world, it's shocking really. I personally think that we should reduce the arms budget to help look after our own people a bit better, and be more effective at chasing up huge international corporations to force them to pay the taxes they should, as it would cover the financial inadequacies of (not) looking after UK citizens.

Report
honeysucklejasmine · 24/12/2014 08:39

We do a foodbank through our church. We collect a few bags which are for self contained meals, e.g. Pasta bake, sausage and mash, Christmas dinner. They have a shopping list stapled to it do we head to the supermarket and buy all the things required. We do not ever buy value items for the bags, only branded or owe brand. We then give them in and they are distributed. Some go out from us directly, but many go out through the YMCA or the local council who ask us to supply them.

Many people take the bags in to their work and their colleagues each fill a few. Everyone likes to help, even if it is just giving me a tenner and asking me to fill the bag on their behalf.

We also fill "no-cook" boxes which don't require any heat or electricity. We give these mainly to the homeless, but also people who have struggled to pay their bills or have been cut off from the grid.

I love filling the bags and knowing someone will benefit from the meal i am buying them. Sometimes i think the recipes could use some work (yorkshires with sausage and mash? Wink ) but mostly i am pleased someone is not going hungry.

Report
TheHoneyBadger · 24/12/2014 09:01

i'm just trying to get my head round it.

three days of non perishables is essentially a bag of pasta or two, a couple of cans of soup, a couple of cans of fish and/or meat, some beans, a packet of biscuits or crackers? definitely i could get three days of non perishables for less than i could get bus fares.

perhaps the 'three days' is to make the point it's an emergency service not something to be relied upon which makes sense but yes, for those who have to travel it is prohibitive. sounds like some try and provide some type of emergency delivery service but i'd imagine it's hit and miss.

seems like it would be good if local communities were able to set up their own methods - re: all very well those driving to their supermarket 7 miles away and donating there but sort of misses the point if someone three doors down from them is in food poverty and unable to access the food bank that they've just donated to.

not trying to pick fault here actually - trying to think of local solutions for rural communities. i work helping source funding for charities and community projects so this stuff is kind of of interest to me and i've done a lot of research and work recently that has alerted me to the particular issues faced by those in rural communities as in that being a compounding factor of other issues.

Report
Hopezibah · 24/12/2014 14:59

I used to perceive them slightly negatively having seen people keep going back to one of our local churches again and again asking for handouts when they didn't actually need it but were taking advantage of that churches kindness (it was not a formal food bank but were just trying to help out). But having seen a lot in the press this year, I now view them a lot more positively and as meeting a real need.

These are not people waiting for a handout - but people in real need at times of crisis that would use the food bank. I think the publicity (both good and bad) has actually done a lot of good in raising awareness of food banks this year.

Another local church does a collection point and work with a local supermarket and official food bank and that is really successful. We donate food to that one sometimes.

I think foodbanks are a great idea because you never know when the time may come that someone may need to use one. Often it is the nicest, most well meaning people, whose circumstances have left them in a difficult position and its good to know the food bank is there in times of crisis.

Report
nerysw · 24/12/2014 18:00

It's sad that we need them but the cost of living versus what a lot of families have left to spend on food is making them more and more of a necessity.

Report
Scatlett4456 · 24/12/2014 19:32

Its so very sad that we need food banks. I felt guilty today, buying lots of treats when others have so little. Our school organises collections and the children get a lot from giving.

Report
nightswift · 24/12/2014 23:18

I am lucky not to have any experience of foodbanks. I am a bit embarrassed to say i know very little about them - i have no idea if we have a local one, where it is, or how i would donate, what the crieria is to use it or who runs it. I have seen the trolley at the supermarket but as other posters have said these would be better at entrance to plant the seed and i would like to know where my donation is actually going. Are food banks a new phenomenon or have they been around for decades? Either way it is pretty damning reflection of the society we live in. I also wonder if foodbanks are affecting local charities - they are relatively high profile and as most people maybe only donate a few times a year are they taking more than their fair share and leaving other local causes worse off - just a thought...

Report
Unescorted · 25/12/2014 07:12

HB - I have PMed you. You make a very valid point about the cost of accessing services in rural areas.

Report
mipmop · 25/12/2014 18:05

My local food bank collected non-food items such as children's clothes and toys this winter, and welcomed second-hand items. I was happy to pass on lightly-used baby clothes and toys as they were still in great condition. In my area it isn't always obvious that food banks are collecting, what they want or where to donate, particularly if you don't happen to use the one supermarket who is involved. I do wonder if there is another way to get the message out.

Report
Cherryjellybean · 25/12/2014 22:06

Our local food bank goes to the supermarket to collect with a trolly at the front and nice people handing out cards with what sort of things you can donate. I nearly always donate a few things.

Report
Cherryjellybean · 25/12/2014 22:59

I am also lucky enough not to have needed one, but I wouldn't know how to access one if I needed one or where to donate other than when they are at the supermarket

Report
heyday · 26/12/2014 20:13

The incredible rise in foodbanks is amazing but it's also desperately sad that there is such a huge need for them. I do think that the government is now leaving the basic care of its citizens to charities and the general public which saves the government millions of pounds. This is not right.
Like othes have said, the collections in a lot of supermarkets is at the exit rather than the entrance which is not going to remind people to buy a couple of bits until they are leaving the store.
I wonder if foodbanks request donations of basic hygiene items such as cleaning products for both the person ie soap, shower gel, sanitary items and household cleaning products such as detergent etc as the costs of these essentials can really add up.
Personally I think it's amazing that there is so little stigma now in using a foodbank and I truly hope that the percentage of people mis using them is very low.

Report
meandjulio · 27/12/2014 00:04

I'm just sick and sad that we have had this explosion in food banks in such a short time. Can't help remembering celebrating the New Year in 2000 - if you'd told me this would happen in the UK so quickly I'd have wanted to give up.

I don't want supermarkets to screw down prices any more than they already do - who pays when they do that? Rural producers, that's who. It won't be the Sainsbury family that feels the pinch.

Report
SaltySeaBird · 27/12/2014 09:04

I've learnt a lot about food banks from Mumsnet (reading talk threads) otherwise I think I would be quite ignorant. I'm in a fortunate position that I've never needed one. I asked my local supermarket if they were doing a collection but they weren't so I'm not sure where I would donate locally. I think there needs to be more information and prominence in semi-rural areas as to how people can make a donation.

I was sad to read on one recent thread about not donating value brand items (hotly contested by others) and interested to read that baked beans aren't needed and that it is things like long life milk that are required.

Report
mjmooseface · 27/12/2014 16:14

SaltySeaBird I've read elsewhere about some food banks not accepting value brand items! It seems bizarre as those who aren't super well off, but well enough off to not need food banks, often rely on value brands themselves! I do. Most of what I eat is supermarket own brand, therefore what I donate is value brand, too! If I could buy myself luxury branded food items, I'd donate that, too!

Report
museumworker · 27/12/2014 20:44

I suddenly found myself a homeless single mum aged 25. I was going into my final year of uni and my money was all over the place. I'd never heard of foodbanks at that time but somehow managed to make it through til my finances got sorted, although I lost a lot of weight and the stress definitely affected my mental health. I think it's good that people are now talking about them more, and it is easy to donate, at least in London. Thanks to MN for highlighting and great to hear a big multinational supporting such important social projects. Although I'm a bit confused about why the term 'food poverty' is used, rather than just poverty. Please enlighten me!

Report
Keletubbie · 27/12/2014 21:02

Donating to food banks in the run up to Christmas has allowed em to have some valuable chats with my DD about how other people live. We've been through some rough times with redundancies and illness over the past couple of years, with the only thing keeping us out of the food bank queue being regular food parcels from my parents.

We're in a better place now, and have decided to keep adding a few bits to our weekly shop throughout the year to support those less fortunate.

Report
JaneAHersey · 28/12/2014 08:55

The work of food banks is vital especially when so many people in the UK are being plunged further into poverty. However, charities should be challenging this government daily on the reality of poverty for children and young people who do not cope with this daily stress and trauma. There has been a 40% increase in youngsters self harming because of poverty since the Coalition government came to power. The Welfare State; benefited by all but now being dismantled by government was quite rightly implemented to improve the health of the nation and to protect children from hunger, cold, poor housing and lifelong trauma.

People need to have excess food to be able to donate to food banks, increasingly people find they need any excess food for their own families. We live in a wealthy country, charities as well as people in the public eye should be asking why the Red Cross have had to launch food aid in the UK.

Report
LEE88 · 28/12/2014 13:56

I think food banks are a good idea, there is a trolley in my local supermarket and when I can I pop a couple of tinned fruit or veggies in, and before Christmas they had a toy collection which I donated to as well.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

TheHoneyBadger · 28/12/2014 14:19

having done more research i think i'm going to try to find a way to raise awareness and hopefully money for those who don't live within walking distance or a short, subsidised, cheap bus route of a food bank. for them foodbanks, especially with this three days non perishable rule, offer nothing.

i'm very glad they're helping urban poor but i hadn't realised what a very small geograhical circle their services were available to.

Report
helenthemadex · 28/12/2014 22:06

it is a huge disgrace that there are so many people needing the food banks in this day and age.

I have had to use one, it was an awful for my self esteem, but it helped me get back on my feet. Now whenever I see collections for food banks I always give something. I think that there should be permanent collection points in supermarkets, they have plenty of clothes collection bins, pet food collections, batteries etc and perhaps for those that do online shopping you could either add food stuff to be given to local foodbanks, or money for the foodbanks to buy stuff they need.

Report
helenthemadex · 28/12/2014 22:10

sorry my post was not very clear, I mean those who do their online shopping for delivery could add food stuff toiletries, nappies etc for donating to foodbanks to their shopping, or a cash donation. Ebay have a similar thing where you can donate money to charity when you pay by paypal.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.