The Foodbank

[turkana]

It's not the same but I sometimes go to a community fridge & a couple of times they've had more than can be given out in one day so I've taken extra & said that I would distribute it amongst my neighbours, maybe that's what he was doing

 

[SEL]

Our village allotments donate surplus veg to a place that turns them into soup / pies etc so I could see excess of those being handed out. The food bank is more basics.

 

[YorksG]

Well thanks for that. How helpful. Yes I have donated to foodbanks, although I had no idea that this was a criteria for asking a question. Silly me. I really don't feel that it is up to anyone to presume what view I may or may not have. I merely asked a question, that is all. Is that okay with you?

You asked for thoughts, I posted mine

 

[criso]

That is interesting re the difference between food banks and pantries - hadn't really realised re the pantry set up, so I suppose that is a bit similar to Good to Go, that the idea is not wasting food.

I think the church near me calls itself a foodhub. However it's very much about helping people rather than food waste.

There's actually a few nearby but this one is by one of the bus stops and I walk past or go past on the bus most days so see what they have.

The church ones locally don't seem to be listed on the official list on the council website and seem to be operating independently by their own criteria.

 

[honetpot]

Our village does a food swap about twice a month, open to all, I like it because it reduces some of the stigma. I give money to the food bank so they can buy what they are short of or just pay the rent.
With bills going up I think families who would have never needed help are in a Catch 22 situation. They perhaps earn to much too get any support, but keeping warm and a roof over your head is a set unavoidable cost, so food is the only way you can cut costs. When we were broke I know that is what we did, paid the bills so no one was after us for money, and I know every way possible to make mince in all its forms look different and go further.

Fresh food can be difficult to store for food hygiene HACCP. I tried giving away a lamb which they could collect from the butcher, and had no takers, even if I asked the butcher to mince it all, bag it and label it. One village I know of has the village pigs, which live on a plot of village land, you pay a share and get a share at the end. Pigs are a reasonably quick return on your investment, and not as much hassle as sheep.

 

[Indy]

Our local one is called Bentley Friends, it's a cafe where kids go free and meals are affordable and then it becomes the Leg Up Foundation foodbank. No referral is necessary.

 

[Esmae]

they will have come from a community type pantry/foodbank. I've often been and collected things and distributed them around my neighbours. They encourage you to do so. Their mission is to feed people, but also to avoid food waste so a slightly different aim than a food bank which is to avoid people going hungry.

A food bank wouldn't give someone a bag of the same things.

I really don't know. I was unaware of a difference. He said it was from the foodbank. Please don't misunderstand, I am not saying that people should not share. I am saying there should be no place for a foodbank in a modern society. However, we are where are, and if folk are in need then they are, sadly. If they need help then they should get it. I don't like the thought of anyone taking the mickey out of other people's generosity or at other people's expense. Human nature being what it is then I guess there will always be someone trying to manipulate the system. The question was "How does it work? What are the rules?" Thank you I get the picture now.

 

[criso]

I really don't know. I was unaware of a difference. He said it was from the foodbank

People call the foodhub near me a food bank and I've seen it described as such in articles and online so there's no real precision in how the words are used never mind understanding the difference.

I can imagine them giving a bag of leftover stuff that won't keep to someone. The alternative is leaving it out in the trays for passers by to help themselves.

 

[Upthecreek]

People are also different in the expenses they can't control especially accommodation.
.
Housing benefit depends on the local council. When I was in Brighton, Hove and Brighton councils had different policies so you actually had the situation where people in the Hove side of the street would have to contribute more to the rent than those on the Brighton side. HB can top up low income so could be applicable to working people.
Rents are getting higher and one person may be lucky and find somewhere reasonable but another might not so a higher percentage of their low income goes on rent. Then there is energy. If you have a house that is difficult to heat and can only have electricity, a bigger chunk of your income goes for that. The cost of energy also means that you might limit how much you cook. Then travel, one person may work locally, another has to travel to work. In London that might be £50 a week - that's the weekly cap for zones 1 to 3. Outside London, lack of public transport means you may need a car to work.

So while 2 sets of people are getting the same money be it a low income or benefits, some may have expenses outside their control that mean it will not be possible to manage.

Which is precisely why I said “of course it depends on individual circumstances”. There are many factors that affect how people spend their money, some which they can control and some which they cannot. I didn’t say it isn’t a complex issue or that the same applies to everyone. I’m well aware that thousands of people on low incomes that try hard to manage what little money they have might still need to use foodbanks because the money doesn’t stretch far enough. But as I said earlier, unless referrers go through people’s bank statements to check their income and expenditure there is no way to distinguish between those who are in genuine need and those who might not be.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

"There should be no place in a modern society for a foodbank".

I think we can all agree with that.
Some of your remarks did seem rather judgemental though. As if you thought the man should not share food that he wouldn't be able to eat himself before it had gone off.

 

[Annagain]

I suspect it was the wrong choice of word from the guy offering the pork pies and they came from a waste reduction scheme rather than the foodbank as the foodbank usually provides emergency food for up to 3 days and makes a big effort to ensure it's as balanced as possible. There's also very little fresh produce in there due to the nature of storing donations until they're needed. They wouldn't just hand out bags of pork pies.

 

[Upthecreek]

Asking for a friend if anyone knows anywhere handing out free pork pies….. If they are free I believe the calories don’t count

 

[criso]

Which is precisely why I said “of course it depends on individual circumstances”. There are many factors that affect how people spend their money, some which they can control and some which they cannot. I didn’t say it isn’t a complex issue or that the same applies to everyone. I’m well aware that thousands of people on low incomes that try hard to manage what little money they have might still need to use foodbanks because the money doesn’t stretch far enough. But as I said earlier, unless referrers go through people’s bank statements to check their income and expenditure there is no way to distinguish between those who are in genuine need and those who might not be.

No but you did mention people who manage their money well, I think I would have phrased it differently as circumstances might mean no amount of careful budgeting makes it add up, not that they're not managing it well.

The independent one near me is open without need for referral and the fact they frequently have leftovers suggests if people go there who don't need, they are at least not taking it away from people who do.

You would be queuing on a busy road as it operates from the yard outside the church so I don't know if social embarrassment would put off the people who don't really need it.

Here's an article about it.

Church in Tottenham hands out £10,000 cash

The foodbank and social hub has been fundraising for the local community during the cost-of-living crisis A church in Tottenham has given out £10,000 ca

haringeycommunitypress.co.uk

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Having just re-read the thread;

It would be very unusual to be able to go to a FB and just pick up anything you fancied.

Packages are normally organised to contain a balanced meal for a particular number of people e.g. a tin of stewing beef, tin of tomatoes, packet of rice.

I wonder why some people find it hard to trust others' motives.

 

[Upthecreek]

No but you did mention people who manage their money well, I think I would have phrased it differently as circumstances might mean no amount of careful budgeting makes it add up, not that they're not managing it well.

The independent one near me is open without need for referral and the fact they frequently have leftovers suggests if people go there who don't need, they are at least not taking it away from people who do.

You would be queuing on a busy road as it operates from the yard outside the church so I don't know if social embarrassment would put off the people who don't really need it.

Here's an article about it.

Church in Tottenham hands out £10,000 cash

The foodbank and social hub has been fundraising for the local community during the cost-of-living crisis A church in Tottenham has given out £10,000 ca

haringeycommunitypress.co.uk

I think you are being unnecessarily picky in your interpretation of what I said. I’ve repeatedly said it depends on individual circumstances and is not as simple as managing money well. And really, if there is surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, should it be means tested in any way or should anyone be able to get food for free regardless of their income?

 

[SEL]

"There should be no place in a modern society for a foodbank".

I think we can all agree with that.
Some of your remarks did seem rather judgemental though. As if you thought the man should not share food that he wouldn't be able to eat himself before it had gone off.

I didn't read it like that - I read it as the OP being annoyed that a food bank might have given out food to someone who was giving it away to anyone who wanted it

 

[Snowfilly]

There’s a couple of food pantries near me which would work like that, they aim to get rid of leftover food. I’ve taken big lots of baked goods or fruit at the end of the day if they’re starting to go, they won’t be held til the next day and making use of them by divvying them up amongst neighbours is better than the bin.

I’d bet any money you like those pies came from a similar scheme - and they all tend to get called food banks for some reason.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I didn't read it like that - I read it as the OP being annoyed that a food bank might have given out food to someone who was giving it away to anyone who wanted it

Oh I think we can leave FBs to work out for themselves their criteria for distributing food in their particular circumstances. As we have seen on this thread there are many different arrangements, which apparently work well on the ground.
I really cannot see that any FB would handover multiple fresh pies to the same person expecting the pies to last several days. Those pies would have had to be eaten that day. It might even have given the man a boost to be able to share food with others, if he has to use the FB regularly.


Eta, I think we should all be more worried about the fact that the gvt grant to LAs to support schemes like FBs/ bed banks/ hygiene banks/clothing banks is coming to an end than about the way those organisations have been organising their distribution

 

[I'm Dun]

Which is precisely why I said “of course it depends on individual circumstances”. There are many factors that affect how people spend their money, some which they can control and some which they cannot. I didn’t say it isn’t a complex issue or that the same applies to everyone. I’m well aware that thousands of people on low incomes that try hard to manage what little money they have might still need to use foodbanks because the money doesn’t stretch far enough. But as I said earlier, unless referrers go through people’s bank statements to check their income and expenditure there is no way to distinguish between those who are in genuine need and those who might not be.

And how are you deciding what is a genuine need and what isn't? Is this like the argument that millennials wont ever own property because sometimes they buy Starbucks or eat an avocado? I'm quite happy to give you a breakdown of what your entitlement to benefits would be and then you can try living on it for a month. You might find you change your mind about what you define as genuine need once you've tried to live like that.

 

[criso]

I think you are being unnecessarily picky in your interpretation of what I said. I’ve repeatedly said it depends on individual circumstances and is not as simple as managing money well. And really, if there is surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, should it be means tested in any way or should anyone be able to get food for free regardless of their income?

I appreciate that your remarks weren't meant that way. Just in a climate where many people including politicians talk about people being able to manage, using a phrase like manage their money well buys into that narrative even if not intended.

In terms of who gets it, there are many people who may not quite fit into the criteria or do not come into contact with authorities that could issue a referral for the official food banks and I'd rather a few take advantage than people don't get it who need it. They are not turning people away here and seem to have leftovers that won't keep

 

[Upthecreek]

And how are you deciding what is a genuine need and what isn't? Is this like the argument that millennials wont ever own property because sometimes they buy Starbucks or eat an avocado? I'm quite happy to give you a breakdown of what your entitlement to benefits would be and then you can try living on it for a month. You might find you change your mind about what you define as genuine need once you've tried to live like that.

What? I’m not deciding anything, I just made the point that it’s very difficult to establish genuine financial hardship unless you were to check people’s individual income and expenditure. For example you could have two families receiving exactly the same income, but how they spend their money is completely different. Not everyone has a mortgage or pays rent, not everyone runs a car or uses public transport etc. There are so many variables and so many different factors, which makes it very complex. You have misinterpreted what I have said and made a lot of assumptions about me.

 

[Upthecreek]

I appreciate that your remarks weren't meant that way. Just in a climate where many people including politicians talk about people being able to manage, using a phrase like manage their money well buys into that narrative even if not intended.

In terms of who gets it, there are many people who may not quite fit into the criteria or do not come into contact with authorities that could issue a referral for the official food banks and I'd rather a few take advantage than people don't get it who need it. They are not turning people away here and seem to have leftovers that won't keep

I completely agree that everyone who needs the service should be able to access it. We were told we could only give a certain number of vouchers within a time period, but I expect (hope) this has changed due to the economic downturn over the last few years. The families I worked with who were most in need were generally the most reluctant to accept the vouchers, but hopefully there is less embarrassment and stigma now.

 

[Parrotperson]

Food banks would not ever give a lot of any one item to a customer. He didn’t get them from a FB at all.

Fell off the back of a lorry……??

 

[Esmae]

Apologies if anyone thought I was being judgemental. I wasn't. I just wondered how it all worked, that's all. It seemed odd that anyone who needed the foodbank would be giving stuff away. Just didn't get it. I do absolutely understand about having no food and no money. Been there, done that. Thank you for the explanations. It has given me the answer I was looking for.

 

[SO1]

Food banks can be run by anyone as long as they have the right insurance and they can do what they want in terms of distribution of donated food.

A large donation of pork pies with a use by date may result in the last few customers of the day being allowed to take the lot rather than them being thrown away. A lot of people do not eat pork for religious reasons so they may not have been a popular item amongst the users of the food bank.

 

[criso]

Apparently not. I feel that maybe there should be, in view of the bloke wandering about the local social club with a carrier bag full of pies asking if anyone wanted one as he had been given them by the local foodbank.

The OP just said pies not pork pies. They may even have been apple pie.