Help with Free food parcels

beautifylife

Hi, I'm trying to make my very small income stretch and food is one of the biggest outgoings aside from utilities.

I've been searching online to see if I can get any free food from e.g. a food bank locally but not having any joy. It would really help to take some pressure off if I can get some help in this area.

I'm based in Yorkshire - does anyone know of any charities that could help?

Thanks

Errata

Ask at your local CAB, district Voluntary Services office, AgeUK. Yorkshire's a big place; however there are Food Banks in Leeds, Barnsley, Hornsea and due to open in Hull.

satchmo1

It isn't always easy to find where the nearest Foodbank is. The next paragraph is an extract from the Diocese of York's website. Then there's a link to the Trussell Trust, who are the Foodbank originators, on the homepage there is section "Find your nearest foodbank" which gives a UK-wide map.

“If people are in need of food and help, they should contact care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, and social workers, who can issue them with a foodbank voucher. They can then bring their voucher to the foodbank at St Nicholas Church where it can be redeemed for three days emergency food. We’ll have volunteers there to have a cup of tea with people and try to point them to agencies able to solve longer-term problems.

http://www.trusselltrust.org/

Good luck, OP, and I hope you get the help you need right away.

Satchmo x

Savvy_Sue

Note that you probably can't get food on a regular basis from a Food Bank. I know that ours will normally give 3 parcels in a set period unless there are very very special circumstances, but they will work with people to resolve any problems, eg benefits not coming through etc.

You might also find other less formal projects: the Sisters of the Church near where I work give out food parcels twice a week, and although they get to know everyone who comes regularly I think they just give to everyone as often as they turn up.

XxXfashionqueenXxX

Could always use coupons.

heathersamuel

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Note that you probably can't get food on a regular basis from a Food Bank. I know that ours will normally give 3 parcels in a set period unless there are very very special circumstances, but they will work with people to resolve any problems, eg benefits not coming through etc.

You might also find other less formal projects: the Sisters of the Church near where I work give out food parcels twice a week, and although they get to know everyone who comes regularly I think they just give to everyone as often as they turn up.

Just to add, the foodbank we run in Buckinghamshire doesn't limit how many parcels we give out - although we work through social services/ health visitors and other charities and organisations (such as YMCA, Sure Start). We rely on the professional health care workers etc to determine when a crisis is passed and then we usually don't need to supply food anymore.

We do also do the work mentioned above, working to resolve the problem causing the inability to buy food (debt counselling for instance) however, as has been widely reported, many families where both parents are in work are not starting to struggle with food bills - resulting from wage freezes but increasing cost of living amongst other reasons..

We did start at a church, and the original poster may well find that her/his local church will be able to help, if there is no foodbank around.

NeverInDebt

it would be nice if all supermarkets allowed customers to put food in a area for people who are in need I am sure most of us wouldn't mind giving a tin or two. The supermarkets would win as it makes them look good too and people in need win. Obviously it would be nice that food went to genuine people and not free loaders I am not saying OP is nor everyone but there are some who may

Most of us are feeling the pinch the problem lies with those on low incomes who are the first to get hit when rising prices and lowing incomes due to benefit/wage cuts in real terms. I also know there are some who are always in genuine need too

allformygirls

go for coupons like ..XxXfashionqueenXxX said ..! ..some people get help from local church... defo.. go to local CAB office .
with the price of electricity and gas going up ...your not alone.....

best wishes

heathersamuel

NeverInDebt wrote: »

it would be nice if all supermarkets allowed customers to put food in a area for people who are in need I am sure most of us wouldn't mind giving a tin or two. The supermarkets would win as it makes them look good too and people in need win. Obviously it would be nice that food went to genuine people and not free loaders I am not saying OP is nor everyone but there are some who may

Most of us are feeling the pinch the problem lies with those on low incomes who are the first to get hit when rising prices and lowing incomes due to benefit/wage cuts in real terms. I also know there are some who are always in genuine need too

We are ramping up to that, our bank has only been going since May. Supermarkets are really very good at this, we just need to have the structure in place first to recieve, sort and disribute the food (we started in a cupboard at a church, yesterday Big Yellow Storage gave us their biggest box for free!). The Trussel trust , mentioned above, have great links with supermarkets and do massive collections there all the time.

The ethical side of it, figuruing out who is in genuine need, is a real toughy. Who are we really to say what is and isn't need. Just cos a mum makes a mistake/bad choice on her spending one week - should we let a child go to bed hungry....

Foodbanks are amazing, because they really help with social issues, there is evidence that certain criminal activity decreases as foodbanks start.

And yep - we have families where both parents are in full time (albeit low wage) employment who cannot make ends meet. What do you do - the rent or the food? a roof or an empty tummy....

We have links with local doctor's surgeries, health visitors, Sure Start, YMCA, CAB, Job centre, homeless connections, churches and other centres of faith, the police - all of whom delight in refering people to us for help. If the OP contacts just one of those they may well find a foodbank.

moggymutt

In my area (SW/Mid Wales) the local YMCA gives out food parcels to people every fortnight- they reckon that one or two people abuse the system, but they'd rather have that that genuine people go without.
Our town is very small (only 2000 people) and the food parcels get sent up from a larger (but still by most standards small) town about 20 miles away. The town that provides the food parcels has a very long history with food parcels from the time of the miners strike when many families went hungry.

I agree with heather samuel that it can be families with both parents in work are struggling badly- slightly off topic, but its for that reason that our local cat rescue offers free neutering to everyone in the immediate area, not just those on benefit.

more_money_for_me

http://gfn.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=foodbanking_find_uk