Charity Food Banks

takethemon

i have recently been reading shocking facts about food poverty,where many people in our so called caring society are unable to feed themselves and their families after paying their rent/utility and other incidental bills.
charity food banks are now a well established feature of life for many of the 13 million of us who are estimated to be living below the poverty level.
a voucher can be obtained from your GP,a Social Worker or the Jobcentreplus that enables you to obtain 3 days supply of food and drink on presentation to the food bank.
what happens after the 3 days i do not know,but there must be some alternative in place.
google " Trussell Trust " which will yield further details that may assist,though unfortunately many in this position may not have access to a computer nor to this site,so if you know of anyone in dire circumstances,please ensure that they are aware of the existence of these food banks.
thanks.

redfox

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Mrs_Toast

Hi Redfox,

I'm currently involved in setting up a Trussell Trust Food Bank so thought I'd let you know how it works past having a voucher. Basically because the vouchers are given from the agencies you mentioned and also CAB, they work with the family so that they can improve their situation for the future as well as short term. I think each family is only allowed 3 vouchers because they don't want the food bank to be relied upon over the long term. They also don't want to step on the toes of charities like the Salvation Army.

I'm hoping that the agencies do actually help effectively so it'll be interesting to find out how much they help. My DH was unemployed for 3 months beginning of last year and it was hell with a little one as well. Luckily he found a job before it got to the stage of borrowing money so I can't imagine how people cope with food poverty.

Lynsey

This is an area both my hubby and myself have been looking at.
It's very much disgusting at the poverty in the UK and no-one should suffer unless it's self-inflicted and even that could be down to an illness.
We donated our 1st food parcel last week to a disability centre, or a centre which helps those with disabilities with benefits etc.
We were alarmed when told people come in towards the end of the week advising they have little or no food to get them over the weekend!!
We both use and abuse coupons to get food for free or pennies and will donate on a monthly basis.
We'll lay aside a nominal amount next year - thinking of £100 for the year to buy as much stuff as possible with the use of coupons, glitches and reduced finds. Only an average of £8.33 per month, but obviously lots of free stuff also (actually stocking up on free Heinz 5 beans and Green's stuff right now to distribute over the coming months).
We looked at the Trussell Trust and also one or two churches etc., but wanted to do something slightly different. We would have liked to help out a family or two on a more personal level and see the benefits direct, but was advised not to. Maybe getting "attached" may be a bad thing to do??

We hope others are maybe thinking along the lines of helping others who are suffering even if just donating the free stuff.

Lynsey

Mrs_Toast

Hi Lynsey,

That's actually the plan that my DH and I are going to do. We can't afford to spend a lot of money but £8/£10 pound a month is manageable especially using coupons and glitches. I've also found a women's refuge in my area who except items such as toiletries and children's items as well as food. My plan is to give my food bargains to our foodbank and the other items to the women's refuge and still on that budget. Hopefully it'll work and I'll be able to hand over at least a bag full to each a month.

Good luck with your bargain hunting and donations

P.S. Your collection sounds like mine with the beans and greens products lol:rotfl:

Lynsey

Mrs Toast - good luck also to you and your DH.
I have at least 5 months worth of beans already (worked hard - lol).
Toiletries will be another area, if they are allowed. Normally toiletries are a great area for cheapies or even freebies.
I'm always on the look out for 10p - 30p items and will look even more next year.
You'll be surprised at what your £8/£10 will get and you may need help to carry in your monthly donation - well hopefully.

It's rather sad that this needs to happen in the UK, but hopefully more will join the "trend".

Again, good luck and hope your efforts are appreciated, even if just by the satisfaction of knowing you have done a wee bit.

Lynsey

Mrs_Toast

Hi Lynsey thanks for the encouragement. The Trussell Trust only accept food items so it depends what type your local food bank is. This is why I looked for my local women's refuge which I can also give the Huggies newborn nappies and wipes to once my niece has grown out of them.

Boots is always a good place to start with cheap toiletries especially with the advantage card machine vouchers. I think my last purchase from there was a 13p tube of toothpaste :j

oldtoolie

It is a good idea to talk to the food bank you would like to support. Rather than the odds and ends you might buy at retail, they may prefer cash to cover operating costs and to make bulk purchases at wholesale prices.

Cryptic33

I am currently using a food bank and was shocked yesterday when I was told "you can't come here any more because you have had three vouchers worth". I don't mean to moan but my circumstances in brief are as follows:
I am a 51 year old university student (trying to better myself to get out of this recession), I was full-time but am now part-time (4 hours a week). I have had no income since 30th July 2012 when I applied for JSA. My claim was turned down because they classed me as full-time. In short my status was wrong and was corrected on 23rd August. A reconsideration was also turned down and I have now appealed which can take a further 10 weeks.
The C A B helped but could not do anything about my income. I have since got a job that I start 8th October with wages paid at the end of the month. I have used my over-draught to pay the bills but that is now exhausted and virtually all the utility companies have suspended next months direct debits.
So, I rely on the food bank to eat and now they have turned me away, where do I go? I have contacted my MP's office who said they will look into the JSA matter because every charity and agency I have spoken to said I am entitled and I am now looking at over £400 in back payment. I have enough food to last a week or so at a stretch eg rice, pasta and cereal, no meat and only a few veg. I am guessing my MP is my only hope right now but useful suggestions are very welcome, thanks.

Cryptic33

oldtoolie wrote: »

It is a good idea to talk to the food bank you would like to support. Rather than the odds and ends you might buy at retail, they may prefer cash to cover operating costs and to make bulk purchases at wholesale prices.

I asked my local food bank what they needed so when I am back on my feet, I could repay their kindness and they said tins are always very welcome.

Mrs_Toast

Crypic33, I'm really sorry you're going through a tough time at the moment. I actually had a lady from our foodbank come round for a brew this afternoon so I asked her what would happen in these circumstances.

She mentioned that other foodbanks have had clients in your circumstance and that the 3 voucher limit is sometimes used on a discretionary basis if needed. She advised that if you went back to your referring agency and explained that you had a job starting soon but are short until then, they may provide you with another voucher. It's worth asking anyway. Obviously if your local foodbank is short on stock and there are other clients who haven't received any packages yet they may struggle to assist but I hope your in luck and they can help.

Other than that I'm not very knowledgeable in other routes you could pursue so maybe somebody else could suggest other ways. Good luck