Money Moral Dilemma: Should someone who earns a decent wage use food banks?

ginger_chocolate

Incidentally when I choose to donate to a foodbank I honestly couldn't care less who gets the food. I didn't need it anyway.

Privatekid

ece69 said:

There a quite a few comments that make negative assumptions and comments about food bank users. Don’t judge until you have evidence.

I don’t know of any food bank that gives assistance without proof from a local authority, DWP, citizens’ advice or similar. I do know teachers and nurses who use food banks from necessity. Cost of living combined and low/no salary increases for over 10 years have forced them to do so.

The question is "why do food banks exist?”. They would not exist or would at least not have seen the exponential growth in numbers if we had an adequate welfare system along with fair taxation in place.

I know most teachers are on well over £30k after the first 2 years. The average nurse is on £35k. If they are living alone but have children, should they need a food bank or should the father contribute? 

There should never be a need for food banks, except maybe for the homeless. It’s not up to the government to increase benefits for all, regardless of whether they need it or choose the lifestyle instead of working, it’s up to us to take care of our own families and educate ourselves so we have more opportunities. 

RealTalk01

Yes you most definitely should call her out on this, it’s an abuse of the system provided and food banks are not for people who can afford to buy their own food! They are their for people who cannot afford to buy their own food to survive, not to subsidise or save money to pay for things such as an exspensive sky sports package. My father is in a similar position as he owns a 4 bedroom home he rents out, claims he’s homeless because he’s too lazy to find his own place so chooses to sleep in his car, is at pension age but refuses to claim either state or private pension and spends his time getting free meals from thoughtful cafes and food banks when he has money to buy his own food. I always challenge & criticise him on this and will not stand for people like him to take from the those who really need it! REMEMBER EVERYONE when you hear about the cost of living crisis and are told about the number of people using food banks remember that this figure does not take into account the thousands if not ten of thousands of people who don’t need food banks they just use them to save themselves money! No morale compass. 🧭 Proof provided above. 

squirrel59

It's shameful this person is using a foodbank. Of course you should say something. If nobody ever takes the trouble to point out unacceptable behaviour, then we get the society we deserve.

Privatekid

I host Ukrainian refugees and on our forums, one lady regularly went to food banks because it was free and she used the universal credit (1000 pm as 2 adults and 1 child) to send home to help the rest of her family (allegedly, as she was also saving up a for a deposit on a flat so she could sponsor them). Commendable some said but she got upset when she was asked to get proof she needed the food banks. We charge our guests no rent and many of us share our families food. My guests make us dinner sometimes but they pay for the food they cook. 

Food banks aren’t free food, shoppers put extra in their baskets to ensure food gets to those who need it. Those who can afford to buy their own food are effectively stealing from a poor families mouths. 

Shame on them!

dianajp

arnoldy said:

sarah1972 said:

Our local food bank and community store requires proof of benefits to ‘try’ to help those more in need 

They are often the ones who are better off than many! housing (repairs and maintenance) paid for, and if they have been signed off as "disabled" then more money, plus X-claiming carers allowance for each other etc, plus £1350 cost of living + free TV + Warm front discount, all index linked, and plus this and that.

Meanwhile the grafters get little - working all hours and battling on, I just wish they could be rewarded and recognised. You know who they are, taxi drivers, cleaners, bus drivers, hospitality workers, shop workers etc

My husband is a taxi driver and we are struggling to pay our bills. As he's self employed there's no help. We haven't gone to a food bank. We have mobile tarrifs etc that we can't get out of. 

elsien

Leftyness said:

I thought all food banks checks 'proof of benefits' before they give out anything. I might be being naive

jimpwarsop said:

Leave her be there are thousands "at it", in fact the majority of our food bank "clients" arrive in cars better than mine, its a national pastime. Getting something for nothing.

Proof of benefits is a very crude measure.   Some people are desperate because their benefit claim has been turned down,  or in the case of UC is taking weeks to come through. 
Some working families on various benefits are financially better off than working single people who are fractionally above any benefit claim limit but still struggling.
I know some people take the proverbial but I take people at face value until proven otherwise. 

daivid

Privatekid said:

ece69 said:

There a quite a few comments that make negative assumptions and comments about food bank users. Don’t judge until you have evidence.

I don’t know of any food bank that gives assistance without proof from a local authority, DWP, citizens’ advice or similar. I do know teachers and nurses who use food banks from necessity. Cost of living combined and low/no salary increases for over 10 years have forced them to do so.

The question is "why do food banks exist?”. They would not exist or would at least not have seen the exponential growth in numbers if we had an adequate welfare system along with fair taxation in place.

I know most teachers are on well over £30k after the first 2 years. The average nurse is on £35k. If they are living alone but have children, should they need a food bank or should the father contribute? 

There should never be a need for food banks, except maybe for the homeless. It’s not up to the government to increase benefits for all, regardless of whether they need it or choose the lifestyle instead of working, it’s up to us to take care of our own families and educate ourselves so we have more opportunities. 

No you don't. It's not until the 4th year of teaching that teachers on the main pay scale (outside London) exceed £30k https://www.nasuwt.org.uk/advice/pay-pensions/pay-scales/england-pay-scales.html Furthermore that is if the teacher in question is on an on going contract and has their pay progression each year, this is no longer automatic and beyond that the pay-scales and progressions don't apply to academies, private schools or supply teachers. 

gothvixen

arnoldy said:

sarah1972 said:

Our local food bank and community store requires proof of benefits to ‘try’ to help those more in need 

They are often the ones who are better off than many! housing (repairs and maintenance) paid for, and if they have been signed off as "disabled" then more money, plus X-claiming carers allowance for each other etc, plus £1350 cost of living + free TV + Warm front discount, all index linked, and plus this and that.

Meanwhile the grafters get little - working all hours and battling on, I just wish they could be rewarded and recognised. You know who they are, taxi drivers, cleaners, bus drivers, hospitality workers, shop workers etc

It's so diappointing that people here are spreading the right-wing tabloid lies about those on benefits being well-off, even saying 'disabled', as if it's possible to fake your way through the PIP process. As for index-linked, my ESA gave me 50p per week extra in April, so there's another lie. It's infuriating that there is genuine poverty in this country yet some enjoy pretennding there isn't and denigrating people who life has treated cruelly. Someone earning good money using a foodbank is depriving someone else in genuine need. I have to go with my conscience and speak out, whatever the consequences. That's why I always point out those who don't have the ability to spot propaganda designed to turn the working class against each other, and tell them to try using what discrimination they might have.

Ringo90

I am very surprised by some comments in this thread who say "Just turn your head the other side" or even "People who can't manage their finances still need to eat". Really? All this time I thought the food we donate to the food banks go to the people who LITERALLY can't afford the basic necessities, such as the homeless, the war refugees etc. It makes me sick to see so many people justifying someone who makes "above average" wages (that means £40k per year or above?) but prefers to buy useless things and then STEAL the necessities.
They should get another kind of help, not turn to food banks. It might sound cruel to you because yeah, of course they still need to eat, but maybe if there is something that can teach them to manage their money is to learn that when they waste it, they won't get dinner! Leave food banks to people who don't have this choice at all.