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

pumpkin89

tain said:

If you can't give freely, then please do not give at all. 

I don't think those in genuine need would agree with you.

neilbat

I would have thought that the Foodbanks would require some sort of proof of the Benefits that a person is on before allowing the person to have food. She would be far better to get help with managing her money so that she doesn't waste it rather than maybe depriving someone who does really need the food.

Ringo90

pumpkin89 said:

tain said:

If you can't give freely, then please do not give at all. 

I don't think those in genuine need would agree with you.

Also, the fact there are people giving freely, without thinking too much about who is getting what, is no justification for taking freely.

PennyForThem_2

Danien said:

I've just helped my cousin go through her finances. She hasn't been eating properly but is too proud to go to a food bank.

She was made redundant from her job, but hadn't been there long enough to get redundancy. She is now claiming universal credit while she tries to find another job. She was on low pay when working, so had not built up any savings. She asked me to help because before becoming too sick to work (not sure why someone put disabled in inverted commas, as someone with a rare, deteriorating, heart- lung disease on oxygen, I find that pretty insulting) I used to work in welfare rights.

I went through her finances and this is what I came up with:

She's on UC, her rent for her tiny flat is paid, but she still has to pay 20% of her council tax. She has to pay the normal household bills water, energy, tv licence, contents insurance. She doesn’t smoke, can't afford to drink, has no car. She has to buy a bus pass monthly so she can travel for job searching. She does have two cats and pays pet insurance for them of £30 a month.

She gets £334 UC after rent is paid. Her bills total £275 a month. Her bus pass is £47.50. This leaves her £12.41 a month for everything else, food, clothing, household items. Even if she rehomed her cats (I've been buying cat food for her) she would only have £42.41 a month. Come October if still unemployed she will likely have nothing after bills.

Please don't be prejudiced against those on benefits. Please don't think that benefits are generous, because in most cases they are not. My cousin is out most days looking for work (UC demands this). Whichever poster said that governments shouldn't increase benefits and people should be able to look after themselves are frankly either idiotic, naive, delusional or cruel. 

Should the hypothetical person use a food bank? Who knows until you've been through their income and expenditure. Do they have debts they are desperately trying to pay? If so suggest they call stepchange. Are they bad at budgeting? Then offer, gently and non judgementally to help. Don't say ' you shouldn't be using a food bank', say 'It makes me sad that you're needing to use a food bank, please let me help you go through your budget to see if together we can make things a bit easier for you', or refer them somewhere where they can help with budgeting - there are even websites and apps that can help, so search them out and have them ready to offer if she's too embarrassed to go through finances with someone she knows. Go with several options. Be kind and understanding. If you start from a place of judgement she won't listen and will become defensive.

Sorry for the long post. Having helped many people with benefits, debt and budgeting, this is something I feel very strongly about.

Get her to ditch the pet insurance - if she is on benefits then PDSA would help if her cats had a health problem.
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/treat

Pets are an important member of a family but pet insurance is a luxury if you cannot afford basics for yourself.

keithyno.1

No, you shouldn’t tell her she’s selfish. It’s her life and her finances to manage in whatever way she sees fit. Her priorities are her own and nobody else’s.

How would you like it if she made comments to you about what you choose to do with your life and your money? I’m thinking you wouldn’t be keen on it and would feel like saying, “Sod off and mind your own business.” I think there’s every chance that’s the retort you’d get (quite rightly, in my opinion) if you said anything to her about her using food banks.

sclare

Through the organisation I work with as a volunteer, I'm a referrer to the Trussel Trust for those in need of our services. 

Those we help can't just walk up to a food bank and ask for food (and continue to do so ad infinitum). When I refer someone they can go to the food bank four times. Then the referral expires. 

There maybe some small foodbanks who will accept someone without them being referred from a trusted organisation or agency, but they're rare. So I'm not sure how the person in the OP is managing to continue using hers.

sjaeagle5

I suppose the question is whether that person’s decent wage is being wasted on excesses that can be disposed of or reduced.  It could also be that this person is servicing financial debts.  Is there someone that can help or advise them with that?
If after attempts at reducing outgoings this person is still in need of food banks then who are we to say otherwise.
If no attempt has been made by the person to reduce their outgoings then maybe someone needs to remind them to check their moral compass.
I, like someone else in this thread, was of the understanding that you can’t just rock up to a food bank and take stuff.

beanielou

As a trustee of a local foodbank I would say do not judge.
You have no idea what goes on behind closed doors.

MalMonroe

I hate the fact that we in a supposedly civilised society have a need for food banks. Everyone should be able to afford good food, whether it's through wages or benefits or anything else. We don't know why that person visits the food bank, could be on behalf of someone else, we don't know.

But I do know that I would never use one unless I was really desperate and I guess many of the people who are forced into using them would prefer not to as well.

As beanielou says, above, do not judge. Please. 

arnoldy

Lots of comments here about "don't judge" but these comments are designed to shut down reasonable debate, a form of cancel culture. Why should people not have options that differ about standards, morals, responsibility, kindness etc?