Food Banks, One Of Britain Fastest Growing Concerns.

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24536817

But remember, as Dave has said, we are all in this together apparently !

[factor-fiction]

As more food bank open the number of people taking them up will increase. I'm not sure the recent growth in use reflects any significant change in living standards

[VHG]

I do have a concern we seem to be very generous at giving money to foreign countries, but we have whole areas of the UK that are run down, with boarded up houses, slums and high unemployment.

Time to do more for THIS country perhaps ?

p.s. I saw one of those "Secret Millionaire" programs a few weeks ago. It was a guy who owned a taxi firm and he was worth millions.

He went into a poor area of Newcastle, and as he drove in, in his battered car he had bought specially for the TV program, I was staggered at the number of boarded up houses and how run down the place was.

It said a huge number of the people in this area live on benefits.

I REALLY think it is about time we started spending some of the money this country generates on OUR infrastructure.

Do people realise how many BLLIONS has been given to Poland since they joined the EU to improve THEIR infrastructure.

They have built many many new motorways, which help them to get THEIR goods over to THIS country. And WE help pay for the motorways.

See here, we must be mad.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/29/us-poland-eu-funds-idUSBRE98S03220130929

[mikey4444]

FF...why do you think the Trussell Trust have opened so many Food Banks if they are not needed ? You can't turn up at a Food Bank and walk away with a parcel you know ::::

http://www.trusselltrust.org/

[McMouse]

//we are all in this together apparently !//

Some people are hungry and need food, I'm not hungry and I donate food. What's the issue?

[mackfender]

Maybe this news will stop people ranting about how the people on benifits are living a life of luxury ? . Maybe, but I don't think so ...

[mackfender]

benefits ..

[boxtops]

There's a long thread on this already this morning.....

[Mamyalynne]

It has been said on this subject many times that if some who are playing the system unfairly get a bag or two of groceries, it is a small price to pay as long as those in genuine need also get something to feed their families.

Should this country need such facilities is a far deeper question, at least these places are there.

[youngmafbog]

Benefits need to be changed. Reduce the amount paid in cash (to virtually nothing) and setup a food parcel scheme with Lidle or ASDA or someone, setup the electric/gas etc with British Gas or someone.

This will ensure benefits are not spent on booze, fags and mobiles - let alone drugs. Then the rants may stop.

[youngmafbog]

Totally agree with what you say VHG. charity should begin at home.

But whilst we are members of the EU we will continue to pay for joining countries (as well as some of the older ones)

[sherrardk]

It's not just people on benefits who use food banks. It's people down on their luck, recently redundant, those whose bills ave risen but their pay hasn't. Food banks are ot another excuse to have a go at people on benefits.

[mackfender]

@youngmafbog
Yeah, and screw up their front doors so they don't need to buy clothes or shoes and the like.

[naomi24]

It’s not a new phenomenon – neither is it confined to the UK This is something for which Dave is not responsible, but hopefully his attempts to sort out the much abused benefits system in order that funds are distributed solely to those with genuine needs and entitlement will go some way to alleviating the problem.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/poverty-in-germany-people-are-losing-their-faith-in-the-state-a-622965.html

http://www.eurofoodbank.eu/portail/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=1&Itemid=2&lang=en

More discussion here:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1282348-3.html

[youngmafbog]

Mac, that has to be the most pathetic response I have ever received.

What do you see wrong with ensuring food is bought to the mouths of those that need it; especially children.

Or do you deny that other things are bought first by some?

[anotheoldgit]

Yawn, hasn't this subject been over done?

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Question1283743.html

and there have been at least 7 more on this subject recently.

[Svejk]

How do you suppose,Mike, that hundreds of thousands if not millions survive on much the same benefits without recourse to food-banks. I suppose benefit sanctions account for some of this growth but I really feel there's something else at work here. Is it possible, as I think factor said, they create their own demand.

[sandyRoe]

Is there a chance that the people who could make best use of these would be the ones most reluctant to use them?

[bazwillrun]

but still we go on giving away billions year in year out to amongst others the euussr , foreign aid etc etc .........

[emmie]

so lets not, money should be used in Britain to shore up ailing communities, bring some life back into towns, places long neglected, of course you have to attract businesses and indeed jobs for locals, but i can't see why billions drift away from UK to shore up despots, tyrants and countries who should feed their people instead of buying arms to blow each other to bits

[LazyGun]

"There has been rapid growth in the provision of foodbanks since hunger in the UK became a prominent issue after the financial crisis, and austerity that followed it from late 2010. Almost all UK food banks are co-ordinated by The Trussell Trust, a Christian charity based in Salisbury which serves as the UK's only food bank network. In 2004 Trussell only ran two food banks.[35][36] Before the financial crisis, food banks were "almost unheard of" in the UK.[37][38] In 2007 / 2008 there were only 22 food banks in the Trussell Trust Foodbank Network; by early 2011, The Trussell Trust supported 100. As of May 2012, they had 201. By August, 252. The rate of increase has been rising rapidly. In 2011, only about one new food bank was being opened per week. In early 2012, about two were being opened each week. By July, The Trussell Trust had reported that the rate of new openings had increased to three per week. In August, the rate of new openings spiked at four per week, with three new food banks being opened in that month for Nottingham alone."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_bank#United_Kingdom