Food Banks

[dave50]

Apparently even more people are using them now. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2605661/Almost-ONE-million-Britons-seek-food-bank-help-following-162-percent-jump-number-people-seeking-emergency-food-help.html
When something is free, demand will always outstrip supply. Are we saying that if these food banks disappeared, these people would starve to death?

[Ken4155]

One of my son's neighbours was rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack and missed a signing-on appointment at the job centre the next day. He was sanctioned and though they eventually accepted his explanation, his money was not sorted out for another 3 weeks!!

[ummmm]

NJ...so easy not to believe when you're not in that position.

Everything has gone up. Gas, Electricity, water, fuel, food....but no pay rises. Where are some people suppose to find the extra money if they were already just scraping by?

Dave...what did people do before foodbanks? Not sure but wasn't it usually the case that the extended family were always close by?

When I needed food I went to my dads...

[thejudderman]

I know a couple with 3 kids, they live in and own a 5 bedroom detatched house in the Surrey countryside. The husband works, not sure what he does. Two cars!....... They use a food bank!! From what I've seen and heard that is very common! If people can't afford to eat (which I find hard to believe) then sell the house and buy a smaller one somewhere cheaper. Sell one of the cars!!
Food banks seem to be for greedy selfish people living above their means!! Food banks should be means tested!
These greedy selfish people are taking food from the genuine poor people who REALLY NEED food banks!

[ummmm]

Did you read any of the answers or are you just trying to be controversial?

[mccfluff]

just another point of view - a close friend, her husband has been unable to work full time for the last year due to an illness, as a result she has to pay all the bills from her salary - she has a good job, she's a teacher.

Paying everything on her own has its problems, a few times toward the end of the month i've helped out with bits and bobs food wise. She can't get help from the food bank as she "earns to much". She cried the day she went and asked for help, she found it shameful she was in the position that she needed the help, Even worse she couldn't get it.

[Mamyalynne]

They must fulfil the criteria in some way - whether it is low pay or receipt of other benefits I am not sure of course.

As stated you cannot just walk in and help yourself, some may be playing the system and that is sad but better than the true needy losing the facility altogether.

[Mamyalynne]

^^ My reply was to Judderman.


Yes Fluff, I am sure there are many in that boat.

[ummmm]

And you need money to move house!

[pastafreak]

I wonder just how they can play the system,considering every aspect of their lives...finances,housing,etc is put under a microscope. Here's an article-published today-about the local food bank down here.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Inside-Plymouth-Foodbank-volunteers-Britain-s/story-20966320-detail/story.html

The last comment outlines the process involved. Its not like shopping at Tescos....
"To get a food bank voucher, you must prove to the authorities (GPs, social workers, police, probation, teachers, council officials, whoever) that you are in need. To do that, you have to prove that your benefits are delayed or sanctioned, or that your wages can't cover food on top of rent, council tax, utilities, etc. What you get is a voucher for 3 days' worth of whatever the food bank has in stock, after another round of explaining yourself to the people at the food bank in some cases (some food banks will not issue food to voucher holders if they have been sanctioned on the grounds that it's their own fault they're hungry). "

Read more: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Inside-Plymouth-Foodbank-volunteers-Britain-s/story-20966320-detail/story.html#ixzz2z4BrkLbd

[Bathsheba]

" For example if they walk in with a mobile phone in one hand and a fag in the other then they can afford food."
Dave50.....really??? Are you serious??

[whirlyhurly]

Has anybody here seen what is actually given out to a person receiving a bag of "food" from these food banks. Well it consists of stuff like packet noodles,jar of curry sauce (No Meat was provided),a tin of custard, basically random items of little nutritional value.

[Mamyalynne]

They can only give out what they have in stock, not as if they have buying power to go the the fish or meat market every morning.

[whirlyhurly]

Yes, I know I'm just saying that some people think they give out "lots of goodies",when I've seen inside and it's far far from an Aladin's Cave.

[Mamyalynne]

True, yes.

[pastafreak]

Food banks can only stock non perishables... so it's tinned anything,dry items like pasta and rice...things with a long shelf life. Its all donated...from you,me,and generous shops.

[New Judge]

All very interesting.

But the original question provided a link and that article explained that almost a million people are now using food banks and that the numbers of people using them has increased threefold in a year. Nobody has satisfactorily explained why an extra 660,000 people have seen their circumstances reduced so drastically that they need food handouts. I have tried to account for them by looking at the numbers possibly affected by the reduction in benefits (despite benefits on the whole increasing) and I added a few in for good measure who may have become unemployed (despite employment numbers generally increasing). But it comes to nowhere near the increase in numbers using food banks.

I’ve tried to make an objective analysis of the numbers being provided. It’s not that it’s “easy not to believe when I’m not in that position”. It’s easy not to believe when you look at the numbers and whatever position I may or may not be in has nothing to do with it. Is it that some people are using the facilities multiple times and thus being counted more than once? I just don’t know. But I remain to be convinced that a million people have hit such hard times so rapidly.

[ummmm]

Maybe now people are not going without food as they were previously.

[sherrardk]

Well they quite plainly have. You can't just show up, you need to be referred by a professional.

[ummmm]

They don't seem to be listening, Sher...

[whirlyhurly]

Benefits have Not been increased,they have been cut, it's hard enough with all the "red tape" etc needed to use a food bank once let alone multiple times. And this sanctioning for the most harsh reasons has been prevalent.