Just Remind Me Again

[nailit]

just why we need food banks in this country in this day and age?
Nothing to do with my post below about starting a bit of voluntary work in one but why is this necessary?
Why spend millions on space programmes or foreign aid (often to countries with space programmes) when there are people going hungry in this place and time?

I'm at a loss to understand the reason?

[LadyCG]

You and me both, Nailit. Particularly with regard to foreign aid, which seldom gets past the corrupt regime leaders to actually aid the impoverished.

[Sparkles62]

I agree with you nailit, it certainly doesn't make sense to me.

[DTCwordfan]

Look at Turkey, nailit....goes down the tubes, economically, with Trumpeting about steel etc and a heavy undemocratic Muslim dictator and what does he do, runs off to Putin for support.

Our commitment to these corrupt nations is, in part, to stop China and Russia walking and wa-king all over them......on the grounds of a UN approved minimum x% of GDP going to support them and being the jerks that we are, we are one of the few nations who sticks to this. Personally, I would axe it by 30% and push the funds back into UK support - and I bet it would help cover what the NHS needs as well. Tear the effing policy up, Mrs May - that would be more impressive than Brexit or No-Brexit.

[DTCwordfan]

And that's from a 'wet' Conservative.....

[nailit]

Theres people like NJ on here who will poo poo the idea of food banks and theres people like me who KNOW people who have absolutely needed them, universal credit changeover etc, where they have been left with no money for basics for weeks at a time.
WHY cant some people at least acknowledge the need??
Interesting that no fags or beer are been asked for....
(as some people seem to think that's all the impoverished ask for)

[DarceyK123]

My cousin often comes back from Iceland (the shop, not the Country) with 5 bags of shopping having spent just £30.

It may not be the healthiest of stuff but there's no need to go hungry.

[sherrardk]

According to ONS there are 8 million people who could only pay for their mortgage or rent for one month if they lost their job. It takes something like 12/13 weeks to receive any benefits. In the meantime, they get behind with all of their other bills too. It doesn't take much to see why people need food banks.

[margarettom]

I think there will always be a need for food banks or something similar, ( even if we did stop chucking money away in foreign aid), because there will always be people who somehow fall through the net. For various reasons, there are people who find modern life difficult to cope with and who are not adept with accessing the services available. With the breakdown of local communities, vulnerable people have lost their support networks.

[nailit]

//My cousin often comes back from Iceland (the shop, not the Country) with 5 bags of shopping having spent just £30.

It may not be the healthiest of stuff but there's no need to go hungry//

There is if you havnt got £30...

[fiction-factory]

>According to ONS there are 8 million people who could only pay for their mortgage or rent for one month if they lost their job

That's interesting but raises questions. I'm sure a fair proportion of these could reduce spending and save a lot more if they put a plan in place and stuck to it for a year or two. Deferring having choldren until there is financial stability would often help too.

As well as people living close to the edge, sometimes by choice, the switch to Universal Credit and monthly benefits, together with payment delays, has been a factor. But ofen it's working people, often those who work only part time as a single parent. I'm sure there are many genuine cases as Nailit will have come across them but I also feel that if they are offered people will see a need to use them. It would be interesting to see detailed case studies of say 10000 cases to see why the need is there and if there is anything that can be done to reduce dependency. I despair when I hear some case studies though- I heard someone who had spent his UC loan almost immediately as he found it too warm to cook in this weather so justified takeaways.

As to foreign aid, we are commited by law (our own)to giving 0.7% of GDP and none of the main parties has any plans to change the law allowing us to reduce it- some may increase it- so unfortunately a reduction won't happen. I'd like to see a reduction from 0.7% to 0.5% max. That wouldn't make much of a dint in NHS spending or in eredicating homelessness or need for food banks but it's a start

[fiction-factory]

I think margarettom summed it up well. there always will be a need. There probably was a lot of hidden demand 10 years ago that we didn't see or family/friends helped out.

[sherrardk]

I shouldn't think that the 8 million people referred to have much wriggle room in their budgets to save money. In another study, they found that rent has risen 16% since 2011 but wages have only risen 10% for the same period.

[hazydaisy]

Wonder how many people actually care about the space exploration as opposed to those who care for families on the breadline or starving
Perhaps brainiacs should concern themselves with the here and now

[naomi24]

//just why we need food banks in this country in this day and age? //

We're not alone. Food banks exist all over the world. Idealism will never work and poverty will never be eradicated.

[Old_Geezer]

Regardess of foreign aid (which is an allocation issue rather than a need to be 'B you Jack, I'm ok' issue) we still have a Welfare State, and if it was working adequately then there can be no need for food banks. Lord only knows what the authorities are playing at.

[Peter Pedant]

oh, the poor willl always be with us
was that Lord Soper or Lord jesus ?

( Ld Soper was a methodist divine of the sixties and seventies and was to be heard at Speakers' Corner every sunday )

[Peter Pedant]

yeah FF I was shocked to hear that over 5 m were a month away from 'hand to mouth'
that is one debt would cripply them ....

[naomi24]

Peter Pedant, //the poor willl always be with us
was that Lord Soper or Lord jesus ? //

It was Lord Jesus ... and they will.

[Peter Pedant]

o thx
For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. Mk 14.7 Mt 26.11, Jn 12.8

so he probably said it ( pericope )

[naomi24]

You're welcome.