Discussion
Not sure if this is the correct forum , if not could the Mods please move it , thanks.
I’m curious about food banks , there seems to be more and more publicity about children going hungry / giving to food banks and people relying on them to eat.
When I was growing up there weren’t any food banks, certainly not that I knew of or that were in the news weekly.
I can fully understand homeless people using food banks / soup kitchens but whenever I see a news article about them it is usually fat people scurrying off home with a couple of shopping bags full of grub.
My wife donates almost weekly from our shopping trolley into the collection point in Tesco, so before I get flamed, I am a contributor to them.
Surely the benefits system gives people a roof over their head, enough fuel to keep warm and enough money to buy food ?
Do food banks allow people to buy cigarettes / alcohol etc that should otherwise be spent on food ?
PS. We also donate to charity through direct debits from out bank, so I’m not as hard nosed as this post may appear to make me, I’m honestly curious. Have the benefits been cut so much that food banks are now much more of a necessity?
As an aside...
My neighbour used to volunteer in a charity shop but left because of the unscrupulous volunteers forced to work there by the Benefits system to get working credits.
They would pick over everything that was donated and remove the better items for themselves while putting a token 20p into the till as was required.
I’m curious about food banks , there seems to be more and more publicity about children going hungry / giving to food banks and people relying on them to eat.
When I was growing up there weren’t any food banks, certainly not that I knew of or that were in the news weekly.
I can fully understand homeless people using food banks / soup kitchens but whenever I see a news article about them it is usually fat people scurrying off home with a couple of shopping bags full of grub.
My wife donates almost weekly from our shopping trolley into the collection point in Tesco, so before I get flamed, I am a contributor to them.
Surely the benefits system gives people a roof over their head, enough fuel to keep warm and enough money to buy food ?
Do food banks allow people to buy cigarettes / alcohol etc that should otherwise be spent on food ?
PS. We also donate to charity through direct debits from out bank, so I’m not as hard nosed as this post may appear to make me, I’m honestly curious. Have the benefits been cut so much that food banks are now much more of a necessity?
As an aside...
My neighbour used to volunteer in a charity shop but left because of the unscrupulous volunteers forced to work there by the Benefits system to get working credits.
They would pick over everything that was donated and remove the better items for themselves while putting a token 20p into the till as was required.
Waitforme said:
Not sure if this is the correct forum , if not could the Mods please move it , thanks.
I’m curious about food banks , there seems to be more and more publicity about children going hungry / giving to food banks and people relying on them to eat.
When I was growing up there weren’t any food banks, certainly not that I knew of or that were in the news weekly.
I can fully understand homeless people using food banks / soup kitchens but whenever I see a news article about them it is usually fat people scurrying off home with a couple of shopping bags full of grub.
There's your problem, right there.I’m curious about food banks , there seems to be more and more publicity about children going hungry / giving to food banks and people relying on them to eat.
When I was growing up there weren’t any food banks, certainly not that I knew of or that were in the news weekly.
I can fully understand homeless people using food banks / soup kitchens but whenever I see a news article about them it is usually fat people scurrying off home with a couple of shopping bags full of grub.
Waitforme said:
I can fully understand homeless people using food banks / soup kitchens but whenever I see a news article about them it is usually fat people scurrying off home with a couple of shopping bags full of grub.
Scurrying? Interesting way to describe humans.Waitforme said:
My wife donates almost weekly from our shopping trolley into the collection point in Tesco, so before I get flamed, I am a contributor to them.
So your wife contributes?Waitforme said:
Surely the benefits system gives people a roof over their head, enough fuel to keep warm and enough money to buy food ?
Not in all cases. Sometimes it's too little, sometimes it's too late.Waitforme said:
Do food banks allow people to buy cigarettes / alcohol etc that should otherwise be spent on food ?
Clue is in the name. A social worker or community worker will write a referral, and that will be used to get food from the food bank.the OP likes the word scurry...
lol
What I would say is I hope that the OP never gets to the point that they need to use a food bank, Ive seen many get to that point through no fault of their own, some folks get a bit of bad luck in life...
And some sail through life with no idea or understanding of hard times, and not even hard times.
lol
What I would say is I hope that the OP never gets to the point that they need to use a food bank, Ive seen many get to that point through no fault of their own, some folks get a bit of bad luck in life...
And some sail through life with no idea or understanding of hard times, and not even hard times.
I don't think it is a daft thread and I think the OP just wants to understand who uses them and why specifically people get to that point? I can understand.
I think it's a good idea to get an understanding of the various parts of our welfare system even if you don't currently have a need for them as it's you that is funding them and deciding where that money is spent (sort of... Through voting).
I've just read the BBC article below which answers a few questions. I was surprised to see its mostly single men using them, in my mind I had families being the primary user. And there use seems to be the end of a long road, living with just enough money until one day the rent is put up slightly or there wage drops a few percent.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-40431701
I think it's a good idea to get an understanding of the various parts of our welfare system even if you don't currently have a need for them as it's you that is funding them and deciding where that money is spent (sort of... Through voting).
I've just read the BBC article below which answers a few questions. I was surprised to see its mostly single men using them, in my mind I had families being the primary user. And there use seems to be the end of a long road, living with just enough money until one day the rent is put up slightly or there wage drops a few percent.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-40431701
Firstly not everyone is like some people I know who use them. Some people have crippling debts, don't know what to do and end up in a mess and need help. Thats what these are for imo.
However. Yes there is a part of society who uses them when they are not needed. I know one guy said ofcourse he uses the foodbank and because now he can spend more on strongbow. Thats taking the P.
Then again I had another customer complaining they had a food parcel delivery due from the food bank on Christmas eve. It never turned up and was a couple days late. That's tragic, people needed the food.. Christmas etc. Then proceeded to spend near £50 on tobacco and vodka. Hmm. Personally it would be a struggle big time on benefits, but you could get by and eat. You cannot get by, eat, smoke and drink. Something has to give.
However. Yes there is a part of society who uses them when they are not needed. I know one guy said ofcourse he uses the foodbank and because now he can spend more on strongbow. Thats taking the P.
Then again I had another customer complaining they had a food parcel delivery due from the food bank on Christmas eve. It never turned up and was a couple days late. That's tragic, people needed the food.. Christmas etc. Then proceeded to spend near £50 on tobacco and vodka. Hmm. Personally it would be a struggle big time on benefits, but you could get by and eat. You cannot get by, eat, smoke and drink. Something has to give.
Edited by hotchy on Saturday 2nd January 08:20
Ah the usual "people spend their money on drink and fags" diatribe.
Food Banks aren't meant to be perfect. They don't have the authority or the ability to audit someone's financial circumstances. And tondo that takes time. The use of many food banks is to fill the gap between the desperate needs of the person, and the slow response of the State (as much as 6 weeks).
Each case is a judgement call made by an individual that has tried to ascertain that person's needs after a conversation.
Food Banks aren't meant to be perfect. They don't have the authority or the ability to audit someone's financial circumstances. And tondo that takes time. The use of many food banks is to fill the gap between the desperate needs of the person, and the slow response of the State (as much as 6 weeks).
Each case is a judgement call made by an individual that has tried to ascertain that person's needs after a conversation.
I contribute cash by standing order to our local food bank, who are said to do a good job.
It's run by long tern volunteers who may be "do-gooders" but aren't naive, and certainly do understand the circumstances of their service users.
I'm sure that sone small-ish percentage is 'wasted', but I have personally met people in tears because they're not able to feed their children with a varied, healthy, enjoyable diet, and an adult who hadn't eaten for three days.
It's run by long tern volunteers who may be "do-gooders" but aren't naive, and certainly do understand the circumstances of their service users.
I'm sure that sone small-ish percentage is 'wasted', but I have personally met people in tears because they're not able to feed their children with a varied, healthy, enjoyable diet, and an adult who hadn't eaten for three days.
Evanivitch said:
Ah the usual "people spend their money on drink and fags" diatribe.
"Diatribe - a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something."I don't see that - I see two first hand accounts about people abusing the system while also stating that not everyone is like that. I see no other posts about people spending money on drink and fags.
Care to remove your claim?
Evanivitch said:
Ah the usual "people spend their money on drink and fags" diatribe.
Food Banks aren't meant to be perfect. They don't have the authority or the ability to audit someone's financial circumstances. And tondo that takes time. The use of many food banks is to fill the gap between the desperate needs of the person, and the slow response of the State (as much as 6 weeks).
Each case is a judgement call made by an individual that has tried to ascertain that person's needs after a conversation.
I think its more you can take an innocent and necessary charitable service such as this and weaponise it, someone says "look, inequality" when we know the truth is more complex thus others feel threatened by an agenda and thus need to defend/attack on this front. Rightly or wrongly - its more the binary dog whistle nature of political sides today than either side being right or wrong.Food Banks aren't meant to be perfect. They don't have the authority or the ability to audit someone's financial circumstances. And tondo that takes time. The use of many food banks is to fill the gap between the desperate needs of the person, and the slow response of the State (as much as 6 weeks).
Each case is a judgement call made by an individual that has tried to ascertain that person's needs after a conversation.
Puggit said:
Evanivitch said:
Ah the usual "people spend their money on drink and fags" diatribe.
"Diatribe - a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something."I don't see that - I see two first hand accounts about people abusing the system while also stating that not everyone is like that. I see no other posts about people spending money on drink and fags.
Care to remove your claim?
A US poster on the Trump thread has noticed a change in the use of food banks over there, changing from the usual smallish line of obviously hard-up folks to much bigger lines of a new demographic of people with late-model cars. The poster wasn't suggesting that the new folk were grubbing off the system but that they really needed the help as a result of the Govt/Trump failing to support them.
Evanivitch said:
I see two "first hand accounts" being used to tarnish those that use food banks. Diatribe indeed.
Have you read the entire post? Why are YOU weaponising this issue? Why are YOU being the divisive one in this thread? Take a look at the post, digest it all and stop taking soundbites from it to allow you take an extreme viewpoint - and then calmly post. You are not helping this thread in any way. Everyone has taken a measured approach - you have not.
Food banks aren't just somewhere you turn up and get given a weeks shopping no questions asked. A brief assessment is made to establish why they need it (as in what circumstances lead to the need for it). there are usually limits on how many time people can use it as it's not meant to be something long term/to live off.
many reasons such as
- delays in benifit payments/changes in circumstances causing delays (meaning money doesn't come in)
- big unseen bill/lett short temporarily
- wages unexpectidly cut short/income loss
if its alot of single men it's because £70 a week in JSA/ESA really isn't enough money to eat, pay utilities in addition to travel and other living expenses..
Delays in benifit payments or salary payments are the main reason. it's not easy to save when you don't earn enough to save or are only given a small amount in benefits.. What person do you know that's on benfits with huge savings? (after a certain point of savings you're not even allowed to make a claim).
many reasons such as
- delays in benifit payments/changes in circumstances causing delays (meaning money doesn't come in)
- big unseen bill/lett short temporarily
- wages unexpectidly cut short/income loss
if its alot of single men it's because £70 a week in JSA/ESA really isn't enough money to eat, pay utilities in addition to travel and other living expenses..
Delays in benifit payments or salary payments are the main reason. it's not easy to save when you don't earn enough to save or are only given a small amount in benefits.. What person do you know that's on benfits with huge savings? (after a certain point of savings you're not even allowed to make a claim).
Puggit said:
Have you read the entire post? Why are YOU weaponising this issue? Why are YOU being the divisive one in this thread?
Because it's a forum, it's an opinion, it's a place of conflicting opinions to discuss things.Do I think people offering one good example and one bad example is a fair representation of the Food Bank system? No.
Puggit said:
Take a look at the post, digest it all and stop taking soundbites from it to allow you take an extreme viewpoint - and then calmly post. You are not helping this thread in any way. Everyone has taken a measured approach - you have not.
Why are you so triggered by a word?Blackpuddin said:
A US poster on the Trump thread has noticed a change in the use of food banks over there, changing from the usual smallish line of obviously hard-up folks to much bigger lines of a new demographic of people with late-model cars. The poster wasn't suggesting that the new folk were grubbing off the system but that they really needed the help as a result of the Govt/Trump failing to support them.
That's the tough bit about it. Having a newish car on some finance deal makes sense if your job needs reliable transportation. Suddenly you lose your job, burn through your cash, but if you lose your car you have nothing to go to the next job in. And no cash available to buy a clunker. This is a few years old but echoes a fair bit of the BBC article above.
I say it a lot but think how you live your life and what money you spend and what money you have left and ask yourself how much of a nudge it would take to put that in some doubt.
https://cpag.org.uk/news-blogs/news-listings/new-r...
I say it a lot but think how you live your life and what money you spend and what money you have left and ask yourself how much of a nudge it would take to put that in some doubt.
https://cpag.org.uk/news-blogs/news-listings/new-r...
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