What can I say to my husband (who is furious)?

An interesting topic indeed, but Peaceatlast why don't you get in touch with this Foodbank and ask them - call in and donate something and have a conversation with the people who actually run it.

I am surprised by the lovely things that get donated, but I do know that you would have to prove you were very short of money to be entitled to use a foodbank.

And after your visit, do post what actually goes on, as it is interesting.

When I was a social worker we were often having to assist people with food money. Largely because of the way the benefits agencies worked. Before benefit offices became computerised it was really dreadful as files with all eth information were often in transit from a cabinet to a desk. It could take ages to find files.

More recently local benefit offices were closed down and people in our area were expected to get the 12 miles to the bigger local town whose office was still open. For those who lived in the wider rural area of the borough where transport could be just two buses a day with a much longer journey had it really hard.

Benefits could often be late and any changes in benefits could take weeks to sort out. The working tax credit system made it even worse. (I think there have been changes to that since I retired.)

Any changes in the hours of someone's working week and the benefits would have to be recalculated to account for this.
Again this could take time. most people on low incomes don't usually have enough savings to cover any such contingencies.

Often "Food vouchers" were issued by childen's services but many shops stopped accepting them. I think there are very few childen's services departments that give them any more.

So the system of voluntary help, which are "food banks" now fills a role which largely props up an inefficient benefits agency.

Thank you for that post, nelliem. Useful, clear information about why food banks have appeared.

Nelliemoser's post reflects my own experience as a sw. When I started in the late 70's, we had a reasonable fund of what was then called Section 17 money. When people arrived in the difficulty Nellie describes, we could provide up to £50 with the approval of senior managers, to tide a family over. There were some better known families, where we'd provide goods rather than cash. this would involve the family sw, or the duty sw, popping round to buy nappies bread, milk, and canned essentials to ensure the children got fed rather than the cash going elsewhere. Hard pressed local authorities don't have the resources they did, alongside this benefits are being cut so it's not wonder we have food banks.