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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

OP Oooh, sarky! Peace, man ✌?️

You could be right there Gracesgran.

The problem isn't whether the country is rich but how wide the gap is between rich and poor. The gap in the UK has been growing exponentially eversince Saint Margaret promised that wealth would "trickle down" as it was it shot upwards toward the already rich at a great rate.

How does anyone know what a food bank looks like? I've never see one . We have a box at the cathedral and at the big Tescos for donations but I don't know where they go to from there .is there a sign over a door? I live on a steep hill and carrying shopping back is a nono at the moment. The taxi fare this morning Was £3.50 and two people sharing that would be less than the bus fare . I also think it unfair to condemn people being fat if they are poor. Cheap food ,easy to cook is fattening. Rice pasta flour. If they walk they are even more hungry and have less time to cook ( cooking from scratch is cheaper than prepared food but also costs more in fuel) we can only put tinned meat or fish in not high quality protein like smoked salmon and fillet steak so I think people are being a bit harsh. Also I benefitted from fierce domestic science teachers who obliged us to learn the basics . I think part of the food bank should be an offer of wartime cookery lessons. I know I' ts not possible but...

The US have had food banks for years. I always used to think it was so sad that a wealthy country like that had to have them....

We can't just not have any sports or leisure because there is poverty to tackle. Something like the Olympics brings money in as well as taking it from the coffers. Depending on which figures you read/believe, the event may even have been a net earner for the economy.

A large number of supposedly 'rich' countries have food banks, millyouge, and have done for years. Not saying it's right, but it isn't just this country.

Following on on the subject of food banks what I feel is so dreadful is that we need to have them at all. We are supposed to be a rich country, we can pay millions out on the Olympics and all that went with it, football clubs pay out millions for someone who kicks a ball around, I could go on. But people have to have to rely on charity to be able to keep their family fed. I just feel it is so very very wrong. . It's a strange world.

Elrel, sure, didn't you say something similar further up the thread? Sure, didn't I respond?

You must be kept so busy with all your good works, I'm surprised you've to the time to make such valuable contributions on here. LOL.

It's even possible that a generous taxi driver would donate a run for food bank deliveries.

Rubylady read granny23 `s post .

Sure you'd get a clearer picture by volunteering.

It's beginning to sound a bit too complex. I'm beginning to wish that my husband had taken a different route home that day, lol.

Sometimes people who work in caring professions (I'm one of them) have to collect food for others who cannot get out of their house due to an emergency situation or because they are old and frail. I am also a fat person and probably relatively well dressed and so would be judged for all of the wrong reasons if I had to get food to somebody quickly via a taxi. Before you ask, it would be cheaper for me to get a taxi to deliver the food than pay me for time spent waiting for buses etc and also less of a health and safety problem if I strained my back etc.

rubylady if there were loads of food parcels in the trolley, the woman was probably distributing them to other people. Read the post above from Granny23

I gave to a food bank a few months ago. Not that I have much but I thought I would help out. I came out of the food bank and was waiting to cross the road when a woman came out with a shopping trolley full of carrier bags full of food. There were loads. I thought they only gave to get people over the next couple of days or so but this trolley full could have kept a family of four for at least a week, far more than I could afford to buy. I haven't been back since which is a shame but the food bank themselves were hardly appreciative really neither.

It could depend on where you live. If you are a long way from a food bank carrying produce home might be difficult.
The food bank may have a good reason to pay for a taxi.

I do wish people would not jump to conclusions about things when they essentially know nothing about the circumstances of othere people.
It could be two volunteers from the food bank taking food parcels to housebound people.
Having a car may be the only way a person on very low wages can get to any sort of job at all.

Granny23 - that's sad that people delivering food get idiots assuming that they are abusing the foidbank. Some people seem to like to think the worst of everyone.

I like the idea of it being kind people using a taxi to deliver food to the less fortunate, granny23?.

Yes, I think that's the one I will settle on.

It must be difficult to deal with fresh food but it must be a godsend if a group can manage it.

Sounds great Granny23! Soup and scones - real practical kindness in action.