Children going hungry in the summer holidays

So would Marielize prefer it if the chocolate cake had been thrown away because there was no "deserving" poor person to give it to? Her mother obviously had a horrendous time trying to keep the family fed, but why does that mean that we shouldn't try to make life better for people today?

Absolutely righton paddyann, collette13, and Barnet - we are the 5th richest nation on the planet and it's a total disgusting disgrace that the current generation faces (not because of us by the way) a worsening financial situation.

Come on people, you can read the tabloids all you want but the facts state that the users of food banks are not feckless!! The Trussell Trust, running a fifth of food banks, has become an authority on its users. They state categorically that low income and benefit delays were the biggest reasons for workers being forced into the humiliation of going to food banks.

If there is any abuse it is by the very wealthy who cream off profits from low paid workers and never pay taxes on these. Charitable status for Eton, non-dom status for tax avoiders etc. Wise up – we have paid the banks 500 billion pounds in the last 10 years – so who are the real “scroungers”??

Just imagine what would be said if the volunteers at the food bank had eaten it!

Either some folk on this thread are first class wind up merchants, or they must have some brass neck to set foot inside a church of Christ.

Matthew 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Find in there the concept of the ‘deserving poor’.

the facts state that the users of food banks are not feckless!!

That is not to say, though, that there are some neglectful or abusive parents around and, as parents and grandparents, many of us may have witnessed that and felt powerless to help.

are not - not are

Gill t57 I can confirm that food banks only give out non perishable goods but you are right. Sometimes a kind person will hand in something perishable and that will be given out while it is still,in date,
Thank you for your comments.i can’t believe how judgemental some people are.

Well I am glad I gave 4 bags to my charity shop today. My landlady wants her flat back after 9 years of no repairs in September so may end up sleeping in the car but at least less stuff to fit in the car. Always help those worse off than yourself. Why do you imagine they are smoking? I have never smoked but understand.

Thankfully, most of the posters on here do not subscribe to the view that people who use foodbanks or who receive some sort of benefit are likely to be dodgy characters on the make.

I would imagine that anyone who has had to rely on benefits for any more than a couple of months or so know full well how difficult it is to make ends meet. With housing, energy bills and transport becoming more and more expensive, food poverty is an increasing problem.

Thanks muffinthemoo - all those years in Sunday school and Church influenced my approach to life. Do unto others as you would ..... suffer the little children ....... parables of the Good Samaritan, the loaves and the fishes.

Watching Poldark last night, the scenes in the HofC where Ross was pleading for measures to end starvation and the majority of other members were shouting about workers needing to work harder, about being feckless etc., made me realise that some things never change. This is not about politics, it is about attitude and we have seen some extreme polarity of opinions on here.

Oh dear, Missfoodlove - you really do seem to believe that being stoney broke due to the endless austerity policies is truly a 'Lifestyle Choice'!

Some choice......

I'm afraid this government has very complacently (and cruelly) tossed any social responsibilities aside and cheerily allows the foodbanks to become some kind of default safety net.

I bet those people you saw in the foodbank queue were also wearing shoes, eh? Tch! Fancy these unfortunates allowing themselves the idle luxury of a pair of trainers - why aren't these feckless people walking around barefoot? If it was good enough in Charles Dickens day.........

I have been called judgemental for reporting my observations, I merely suggested that in some cases we are subsiding expensive habits.
In my post I said I had gone to the food bank with a donation!
Whilst there asked if they needed volunteers!
I do voluntary work with “ looked after children” and regularly support a local charity that supports refugees.
I resent being referred to as judgemental by people who know nothing about me.

Glad to hear you wish to volunteer to help out at your local foodbank, Missfoodlove - then you can really play at being "Lady Bountiful", eh......?

I resent being referred to as judgemental by people who know nothing about me. I agree. There's too much self-righteous indignation.

(Now wait for it.)

Margs. You are clearly very angry. Why have you felt the need to be so rude?

Why can it not be accepted there are people who genuinely need food banks, people who do not but line up for anything going free. Same as people who claim benefits, but so wrong to assume the majority are scroungers.

No, not at all angry Missfoodlove, just telling it like it is. And some people can't (or won't) take it.......

I can understand that a smart phone is now a basic essential. With it you can apply for jobs, contact relatives and friends, be contactable for work., find things on Freecycle, contact letting agents to look for a room to rent etc.
My heart goes out to families stuck in grotty flats over the summer holiday, while the middle class depart for holidays abroad or in Cornwall.
The things is when you are down it's difficult to climb up. Sometimes we need a helping hand.

Some children will go hungry because their parents’ benefits have been messed up or they are drug addicts or have lost their jobs.
Others because their parents are irresponsible or stupid. I just spent a day with a highly qualified girl who fed her toddler 4 packs of crisps and nothing else that day, during which the baby wore the same nappy for 12 hours.
Is it the state’s role to feed hungry Children? Yes, if nobody else is doing it.

No child should go hungry. Simple as...

Absolutely, Bagatelle. I always find it entertaining how the leftie-liberal mantra of "respect others' opinions" REALLY means "so long as they're PC." LGBT, muslim, anti-Tory - absolutely! Negative observations on the "deserving poor" - you should be silenced!

I'm not anti-Tory, I am not necessarily liberal, I just consider myself humane. That doesn't seem an offensive thing to be.

The bottom line is, surely; yes,there are feckless parents, drunk parents, addicted parents, generally useless parents who will show off their latest tattoo in the queue outside the foodbank as they smoke a cigarette. I wouldn't have a tattoo or smoke, especially if my children were hungry, but it is not ME we are talking about is it? The children who are born to feckless and unfit parents need to know that others care, that there is another way, and by doing that perhaps we can stop perpetuating poor parenting. However, only very few at foodbanks are what some on here would refer to as 'undeserving poor', the vast majority have arrived at the door despite their best efforts, perhaps family illness causes a parent to lose their zero hours job, maybe the birth of a disabled child means one parent can no longer work as planned. We do not know, and must not judge.

Thanks icanhandthemback for your response to the nonsense about liberal/leftie/pc people.