Poverty and food shortages

That's just two examples. There are other families who are having to choose between heating and food, for instance. Teachers will tell you of children regularly coming to school hungry because they've had no breakfast. There are people out there in genuine need, make no mistake about it.

I do wonder. However, for every one of these takers I reckon there's a family that needs help so I'd hesitate to hold back because of them.

If you want to stop your contributions just stop, no need to try to justify why. You have probably read similar threads to this one so you know the answers really, you just don't want to.

If you know the families so well, in that you seem to know a lot about them, then ask why they receive food boxes.

There are many more people that benefit from donations than there are abusers of the service.

If you do not want to donate to charities then dont.

Where I worked we used to give out food vouchers and sometimes cash for those needing it and for emergency situations. There are always a few rorting the system but for every one of them there are several genuine ones who really need help. Some people are good at hiding their need, too. If they think they need it, then perhaps they do, who are we to judge ?

The problem is not a question of the definition of poverty.. It is a question of how these families found people to recommend them for food boxes and where they come from. Usually those getting foods from Food Banks have to collect them themselves, and if GPs, Social Services etc recommend people for food bank help. it is reasonable to assume they did checks. If not the problem lies with them.

The other thing is that not all boxes of food are free. A well off family may well be having regular deliveries of vegetable boxes and other comestibles from farms and other shops. All of which will be expensive and paid for.

Then you need to remember that when someone well off becomes unemployed, they do not immediately go out and sell everything they possess from house, to car, house contents clothes etc and immediately relocate to a slum dwelling and buy other peoples cast-offs.

They hope and expect to be back in work fairly quickly. Meanwhile they live very carefully, but keep the house, car, clothes, etc I speak from experience, I have been through this, as have other close friends.

Also if someone was in work in 2022, they may well have gone for 2 holidays, but, if they were made umeployed since those holidays, they are probably going on none this year.

I have also found that when people judge from outside without a full understanding of exactly how and why some act of charity is taking place they almost always get it wrong.

DH is not allowed to lift things or walk carrying anything of any weight, for health reasons. I am sure there are people, who look at us, DH, hands empty, with me walking with him carrying bags and is outraged by his selfishness and considers me a put-upon wife. But the real reason is a medical one that is not visible to casual passers by. The same will often apply in other circumstances like this. A family appear to be wealthy, but may be on UB for a short period and may well be getting financial help from family with school fees or expensive car insurance to make sure what they expect to be a short period of unemployment is not too distruptive of the family. Families at every income level help each other, whether they buy school shoes for DGC or pay a term's school fees.

People just can't turn up at a food bank and demand food. They have to be referred by their GP or Social Services.

However, there are Community Fridges in many areas where anyone can go for food which has been donated by supermarkets or others, eg surplus fruit or vegetables from a local grower.
There is no need for a referral.

You could go yourself if you liked if there is one local to you.
And they are always looking for volunteers to help.

We have a kind of food bank in our area (I won't give its name for the sake of identity) and I deliver boxes for it, so I do see poverty.
All the money we collect goes into the enterprise and we are all volunteers, even our accountant gives her time free, and our Chairman used to be a manager at M&S.
I just wondered what happens to all the pound coins people throw into the collecting tins.
The two families I mentioned seemed to 'jump out' at me I suppose, and I agree - who am I to judge?
What kind of volunteering do you do?

As I said on another similar thread some weeks ago, if my donations means just one child goes to bed with a full a tummy and not a fumbling one then that’s fine by me.

Someone I know works at a food bank (non referral) and she said there really are only a very very small minority of people they know who take the pee but she says if it means their children get fed , it means their children get fed.

Indeed.

I, myself, can't discern who needs and who doesn't, I assume food bank abuse is low - err on the side of compassion.