Food Banks

norose in order to get food from a food bank you need a voucher obtained from a professional. If it is indeed the case that this elderly couple are getting food from a bank then they need it.

But to my mind it sounds like a nasty gossipy rumour.

Well, you are only given three days worth of food at a time, and I was under the impression that you could only claim so many times a year but that may have changed now.

I find it hard to believe the couple you refer to norose4 are somehow fiddling the system, as they will have to have been referred and have vouchers.

I used to volunteer in a foodbank (in one of the richest districts in the country ). The only people who came to us had been referred by a GP, the CAB, a social worker, etc.

Usually, they were people living on the breadline, but some crisis or other had tipped them over. Foodbanks provide a sticking plaster for a gaping wound. The council no longer gives crisis loans.

Blimey ana a positive contribution. You have made my day.

No need for sarcasm, whitewave. It doesn't become you.

That's how it was in the foodbank I know Ana. I don't think things have changed.

No it's not a rumour, what I was saying was you will always get someone who abuses the system & then unfortunately society decides to wrongly tar everyone with the same brush

ana

PS. We had some people who lived in rural areas with no transport. We used to take the parcels to them, using our own cars and were reimbursed for fuel (if we remembered to claim). Clients didn't use taxis.

Have you ever seen what you get in a food parcel norose? Quite honestly, you really would need to be desperate to eat it. I can't imagine that it's worth an expensive taxi fare to claim.

Society doesn't tar anyone. People with suspicious minds do.

I am not sure how they can abuse the system. Perhaps they have been referred to the food bank and had a taxi paid for medical reasons?

Surely the food isn't that bad daphnedill? I hope not, when I donate food I hope it would be good enough to make a decent meal or several in fact.

I know there is generally no fresh food as it has to have a shelf life but reasonable meals can be made out of the ingredients I have seen. In fact, probably much the same as I ate when I was younger and could not afford fresh meat etc.

The food itself isn't bad, but the variety is. I wouldn't eat most of it, because it's full of carbs, but I know some people would. My point is that it's OK if you're starving, but it really isn't worth defrauding any system to obtain.

If I were going to obtain food by deception, I think I'd find some way of getting Waitrose gift cards not value pasta, cereal and tinned carrots.

I suppose if you are expecting caviar and blinis the food must appear rather poor, but as a contributor to my local food bank all my contributions come from Waitrose, where I do my weekly shop and include the items we are specifically asked for, tinned meat (in my case Fray Bentos steak pies, which my family LOVE so I give as I eat), tinned vegetables, tea and coffee and, usually, household goods like nappies and kitchen towel.

daphnedill your description of the clients where you volunteered exactly matches what this research describes as typical clients.

norose, I find your story interesting. As you clearly have first hand experience, can you describe what sort of food and in what quantities this couple are getting and how often they go to the Food Bank? The invariable rule, I understood, was three days food and only three or four times a year. Presumably you are aware, roughly, what sort of income they have and what medical conditions they have to know whether their receipt of the food and transport to collect it is justified or not.

Don't have that much info Monica, every fortnight hence the loading up a lot of tin stuff .taxi drivers are not sworn to secrecy so it's generally accepted locally as accurate)not first hand knowledge, ) rural areas less populated more people know about each other plus the couple in question are alleged more than happy to share their personal business .

Do you mean they collect from the Food Bank every fortnight norose4. Sorry, that's just not possible.

Someone is having you on norose

norose have you taken this issue up with the Food Bank or Charity Commissioners? It is a clear breach of the terms and conditions of Food Banks and, as Ana says should not be possible. Use of food banks is limited in frequency and needs a voucher for each visit.

The other possibility is crime, with a Food Bank volunteer stealing from the Food Bank to give to favoured friends.

Monica & Whitewave. no I don't have all that knowledge,perhaps it was a bad example to use & I maybe doing the couple a disservice. It's just that a realativly small area a lot of people's personal business is known & also open to inaccuracies. It is something that is spoken about fairly often which I have heard but wrongly perhaps not tried to find out more details . As this thread came up I was reminded of them .

Sorry & Anna

Or a corrupt individual providing them with vouchers.

Who pays their taxi fares?

Anyone in full time employment such as nurses and police officers would be referred to CAB or similar for advice on their debt problems

They may still end up needing food banks though, Annie..

MOnica Food bank recipients of your donations are lucky. Believe me, most of the donations don't come from Waitrose. Maybe I'm sounding too critical. The food in itself is fine, but it's very basic. That's not surprising and it does the job of filling empty tummies in a crisis, but it's not worth committing some kind of fraud to obtain.