Marcus Rashford letter

Fortunately in my council area in Scotland children on free school meals get fed 365 days a year every year (366 this year) AllScottish kids who qualify for free meal scheme were going to continue to be fed this summer thankfully. I used to run holiday playschemes and we always had food because some kids have always gone hungry in holidays

The Welsh Government announced back in April that they would continue the free school meals throughout the summer for eligible children.
They are funding it to the equivalent of £19.50 per child per week enough to cover a breakfast and a main meal, each LA making their own arrangements.

lizziepopbottle I have asked whether the supermarket could add an option at the time of payment for online home deliveries to add extra for food banks.
Normally I would pick up extra items and put them in the cage but with home deliveries it's not possible. I would add items in the school holidays which were easy for a child to prepare because many are alone.

I forgot to say I haven't had a reply, I must chase that up.

lizzypopbottle just come on for a browse and saw your post. As someone who volunteered at a foodbank ( it's been all change since covid, no drop ins, they're operating a delivery service) can I just say I doubt there's a foodbank in the country needs baked beans. My one worked out they could keep a family in beans at the rate of one tin a day for the next 5 years without a hiccup! Tinned meat pies, tins of minced beef etc are much more needed. There's usually a local App that will tell you what's most needed in your local area, and cash donations are always welcome.

In Wales the govt are giving boxes of food to each child who qualifies for free lunches. These boxes are delivered to the home of the child and contain enough food for a breakfast and a main meal for a week. I understand they also include fruit etc too.
It may well be the local authority that decides to give food rather than the vouchers but I think it is an excellent idea and it may encourage people to cook if they have the ingredients there.

Call when we went into lockdown I wondered what to do
about the food bank so I did a monthly direct debit. That has the added advantage of allowing them to fill some of the gaps in what they can offer.

suziewoozie, that's exactly what we did, a monthly direct debit to the local charity that distributes food.
It's more, that we would usually have dropped into the food boxes at the supermarket and definitely the right thing for us to do.

I hav just had a look and that doesn't seem possible here. The same advice re donating at the local supermarket applies.

Callistemon - we have a local group called Urban Outreach. I suspect other areas have similar voluntary group. Our DD is to that organisation. They are active on our local Covid 19 group, as well as on facebook and in the local press. An additional positive is that the group is run by a group who reflect our diverse ethnic town.

I will investigate, thank you.

I've had a very busy week since starting the thread, so I'm only just catching up.

I absolutely agree that children are the responsibility of their parents. However, if, for any reason, the parents are not willing or able to discharge their responsibilities what should we, as a 'civilised society' do?

Leave a child hungry?

Would you, personally, see a child in need of a meal and ignore that child? 'Society' is made up of people, you and me - and civilised societies act on behalf of the needy. Who is needier than a hungry child?

I was raised in a family that some on here would see as the 'undeserving' poor. Life was really hard during my childhood and though we children suffered it was through no fault of mine or my siblings.

We children grew up and we have all given back to society far more than the cost of those school dinners or what my mum had from the state in National Assistance (as the benefit was called then). We have all 'done well' in the eyes of those who count upward mobility as a sign of such things. We have paid taxes, served in the military, been in full employment for most of our lives and have contributed to society by volunteering and being good employers and/or employees. We are now parents ourselves; to well educated, professional sons and daughters who are paying their taxes in turn.

I agree with Nelson Mandela who said, 'There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.'

Welcome back granny activist and YES in agreement to your Nelson Mandela quote
There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats it children.

Children cannot, in a civilised society, be left to bear the brunt of parental failings in any sphere: food, education, absence of abuse etc.

By all means (if you really must) have the conversation about how far disadvantaged families are the author of their own downfall, but surely everyone can agree that the detrimental consequences should not be visited upon the heads of the children. All that does is perpetuate the cycle.

We might say: X child would be fine if only his/her parents did not spend all their money on drink/drugs etc, and it is indeed good if those things are tackled, but in the meantime we have to go the extra mile to prevent children bearing the brunt of these failings.

We may know what parents should do, but if they don't we have to pick up the pieces for the children. It is in their and our interests.

I was a volunteer for Save The Children for 20 years and, like all volunteers, we knew that it is the children who matter. They did not have a say in being born. They might have had feckless parents, but it was not their fault. Children should not be punished because of their parents' actions.

Would anyone who has said that it's not society's responsibility to feed hungry children like to respond to my question above?

For ease I'll ask it again; Would you, personally, see a child in need of a meal and ignore that child?

granny I doubt you’ll get an answer to your question - one of problems is that posters who criticise parents don’t actually ever think through the implications of the position they adopt. Neither do they appreciate the often many complex reasons why some parents are not coping

granny activist, no surprise that I'll answer the question. No I could not see a child in need of a meal and ignore that child. We were shielding so couldn't contribute directly to our local food bank - we set up a direct debit instead. yes we're fortunate to be able to do this.

Perhaps Marcus Rashford could pay for the free children’s meals from his own vast fortune; no doubt he can afford it. That would repay the taxpayers who helped him when he was a child.
Maybe he could also pay for home economics classes for parents who are struggling.

This post of yours.....so good you did it twice ? I’m sure he does contribute lots but this is an issue for the government to deal with.
By the way it’s called food technology these days.

Perhaps Tory MPs could pay for track n trace or HS2 from their vast fortunes, IDS or JRM could sell one of their stately homes, stupid argument TiggyW. Marcus is a tax payer and makes charity contributions, he’s probably paid back many times over for his school meals.

TiggyW

Perhaps Marcus Rashford could pay for the free children’s meals from his own vast fortune; no doubt he can afford it. That would repay the taxpayers who helped him when he was a child.
Maybe he could also pay for home economics classes for parents who are struggling.

Ooohhhh and there was me thinking that a) he paid tax and b) had already paid more back to society as an example of care, compassion and decency in his short life than many embittered critics had done in decades of their miserable mean existences.

Did you know that MPs get £25 a day food allowance? That’s taxpayers money - maybe the MPs with vast fortunes should pay some of that back?

The Scottish Government are investing £10m to support around 156,000 children and young people, by helping families meet the costs of meals over the school holidays

And before anyone starts, they will NOT be getting the money reimbursed via Westminster. It will come from their own budget.

Of course children have to be fed but as always we are just treating the symptoms and not looking at the cause.

There is a great sense of entitlement among so many young people, they will feed their dogs, drug and alcohol habits buy their scratch cards, energy drinks and have acrylic nails adorned with gemstones.
Their children will go hungry because the state will step in.
How many genuine cases are there?

When I went to our local food bank to donate, I had to stand in the queue to hand over my bag of goods.
It was an eye opener!
They were smoking filter cigarettes, drinking cans of energy drinks and flashing their nails, there were a couple of Staffordshire terriers tethered up outside too.

I asked volunteers if they needed any particular foods or hygiene products for my next donation, he said could I sign up for a monetary donation to be paid on a standing order rather than bring food.

I have decided not to return there with donations but have donated instead via my supermarket.

Missfoodlove

Of course children have to be fed but as always we are just treating the symptoms and not looking at the cause.

There is a great sense of entitlement among so many young people, they will feed their dogs, drug and alcohol habits buy their scratch cards, energy drinks and have acrylic nails adorned with gemstones.
Their children will go hungry because the state will step in.
How many genuine cases are there?

When I went to our local food bank to donate, I had to stand in the queue to hand over my bag of goods.
It was an eye opener!
They were smoking filter cigarettes, drinking cans of energy drinks and flashing their nails, there were a couple of Staffordshire terriers tethered up outside too.

I asked volunteers if they needed any particular foods or hygiene products for my next donation, he said could I sign up for a monetary donation to be paid on a standing order rather than bring food.

I have decided not to return there with donations but have donated instead via my supermarket.

There’s no hope is there?