This is utterly shameful

lemongrove

Wrong ww as foodbanks were started in around 2000 in the UK and other countries, and in 1967 in the US.
Churches have been helping for longer than that of course.

Yes this is true. The school I worked in didn't have a breakfast club then but we did give breakfast to some children. Staff paid for it.

We have had a local food bank for many years. It's based at a nearby church. Volunteers distributed boxes to households in need to a dozen villages. Since covid demand has gone up rapidly and now thy are proving for many more. In addition to the hub church others are now keeping emergency stocks of tins, uht milk, nappies and baby formula, etc.

They are struggling to keep up with demand now and as individuals church members can only give so much. The money is needed locally. I don't think local councils are doing anything like enough. But then they never have. 10, 20 and more years ago money never trickled down as far as rural communities.

None so blind

Don’t bother reading any of the reports detailing what has happened in the last decade then

The Child Poverty Action Group was set up in 1965 and many of my friends at university in the late 60’s joined. For many many years I have donated to charities for clean water and yet we never seem to achieve this.
As Lemongrove has said this is not just about the UK or political parties. It is a global problem that has been going on for some long time exacerbated by Covid.

rosecarmel

JenniferEccles

EVERYBODY understands lemongrove’s point of view because she has summed up the truth of the situation.

The problem is some posters would far rather blame the government for absolutely everything.

Doesn’t it get incredibly tedious?

It's too narrow a view to reveal the whole truth- It's like sitting in meadow of many flowers and staring at a single bloom while pretending the rest never grew-

You have a lovely way with words

JenniferEccles

EVERYBODY understands lemongrove’s point of view because she has summed up the truth of the situation.

The problem is some posters would far rather blame the government for absolutely everything.

Doesn’t it get incredibly tedious?

It's too narrow a view to reveal the whole truth- It's like sitting in meadow of many flowers and staring at a single bloom while pretending the rest never grew-

It’s ridiculous to say that all parties would be the same. Have a look at the last decade of figures I posted, or read the reports. Austerity has driven this increase.

Alternatively gave a look at the piece on the New York Times today about cronyism and waste in the U.K. govt www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/17/world/europe/britain-covid-contracts.html

lemongrove, I have witnessed just how quickly our government actually can respond when the trappings of red tape, legal loops and their usual cumbersome-couch-potato-bureaucratic-antics all cease and they hit the floor running-

They pretend to be obese when in fact they're nimble as a kitten- Just lazy- And the only reason that charities have been triggered here is due to governmental gluttony-

Lemon We have a rotten government giving their pals billions. Tory Government have caused the unessessary austerity that has caused poverty starving children Remember the UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston says poverty in the U.K. Is systematic and tragic

www.bristol.ac.uk/poverty-institute/news/2019/un-rapporteur-final-report.html

And a very detailed pre-pandemic report here www.stateofhunger.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/State-of-Hunger-Report-November2019-Digital.pdf

It says that 8-10% of U.K. households are food insecure (before the pandemic), which is shameful really. 2% of households were using a food bank then.

EVERYBODY understands lemongrove’s point of view because she has summed up the truth of the situation.

The problem is some posters would far rather blame the government for absolutely everything.

Doesn’t it get incredibly tedious?

lemongrove

Wrong ww as foodbanks were started in around 2000 in the UK and other countries, and in 1967 in the US.
Churches have been helping for longer than that of course.

But Labour were intent on eradicating child poverty by 2020, the need for food boxes fell and there was a huge decrease in child poverty during their tenure in government, which would have continued except the Tories visited austerity on the poor, leaving the wealthy to get richer. And the need for food boxes reach a level never seen in modern times.

I suppose it is very essential to be balanced when confronted by a hungry child.

Personally my balance goes out the window and I would move heaven and hell to improve their situation.

Probably for the best GG13 and having put my point of view will sign out too. ?

Good post Lemongrass.

Let it not be forgotten that one of the people doing the most for children in need this year is Marcus Rashford who himself was a child in need - through the Blair Labour years.

All governments could do more not just Tory ones.

There has been an enormous increase in food bank usage. And not just pandemic related.

More figures.

www.statista.com/statistics/382695/uk-foodbank-users/

lemongrove I have decided not to engage, as apparently not belonging to the correct gang is a crime on GN according to some at this point in time and I imagine the hysteria and hyperbole will increase over the coming weeks.

Wrong ww as foodbanks were started in around 2000 in the UK and other countries, and in 1967 in the US.
Churches have been helping for longer than that of course.

Thanks GG13 ?
Balance seems to have gone out of the window on GN lately unfortunately, and insults take the place of reason and fairness if a poster has a different opinion.

This must be a first when someone praises the fact that we have food boxes.

We didn’t have food boxes 15 years ago. They have only come into existence since the Tories took office.

Without their existence we must assume that people would be utterly destitute because this government does nothing to help the children.

It was dragged kicking and screaming into providing hungry children with food during the school holidays.

Utterly disgraceful.

By all means look for solutions Rose ...it may take a long time.While working on that, be pleased that all governments and charities are doing what they can with benefits and food boxes.

The U.K. does not do well on wealth inequality measures. And I suspect that will get a whole lot worse.

All sorts of inequality figures here: www.equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-uk

rosecarmel

I also understand where lemongrove is coming from-

? many of us do as well

I also understand where lemongrove is coming from-

One can't take a balanced look at things if all they're doing is examining similarities for no reason other than making comparisons because doing so won't lead to solutions-

Rose I will leave ‘rants’ to others, have merely stated what I believe to be the case.If you or anyone else doesn’t ‘buy it’ then that’s fine by me.As I’ve just said to ww I refuse to get personal and drawn into spats.