Listen to the TV this morning and DH had Jeremy Vine on the phone in was regarding food banks and being able to cook. A lady phoned in an she said she had seen people going to food banks and coming out with bags of food then getting into their big cars and talking on their mobile phones.
And I thought yes she might have a point but thinking about it perhaps that person may have a job that requires a car but is on a zero hours contract or low hours which fluctuate, they may have had an unexpected bill or illness in the family that stopped them working as much last month . You need a "smart " phone to be able to claim universal credit or any benefit, the kids may use it for homework . They might need that help only once or twice and they are back on their feet. When you are unemployed do you sell the car that you need to get to interviews and perhaps loose the chance .
We haven't all got the luxury of a twice hourly bus service and you may may not have a supermarket within walking distance only a corner shop with a limited range and dearer prices. Many people are stuck in a cycle of living from week to week /month to month with limited cooking facilities or no reserve in the cupboard/freezer through no fault of their own. One young lady with 3 children in the paper this week had gone from being unemployed to working but during the wait for her first wage packet had been giving a loan by the benefits office this was being deducted from her universal credit together with an " over payment" made by the benefits office which she could not find out when the overpayment had been made despite asking, she ended up in work but worse off. They money she had coming in only covered her rent and had been "granted" 3 visits to the food bank and didn't know how she would manage after that.
So please dont judge think first. Give to a food bank if you wish. But no one is making you.
Gransnet forums
News & politics
Join the conversation
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join the discussion, watch threads and lots more.
Register now »Already registered? Log in with:
Gransnet »