Food Banks.

[Skean Dhude]

If you give something for free then people will turn up and collect it. Many people won't enjoy turning up for food banks but most won't care. They already rely on others providing everything for them and long gone are the days when people cared about being dependant on others.

Food banks are a sad indictment on our socialist state. Failing in its self appointed duty but so it is with every socialist government.

Personally I think that it isn't an example of SHTF but more of an example of how bad we are as a society.

[iaaems]

Our local shop has a bin by the door for generous folks to donate food etc.. It gets overfilled most weeks and the published total of the amounts collected are truly staggering. There was a local tv news item regarding this subject and it had pictures of the queues outside the distribution centre. I then started to fear that the 'system' of distribution was somewhat skewed when I saw who was actually in the lineup.
Sadly it would appear that they are doing nothing wrong - the 'rules' allow them to do it, even if they are not really in need.

[Straight Shooter]

Well who better to tell us the inside story, i do not doubt a word of Robs....I witnessed as much myself...in the 25 mins i viewed the people going in and coming out...its just my opinion ...in that time (as DEV points out ) out of the the people I saw half we smokers , 1 had a can of beer .....3 looked embarrassed ...if people are to stand on their own two feet and pay their way....give them the tools to do just that....a proper full time job ...if you can give that great....if you choose not to work...no tax credits ...no nothing...but be prepared for the consequences ...of those able bodied people who want to do nothing....Police cuts,Prison cuts, you name it cuts ...Address the problem at root cause...if you cannot ....be prepared to stump up that means you and me.

[Tarrel]

The provision of food by a community to those of its number in need is not new and is a laudable, charitable act. Communities have been doing this for years, typically through the church.

What IS new and, in my experience, wrong is the Foodbank SYSTEM. These things are rolling out across the country, in many cases overriding local initiatives that were already in place, with a bureaucratic structure that the Indian civil service would be proud of.

We had one open up in our town last year, in a local Christian drop-in centre that actually provides a good range of services to the town; kind of citizens' advice bureau, job-club, etc. They were looking for volunteers and, as I'd been unsure about foodbanks, I decided to sign up, to see for myself how they work.

It soon became clear that the foodbank was being foisted onto the town. No-one came to use it. We had food coming out of our ears as a result of generous donations. The local social services weren't really interested, as they already had local arrangements in place which had worked for years. (Social workers and health visitors had access to food boxes which they carried in their cars for when they found a situation of real need).

Those who I did come across who were in need were incredibly proud and very reluctant to make use of what was on offer. What I did learn was:

1. People don't use foodbanks because they are hungry, they use them so they can spend limited funds on other things (and no, I don't mean drugs and booze necessarily, but rent so they don't get evicted). Cutting back on food, especially your own, is an easy option for a desperate householder.
2. Those who have got themselves into a dysfunctional state where they live their lives as thought they are perpetually stumbling off a cliff need more than food. Often they don't have the utensils, cooker or know-how to make use of the food on offer. This is a much bigger issue than just lack of food, in which case the foodbank is no more than a sticking plaster.
3. Benefit sanctions are a blunt instrument that affect many innocent people in the act of trying to curtail the scrounging. Benefits include working tax credits which many hardworking people receive. These can be affected by admin. screw-ups and communication break-downs, leading to folk being in dire straits financially, albeit temporarily.

In summary, my experience backed up my initial suspicions; that the systemised roll-out of foodbanks is actually creating a demand for them. However, I believe it is a right and charitable thing to do for communities to find their own ways of looking after their own.

[bigpaul]

I think foodbanks compound the problem rather than solve it. I mean I heard that people are only supposed to get 3 days worth of food 3 times, so 9 days food in all, if your benefit has been sanctioned or wont start kicking in for 12 weeks 9 days food isn't going to make a hell of a lot of difference is it?

[Tarrel]

True.