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Post by stanleyb on Feb 4, 2023 11:10:26 GMT
I wonder what the opinions are on these facilities. I wish that they existed in my neighbourhood in the late eighties and early nineties when I could have done with their help. I have chucked a packet of this and that in the collection box in Sainsbury's whenever I go shopping there. And our previous pastors used to collect food parcels from the congregation. But that was about the total sum of my donation. However I had been thinking of doing a bit more than that. So I printed out the request list from our local foodbank and took it to Costco. Some items were out of my league when it comes to deciding which one to get, such as hygiene pads, nappies, etc. Others were against my principles, such as canned vegetables and canned fruits. I believe those things should be bought fresh. But the rest of the items on the list were to be found. So I filled up a trolley both top and bottom and took it to the foodbank. The cost was less than what I spend on take aways and drinks in a month. I actually offset it by selling two camera lenses on ebay and using the funds for that to pay for the donated goods.
In the context of the problem, such a donation is a mere tiny spec. But as a gesture it is something that I personally feel strong about, having lived in two third world countries. As a matter of fact, one of those countries now have foodbanks, which were introduced when covid struck and many poor people were left unable to fend for themselves.
So why am I writing about this? Well, I am hoping that you will give the idea of a personal donation some consideration as well.
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Post by MikeMusic on Feb 4, 2023 11:19:50 GMT
Looked to see we have a few around here
Opening hours are odd so need to be careful just going along
Every bit counts
Hear what you say about canned food but it is canned close to harvesting and often priced very well
We should go through our cupboards and donate what we won't ever use
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Post by brian2957 on Feb 4, 2023 12:24:05 GMT
Great thread Stan. My first thought is that we shouldn't really need food banks in the UK, however, there will be poor people in every society and the weakest should be looked after as a priority. It's the explosion in the demand for food banks which bothers me. I can't remember the figures but food bank use has risen dramatically. I've been lucky enough to have lived in the UK all my life. Don't get me wrong, we didn't have much when I was young, but I can't ever remember going hungry. Anyway, I regularly donate to a food bank because I'm lucky enough to be able to do so. Thanks for posting Stan. www.trusselltrust.org/ |
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Post by John on Feb 4, 2023 12:39:06 GMT
I sometimes support people with autism and/or learning disabilities to volunteer at food banks
They provide an essential hub in the community
I think it's wrong that we rely on them so much but thankful for the help they provide
In return I have provided training on Autism for free to the staff and volunteers as a thank you
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Foodbanks
Feb 4, 2023 13:00:27 GMT
via mobile
Post by John on Feb 4, 2023 13:00:27 GMT
During lockdown it became really hard to find volunteering placements The Food banks were one of the view opportunities.
They provide so much more than food.
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Post by Slinger on Feb 4, 2023 13:36:30 GMT
A lot of you guys can probably guess how difficult it is for me to avoid mentioning politics, but I won't. ...much.  When I was diagnosed with Diabetes I sorted out all the stuff I wasn't supposed to eat, (which was a heck of a lot as it turns out as I tend to buy in bulk where I can) and rang my local foodbank. Two very nice lpeople drove to me and picked it all up. I'd have delivered it if I could, but I don't drive, and I can't walk far. There was far too much to carry anyway. I wish foodbanks didn't exist, or rather, I wish the need for them didn't exist, in the same way as I wish charities didn't exist. German comedian, Henning Wehn once said "W e don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities". And to a large extent I believe that. Food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided more than 2.1 million emergency food parcels between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. Of these, 832,000 were for children. This represents an 81% increase compared to the same period five years ago according to a report they published in May 2022. Foodbanks may apply a sticking plaster to the wound, but they can't heal it. I applaud the work they do while hating the need for it. A seismic change needs to happen in this country so that it's not just, in the main, the poorer end of the financial spectrum who end up supporting the poor with donations. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against people being wealthy, I just wish they were issued with a social conscience along with their offshore bank accounts and investment funds. I also wish that MPs (and Royalty) thought of foodbanks as more than just a f*cking photo-op. Rant over. Sorry. |
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Post by Slinger on Feb 4, 2023 21:09:34 GMT
And now., alongside foodbanks, we've got " warm spaces" which can be anything from community centres to libraries to football stadia (no, not on the pitch, inside the buildings) and provide respite for people who cannot afford to heat their homes. We are supposedly a " first-world" country, so why do we need third-world solutions to poverty? As a society, we are well and truly f*cked, and the people that should care about that are too often the ones who have caused it, and who are refusing to ameliorate the situation at every turn, not through inaction, but by deliberate action in many cases. There is a duty of care involved for those in charge, or at least there should be. It feels more like a duty of don't care, or couldn't care less. I've just deleted 3 paragraphs from the end of this post, which gives you some idea of where it was headed.  |
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Post by MartinT on Feb 4, 2023 22:04:15 GMT
Guys, I am entirely sympathetic with this post.
However, please keep the politics to what has been posted otherwise we will have to move this thread to Frequent Flyers' Club.
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