The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: tom_birmingham on May 19, 2015, 08:53:12 pm
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Hiya,
I have decided to volunteer at my local food bank, one of the things that I am thinking about when I do join is the role supermarkets have within food banks - I sometimes think that the donated food to people who need it deals with the problem, the fire fighting of hunger but does not address the supply chain, which I feel at the moment from my reading and observations is a bit of a mess.
As part of my attempts to be self sufficient I am also going to address the ideas of self sufficiency and community. Also addressing supermarkets and their roles positively and negatively within the local communities we live in. Also I'd like you to follow me on twitter, and my blog if you like. You can do so at https://selfandroots.wordpress.com - it would be good to hear your thoughts.
Thanks
Tom
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The main problem is central Government in London.
They are so far removed from the people who matter - people who may have jobs but can't survive on the low pay so have to use food banks - it's not all druggies and spongers who get food from them.
In Scotland we have at least addressed the issue of Government by providing 56 MPs who will fight for a better distribution of funds from money wasting projects like Trident to those which will provide work at better rates of pay.
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I think it's a friggin joke that supermarkets put the food bank bins out for you to donate and yet many routinely spoil their own perfectly good 'waste' food for fear that people will stop buying from them if they can get it for free!
:furious:
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a chap has recently been prosecuted for theft for taking food from a waste bin outside the back of a supermarket. That's hard to believe I think. OK, the beak gave the chap an absolute discharge but he still has that conviction on his record and that isn't fair in my opinion.
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https://www.buzzbnk.org/PayAsYouFeelCafe (https://www.buzzbnk.org/PayAsYouFeelCafe)
:wave: interesting initiative
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I support our food bank they measure donations by weight, so far since April I have taken in 200kg of food...
The church I attend are setting up a soup kitchen for the winter months (my initiative, my cooking)
Until there is a radical shift in government policy the situation won't change.
Parts of Europe it is now law that all supermarket waste food Has to be donated to charity, this would be a good start...
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This is something that makes me angry. In this so called modern age can the government hold its head up when is people cannot afford food. Cameron and his cronies should hang their heads in shame. I hope you guys in Scotland can now address it there.
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I have a friend who works for one of the places that give the vouchers for the foodbank. She said she feels like crying over some of the people who come in, often in tears themselves because they can't afford to feed their own children. She often hears, "I'm so ashamed to have to do this."
What kind of a country is this becoming that people are made to feel pariahs through not fault of their own? Many of those needing food vouchers are working.
My church is very involved in our local foodbank and I have sat in Tesco collecting food for it. Many people do give but some are really nasty to me. I'll still do it though.
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Thinking about Brandi's post, I am wondering if Benkt's scheme wouldn't work in this area? A local cafe/premises, largely donated foods (the supermarkets could outdo each other here!) each hard up against it family paying a certain amount (it would have to be worked out and I can't do sums!) each week.
Children getting a decent breakfast on their way to school and all the family getting a good evening meal. All recipients taking their turn with cooking, cleaning, washing up etc. but, a good "community spirit" and a chance to meet folk and make friends.
Crap or sense?? ???
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Our local "Common Weal" group http://www.allofusfirst.org/ (http://www.allofusfirst.org/) has managed to get a wee bit of land in the town and is setting up a community garden under the "foodforfree" initiative. We're donating manure, seeds and some blackcurrant bushes. What is produced will be given away free.
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when i used to work for Boots there was a monthly report sent to all branches which had to be pinned on the staff noticeboard, stating any and all disciplinary action taken by the company against staff. Names were never given but one member of staff was sacked for taking a barely out of date sandwich from the waste bin (still in wrapper etc)
During a stock re-shuffle a new brand of toothbrush came into store so I was told to remove another brand toothbrush to make space on the display and to put all the 'old' toothbrushes in the bin, there must have been at least a hundred of them! I asked if I could take them to the charity shop for them to be sent in the Shoe box appeal they do every Christmas and was told NO >:(
The branch manager was very sympathetic and hated to see the waste of a perfectly good item but it was 'company policy'
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when i used to work for Boots there was a monthly report sent to all branches which had to be pinned on the staff noticeboard, stating any and all disciplinary action taken by the company against staff. Names were never given but one member of staff was sacked for taking a barely out of date sandwich from the waste bin (still in wrapper etc)
During a stock re-shuffle a new brand of toothbrush came into store so I was told to remove another brand toothbrush to make space on the display and to put all the 'old' toothbrushes in the bin, there must have been at least a hundred of them! I asked if I could take them to the charity shop for them to be sent in the Shoe box appeal they do every Christmas and was told NO >:(
The branch manager was very sympathetic and hated to see the waste of a perfectly good item but it was 'company policy'
|If that is still company policy they just lost a customer!
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that was 6 years ago now but what current policy is I don't know but the waste from just our little branch was shocking, one day was 50-60 bottles of sun lotion, all in the bin! The sandwich issue is seen as stealing company property I suppose. Thankfully our branch didn't stock food items but the large ones do.
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I think better food education is needed also. So many people these days are so detached from real food that they cannot cook anything that doesn't come out of a packet.
With bread flour and dried yeast you can make three great loaves of bread for the price of one crappy supermarket loaf.
People are so used to having meat every day that they don't even consider a meat free meal. Some cheap vegetables and some chicen stock will make a delicious soup for dinner.
This post is in no way meant to blame the people using food banks. They should never have to be in that situation to start with.
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I think better food education is needed also. So many people these days are so detached from real food that they cannot cook anything that doesn't come out of a packet.
+1 on that.
Plus ppl need to realise the difference between "need" and "want".
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maybe someone can put me right that has seen what exactly you get from a foodbank but from what I have seen on TV clips etc there seems to be an awful lot of jars of sauces, ready made stuff etc rather than packets of flour etc needed to make a sauce but is that because people don't know how to make a white sauce etc or is it more a case of perhaps some people dont have the equipment/kitchen facilities to make a meal from scratch?
Foodbanks with basic cooking classes would be brilliant if they don't do it already?
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packets and jars etc are maybe more to do with the need to conserve electricity/gas. Our new neighbours lived off microwave meals and visits to family for meals as they only had a microwave and a kettle when they first moved in.
So many reasons for so many people.
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Its not only food they are often fuel poor, or lack the skills and equipment, living in temporary accommodation were there might be only the use of a micro wave or shared facilities.
I like the idea of pay what you want cafes, I would happily pay the going rate knowing the next person would pay what they could afford. It seems ridiculas that people will pay £2.20 for a cup of coffe when people live on less than that a day.
Unfortunately food banks have storage problems, I could have donated half a pig but most would have no way to store it. Our local allotments had a condition that you could not sell what you produce,which was doe with the best intentions but ends up in more food waste.
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It's often about fuel poverty as well, most food banks are swamped with pasta as it's a popular item from donates but requires cooking so not all recipients can take it... (it doesn't microwave well)
I visit ours a couple of times a month with donations, they email all regular supporters on a weekly basis with there most needed items, some things it's just because occasional donors don't think of them others because they have a glut of something but they need to balance it with something else... The surprise when I started helping was basic toiletries they are a bug need...
The good news for me is they have just taken delivery of a chiller so they can take fresh veggies from the garden now!!!
Having spent time there its astonishing the number of people forced to use them and these people are desperate many resist as long as possible from embarrassment more than anything... And I only live in a small town.
A good friend of mine heads up 5 food banks in Edinburgh, there will be 8 by thi
this winter...
Is it wrong we need them yes, the only solution is from government and thats not going to happen in the life of this parliament...
As my friend says, he'd love to be unemployed because the need had gone away!!!
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We have one in Aviemore we all support this but when I here that morrasons inverness waste Is £8000 a week .Haw much this could help . We put eggs etc in and say give them out whith out the humiliated paper work you have to have ,very sad
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We have a local Food Bank, and according to our local paper, the amount of people using it has increased alarmingly. Apparantly, they do not make it that people can go time after time - more of an emergency measure. I can see the sense in this, as some people would misuse it, when there are more genuine needy cases needing help.
We often go to the local supermarket just before closing, and there arte three loaded trolleys of bread, veg, chilled meals etc. that are near their sell by date. We buy all our bread out of this trolley, at a very reduced price, but its obvious its not all going to be sold by closing time - and its therefore dumped in the bins......due to all the health laws they cannot keep it until morning. Such a shame when soup kitchens, homeless places etc would I am sure be able to use it, without any ill effects to the hungry, desperate people who rely on places like this just to eat.
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I am aware of some people who abuse food banks = it annoys me no end.
Cut a huge story down to a short one due to the winter storms in 2013/14 by March 2014 we had completely run out of food and money, we had no income (no benefits) as we have our own business, we were about 2 weeks of receiving some money, we had gone into debt by £72,000 over that winter, we couldn't borrow even another £10. Too embarrassed to turn to family we probably didn't eat for 4 days, we had a friend helping us tidy up the mess and we had to feed him, he decided to stay an extra 2 days we had nothing to feed him so we turned to the local food bank, they said no because we weren't on benefits nor had we been referred by social services our doctor or a housing officer. Someone on here suggested the church, I went to see the vicar told him of our predicament, if I recall correctly we received within a couple of hours a bag of potatoes, a bag of veg a chicken and either £10 or £20 that saved our mental state, people on here were an absolute lifeline, advice and sense in their words helped us cope. We now give to the church and to the food bank every week.
May I take this opportunity to thank all those on here that helped us get through the worst time of our lives, were not through it yet but by September we will be, thank you to all who sent us seeds for our veg plot, our plot is the best it's ever been.
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Hi AndynJ,
Have often wondered how you have been fairing since last spring. Glad to hear you are nearly there :sunshine:
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Never be embarrassed by asking for help, most folk would be happier to give than to receive :hug: :hug:
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Hi AndynJ,
Have often wondered how you have been fairing since last spring. Glad to hear you are nearly there :sunshine:
We both work incredibly hard, I took a job as well as our business last spring and I now work away most weeks at the moment have done since new year, I'm hoping this is my last week, I will never forget 2014 that was our hardest of times, I will never forget the kind gestures nor the generous offers from people we have never met :thumbsup:
People on here sent us seeds, that was so fantastic, we couldn't afford to buy them, we had missed our ordering time, we knew that the whole year was going to be a major financial struggle and all the veg we grew made such a difference. Mrs reckons she spent less than £1000 on food in 2014 we are spoilt as we can collect mussels and fish are plentyful (12 mackerel Monday in 35 mins).
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Never be embarrassed by asking for help, most folk would be happier to give than to receive :hug: :hug:
Thanks,
Another subject, I sent you an email this morning, would be good to have picture so I can show my biker buddy tonight. Hope this makes sense
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Understood! I will have to get my son to do it.
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AndynJ, I am so pleased you have come through such an awful time. I cannot believe the Food Bank could not help you - but thank goodness for the Church. I am sure most of us, if not all, on this forum, would do what we could to help another member if they were in need. As they say, what goes round, comes round, and one day, God forbid, we may need the kindness of someone ourselves, so doing what we can to help others makes sense.