Food Banks

[yellerbelly]

I like you moonwitch have done lots of volunteering, but sadly not all volunteers are valued, I worked full-time and part-time and volunteered in my spare time, (I termed it my social activity not being able to afford to socialise down the pub etc,) I worked a lot for the WRVS and we volunteered in various roles, sometimes I would be called up in the middle of the night to sit in on a police interview with a minor or vulnerable person, I also organised rota's for 2 projects and stocked one of those projects never charging for my mileage and only charging 10p per phone call which often did not cover it, but when local offices closed and it was centralised to Wales I had paid office staff ringing me up asking for more paperwork to be submitted I just gave up altogether. I did not even own a computer until 2012 so everything was done long hand.

Olivia re smartphones, yes I do know that all benefits need to be done on-line these days and it is another thing the powers that be need to bear in mind when thinking up these changes, not everyone has access to computers or can afford them, MP's and thier underlings they need to walk a mile in their shoes before coming up with these changes but they are too busy protecting their own self interests and bank accounts hence one of the reasons the country is in the state we are in at the moment and becoming a laughing stock. Excuse the phrase but P--- up and brewery come to mind.

Back in my teens I read Huxley and Orwell and 'Black August' by Dennis Wheatley when chatting with someone this morning who had read same we agreed these novels could become reality unless major changes are made which means Government need to sit back, listen and experience the lives that some have to live, not just for a couple of weeks but for a couple of months but I am living in cloud cuckoo land as it will never happen.

Food banks do a great job and recently it was feared one in Lincoln would have to close but a Theatre Group in Lincoln put on presentation of Oliver in the Cathedral asking people attending to bring a donation for the food bank and the response was amazing, people turned up with carrier bags full. Different banks are operated differently, dependent on the group and each case has to be determined on merit, but I have seen people asking to be referred for food parcels who look as if they have just come from a holiday abroad, smell of drink, puffing on their fags and worrying about their Sky TV bill.

I may come across as being a bit harsh but like Becky I know what it is like being on low income and struggling to make ends meet, while we lived in the town my father delivered milk in surrounding villages and farmers would give him rabbits, etc and he would grow the vegetables but now even that is not possible for some without gardens, while some who have gardens fail to help themselves as all they do is fill it up with rubbish, some, not all need to take stock to try to improve their lives not always relying on others and taking things for granted. You don't get anything out if you don't put in. Sorry I'm on my soap box again.�� but I've seen both sides of the coin.

[olivia8143]

An updated version of “First they came...” by Niemöller
by Jack Monroe“First they came for the socialistsBut you did not speak out
Because you were definitely not a socialist
Those mad bastards campaigning for decent wages and universal healthcare
Waving their hand painted placards through the streets of Westminster
You were definitely not a socialist
Then they came for the Trade Unionists
And you did not speak out
Because Unions are awful
The Daily Mail said so
Those people representing ordinary workers
And fighting for decent pay
And human working conditions
And maternity and paternity leave
And adequate rest between shifts
And making sure people have a voice
They’re definitely terrible self-aggrandising egotists
And they get paid to represent people
And you had to get a bus to work once because of a strike you didn't bother to research beyond a screaming scheming headline
So you are not a Trade Unionist
Then they came for the Muslims and the refugees
And you did not speak out
Because they are not your people
Coming over here
Why can’t they integrate?
Religion causes all the problems right
All the wars Leave them to it
Close the borders
We’re full up
Can’t take any more
Of this PC multicultural bull****
Who do they think they are?
You spoke over
And you spat and you raged in hatred and fear
But you did not speak out
Because you were not a Muslim nor a refugee
And then they came for the poor and the unemployed the single parents on benefits the workless
And you did not speak out
Because you thought they were lazy
Loads of jobs out there innit
Easy to eat cheaply on the dole, you claim
Having never had to make £71 last a week with a broken refrigerator or holes in the bottom of a pair of school shoes
Bet they’ve all got Sky TV and iPhones and how did she pay for her tattoos?
And you saw someone smoking outside a food bank once
So you did not speak out
Then they came for the disabled
Shame, you thought, but you did not speak out
Most of them could probably work, you thought
You saw that chronically depressed woman smile once
And the guy in the disabled parking space looks young and healthy to you
We all get down sometimes, you shout
What's wrong with you anyway?
Bunch of ****ing scroungers, you thought
So you did not speak out Then they came for the teachers
And the doctors
And the nurses
And the firefighters
And the domestic abuse workers
And the rubbish collections
And the rape crisis centres
And the social workers
And the childrens centres
And the education funding
And by the time they come for you
By the time they f**king come for you

There will be nobody left to speak out for you
Nobody left at all.”
A number of people have asked if they may share, please do, but make sure you give the author, Jack Monroe, the credit.

[cheaver]

.

I've never really given much thought to Food Banks other than the fact that food is donated by those who can afford to give it for the benefit of those who are in need of it. However, when one of our members nominated Bath Foodbank for a fundraising charitable event here on eBid towards the end of this month, I was struck by the fact that Bath is a huge city - how does it cope with what must be a huge, gigantic need?

Here are some facts snippets which I thought I would share here -



Bath is the largest city in the county of Somerset, population approx 88,859.

Official rough sleeping figures in Bath are the 'tip of the iceberg' say charities
There has been an increase of 8% in the use of the Foodbank compared to the previous year.

"Bath Foodbank is operated entirely by volunteers - there are no salaries to pay and so our main expenses, apart from the administrative costs, are running and maintaining the Foodbank van, and rental on the warehouse."

"We have a problem with the warehouse in that at times when most donations are given –harvest festival and Christmas –we can find ourselves short of space. As a short-term measure we have taken a one-year lease on a unit at the Bath Safestore, at a discounted cost"

"we are well into the lease on the current premises and so ideally would like to find larger more centrally placed premises. The ideal would be to have the warehouse and distribution centre on one site, reducing the environmental impact of running a diesel van back and for along the London Road, and also increasing the opportunities for engagement with clients"



2017 - 2018





Summary of activity over the last year:

51,620.3 kgs of food were donated to the Bath Foodbank

4469 people in Bath were given food for 3 meals for 3 days to help them at a time of crisis. Of this number 1359 were children with many of those being under 11 years of age.

over 100 volunteers help on a regular basis to ensure that food is collected, stored and distributed to those in need in the city.

over 100 agencies have vouchers to give to people who are experiencing a crisis and need help with food.



Please - come and support the YDC 180 (Your Donation Counts) Charity Auction which will run for 4 days only from 24th September. It is hoped a goodly amount will be raised to send to the Bath Foodbank - to help take the hunger pangs away from as many folk, including children, as possible.

Thank You for taking the time to read this.

[cornishmaid1961]

Thanks Cheaver. Time to start rummaging in those drawers, you never know what you might find that can raise some dosh for the foodbank.

[cambrensis]

I collect for our local foodbank Patch (Pembrokeshire Action to Combat Hardship). Unlike the Trussell Trust which only gives out 3 days worth of food 3 times a year (which doesn't really help someone moving onto Universal Credit with a 9 week wait for money they will help anyone who has been referred for as long as they need. It makes me sad to see posts that differentiate between the "deserving poor" and the "undeserving poor" it's usually the religous groups such as the Trussell Trust that make such moralistic judgements but the fact is, in this day and age, most of the people using foodbanks are working (sometimes 2 or 3 low paid jobs). Sometimes too, they have no means of cooking either because they have no kitchen or they can't afford to turn the cooker on. The DWP is moving everyone to Universal Credit, that's people on working tax credits, child tax credits, esa etc and there's even talk of declaring pensions a benefit (even though we've paid all our working lives for our pension) and UC can only be accessed online which means that everyone will need a computer or at least a smartphone so don't begrudge a homeless person their phone they need it to make a claim. Please be a little more empathetic and a little less judgemental to those less fortunate than us.

"Pembrokeshire Action To Combat Hardship (PATCH), formerly Milford Action To Combat Hardship (MATCH), is a British non-profit Christian faith based charitable organisation, founded in June 2008, that aims to help people who are in a financial crisis." (from Wikipedia...italics and underline mine)
.
"Patch" works in exactly the same ways as all other food banks I have met Those in need are given vouchers by the GP, CAB, and many other agencies. Therefore the amount of food you will get depends on the number of vouchers handed out. One also needs to bear in mind that the population of the whole of Pembrokeshire is about 125,000 - the logistics are difficult as the population is scattered but the density is quite different from the parts of the UK which asre most affected.

Since this group and those organised by the Trussell Trust rely on voucher systems operated by Local Government, Health professionals, etc I wonder how the banks to which you refer can possibly work on a deserving/undeserving poor basis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembro...ombat_Hardship

http://patchcharity.org.uk/

https://www.trusselltrust.org


Do have a look for yourselves - especially check out the Trustees.

Sorry...nearly forgot! As I've mentioned in other posts, the local Muslim population is heavily involved in giving as well.

[tony41]

Olivia. Your post reminded me of this Spanish War Poster.

[cheaver]

.

I've never really given much thought to Food Banks other than the fact that food is donated by those who can afford to give it for the benefit of those who are in need of it. However, when one of our members nominated Bath Foodbank for a fundraising charitable event here on eBid towards the end of this month, I was struck by the fact that Bath is a huge city - how does it cope with what must be a huge, gigantic need?

Here are some facts snippets which I thought I would share here -



Bath is the largest city in the county of Somerset, population approx 88,859.

Official rough sleeping figures in Bath are the 'tip of the iceberg' say charities
There has been an increase of 8% in the use of the Foodbank compared to the previous year.

"Bath Foodbank is operated entirely by volunteers - there are no salaries to pay and so our main expenses, apart from the administrative costs, are running and maintaining the Foodbank van, and rental on the warehouse."

"We have a problem with the warehouse in that at times when most donations are given –harvest festival and Christmas –we can find ourselves short of space. As a short-term measure we have taken a one-year lease on a unit at the Bath Safestore, at a discounted cost"

"we are well into the lease on the current premises and so ideally would like to find larger more centrally placed premises. The ideal would be to have the warehouse and distribution centre on one site, reducing the environmental impact of running a diesel van back and for along the London Road, and also increasing the opportunities for engagement with clients"



2017 - 2018





Summary of activity over the last year:

51,620.3 kgs of food were donated to the Bath Foodbank

4469 people in Bath were given food for 3 meals for 3 days to help them at a time of crisis. Of this number 1359 were children with many of those being under 11 years of age.

over 100 volunteers help on a regular basis to ensure that food is collected, stored and distributed to those in need in the city.

over 100 agencies have vouchers to give to people who are experiencing a crisis and need help with food.



Please - come and support the YDC 180 (Your Donation Counts) Charity Auction which will run for 4 days only from 24th September. It is hoped a goodly amount will be raised to send to the Bath Foodbank - to help take the hunger pangs away from as many folk, including children, as possible.

Thank You for taking the time to read this.

[burgyeb]

The services of food banks, feeding kitchens, and organizations that serve homeless people are vital in all parts of the world. They provide such basic human needs, and can change lives of recipients of services and providers of services.

I had the privilege of volunteering with a large mid-western homeless ministry on a full time basis. I actually moved in with them, and assisted the "house mother" in day to day tasks with program participants

This experience changed my life, and the way I thought about homeless people. I realized that they are not all the same. The circumstances that lead to them being homeless were different. Some seemed capable of actually adjusting to homelessness, and others not able to cope with that experience.

I assisted the house mother by bringing in supplies like paint, clear plastic to seal the windows, mouse traps, rat traps, and boric acid (roach control). I was unable to turn the lights out until I got these situations under control.

I enlisted the help of all the program participants with painting, clearing vermin, etc. After the shelter became a more liveable and actually peaceful environment, I took on additional roles to help the house mother provide services.

Helped provide cooked meals, conducted daily Bible studies and practical talks, took participants to see doctors, took them to weekly church services; and also helped them to move out of the shelter into their own apartments. I sold them stuff from my storage unit for cheap prices, so they could set up their places.

I also held a 36 hour job as a nurse, and they were able to see that I had freedom to come and go, but they had to adhere to program restrictions. I think this helped some of them want to set up their own apartments.

This experience changed my life, and I know it changed many of their lives. After doing this for about 6 months, I felt peace to leave and return home to the northeastern part of the country. A few of the program participants stepped up to the plate to help the house mother. So I felt at peace to go home. I was originally out west to attend university, but I graduated and had a position waiting for me back home.

So providing food for the hungry, and shelter for the homeless, will always hold a special place in my heart.

[cornishmaid1961]

Very interesting to hear about your experiences Burgy. It's always uplifting to hear about some humanity being shown to others in need.

Some lovely things starting to be listed for the foodbank in YDC180. Keep searching in those drawers folks and don't forget to come and bid on the 24th - 28th. Just type YDC* in the search box.

[cornishmaid1961]

Time is fast approaching for the YDC on the 24th. I hope there has been no problems with your search !