Food Banks

[whistonian]

Just heard on the news that people using Food Banks has increased 3 fold in the past year. How do these people prove that they are on the bread line. On TV a very well dressed women with a child collected 3 bags of food and one of the staff helped her across the road by carrying 2 of the bags probably to her car!!

[emmie]

that may be the case but it doesn't cover your yearly heating bill, my mum spends a small fortune on heating her home, the 300 quid doesn't really go that far, it is good she has it of course, no denying it helps.

[boxtops]

well, indirectly, Ed - you don't have to spend your heating allowance on heating, it would make more sense if the payment went to your energy provider not into the bank.

[friedgreentomato]

good point ed, although Sqad seems under the impression that immigrants get free heating!

[Sqad]

FGT...well that "partially" explains it............BUT..immigrants have never pain one penny of tax and OAP's have paid tax all their lives and "seem" to be in greater financial difficulty than immigrants.

Does one see immigrants at the food banks?

Purely anecdotal, but OAP's have always pleaded poverty, but in the 50's -70's they just got on with it, many saying that they would NEVER accept charity.

Foodbanks only seem to have been around in the past decade so, why the deterioration in the plight of the OAP.s in the last decade?

[boxtops]

They huddle together like penguins, helen. :-)

[jno]

the Ed leaves his blingy clothes behind to go to the food bank

http://kathyoconnellsart.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/gnome_hurt3.jpg

[Old_Geezer]

That may be part of the problem. Immigrants ought not be encouraged as we are already have problems coping with the population we have (and they have yet to pay into the system) so should be lower priority to those born here. But surely Sqad's question is more about different budgets ? And why pensioners seem less well cared for than newly arrived folk ?

[emmie]

and quite frankly i have never understood local authorities doling out social housing to those recently arrived, they are scarce commodities and getting scarcer,

[boxtops]

It's not just OAPs sqad - the cost of living here has gone up considerably for everyone. Most of us scrimp on shopping etc these days, in order to make ends meet. My council tax alone per month takes up more than a week's average state pension.

[AB Editor]

Maybe because when Sqad became an expat he noticed an increase in temperature? :)

"that may be the case but it doesn't cover your yearly heating bill, my mum spends a small fortune on heating her home, the 300 quid doesn't really go that far"

Do you think the state should provide heating then Emmie?

"Ed - you don't have to spend your heating allowance on heating, it would make more sense if the payment went to your energy provider not into the bank."

I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure it's christmas present money for grandparents to spoil their grandchildren in many cases. They should just call it that though :)

[DrFilth]

friedgreentomato there was a family near me that had credit put on their key and they had their heating on in the summer and had to have the windows open as it was too hot

don't know if it was the council or dwp ?

[emmie]

Ed, not all, but if you have just a state pension, and had no way to make provision for a private pension as you were raising a family and the father left, how do you cope paying such huge bills. heating or eating some are making that choice, and it's not something one should be doing.

[emmie]

i firmly believe that the older you get, the frailer you could get,
some are not perhaps but those who live alone need heating, as well as decent food, the utility bills are quite absurd for many, and on top of that all the food and other bills are not going down

[AB Editor]

Emmie, I wouldn't mind if there was a "state" energy option. It's mad trying to have competition in this area

[friedgreentomato]

emmie, surely this is where the children should be helping out their parents as it is in other cultures.

[boxtops]

FGT, the children (adult ones) are often as hard up as the parents....

[friedgreentomato]

just an obversation Box, that they seem to get by with having sometimes 3 generations living in the same house sharing the child care and responsibilities

[Sqad]

So.............I am still confused.
1) Are immigrants treated the same as OAP's
2) If so...why?
3) If not why has the "lot" of the OAP seemingly got worse in the last decade (yes I take the point of energy prices)
4) Do immigrants have access to food banks?

It all seems to be incoherent to me.........as do the answers.

[maggiebee]

Find the whole system anathema. Yesterday was the first time I have noticed a trolley in Asda for donations. Instead of marching forward into the 21st century we seem to be slinking back into the dark ages.

[Sqad]

maggie.......I agree........