Food Banks In Stores.

[Patsy33]

While putting a couple of food items in box at Tesco last week, I noticed a bottle of red wine. Didn't realise alcohol was on the list! Perhaps with Christmas coming up, maybe its allowed?

[Davemano]

You could have swapped it for a tine of peas!!!!

[Patsy33]

I was a bit slow there Davemano! :-)

[Davemano]

Don't know where the extra E came from.

[Patsy33]

Haha.. I thought it was your accent...

[nailit]

Anyone find it even remotely disgusting that we have to have food banks in 21st century Britain?

[Patsy33]

It's unbelievable Nailit..... Such a sad state of affairs.

[fiction-factory]

Yes, in that friends and family don't seem to help out as much as they used to, and delays in UC seem to be a factor too for those who haven't saved enough for a rainiy day. But so longs as they exist people will make use of them and may not prioritse in teh way they should. It's not real poverty in the sense of the poverty we used to have and certainly nothing like the poverty in the third world or for those who live on the streets here. I'm more concerned about the homeless situation but that's a complex issue with no easy answers.

[nailit]

//It's not real poverty in the sense of the poverty we used to have //
I don't know. Sleeping on car parks, begging for food money etc. Seems like poverty to me...

[ladybirder]

FF I don't know if it was you but someone put a chart on here a while back. It showed that worldwide, even people living in this country on benefits will fall into the top 15% of the richest people in the world. And when you think about it they have a roof over their heads, food, heat, water, healthcare etc etc which millions don't have. My figures might not be exact but you get my drift.

[-Talbot-]

Yes, this is a good country to be skint in.

[nailit]

As good as any other Talbot I suppose!

[ladybirder]

Better than most I think.

[Patsy33]

Thanks all. But.... Do any of you know if it's ok to put alcohol in?

[nailit]

Better to be skint and starve in the UK than to be skint and starve in some African country then?

[New Judge]

Yes poverty in the UK is measured relatively so there will always be people in poverty.

“But so longs as they exist people will make use of them and may not prioritse in teh way they should.”

Exactly. If there was a petrol station giving away free fuel and I was eligible I’d be down there.

I may have related this tale before but I was waiting to meet Mrs NJ in our local High Street and was near the food bank. I saw two clients emerge. The first had a large dog in tow which probably ate more than he did and he toddled over to “BetFred’s” with his rations. The other was a gentleman who had just emerged from the food bank carrying a bag full of goodies. He met up with his partner. She had two bags full of shopping which she’d just bought in “Iceland” a few doors along. He took one of the bags from her and peeled off a couple of notes from a large wedge in his back pocket. He gave them to her together with instructions to get his ciggies, explaining he see her back home. I don’t know how long he’d been waiting for his Universal Credit payments.

[Mamyalynne]

I wouldn't donate alcohol, nice gesture though it was by someone.

[Patsy33]

Thanks Mamya. No I wouldn't donate alcohol, but like you said, a nice gesture.

[nailit]

Yes NJ, we all know stories like that. But for Gods sake, ive lived that life, where you are left to ur own devices and cant get nothing from the state and left to starve. Get ur head out from ur behind man!!

[Mamyalynne]

There are people who will abuse any situation given half a chance - that doesn't mean we should abandon support for those who need it most.

[Patsy33]

Unless you've been in that situation Nailit, I don't think anyone can appreciate the situation.