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Some People.
TheEdge949
Member Posts: 5,686
in The Rail
Well I'm either going to get a serious point across here or come over as a bit of a knob.
Many of you know that I am passionate about changing peoples lives for the better and as such one of the ways I try to help is by volunteering at my Churches foodbank. This is something that not only helps people in real need but also enables us to signpost them to other resources which may help them to give themselves and their families a better life.
Now this next bit is where the Christian values that I try to observe, follow and live by get tested.
We have just been informed by the National charity behind the scheme that we should pay attention to the way that the food is bagged has caused some clients embarrassment.
WTFF. Yes that's right folks, people come to the Church, receive the food, but then are embarrassed that they have to tote it home in Aldi, Lidl, or other less upmarket carrier bags.
Now I kind of revert to the old Mark at this point. Firstly as supermarkets no longer give out the old carrier bags we have to source the "bag for life" or 20p heavy duty bags by either scavenging at recycling points or by asking Church members to donate their old ones. Secondly the people who use our service have been referred by either the local authority, a charity authorised to do so or social services, so not exactly your average Waitrose or M and S customer. Finally where do these people think 80% of the donations come from in the first place, most is own brand value stuff and let's be honest we would rather get 4 tins of beans at 25p than 1 tin at 90p. It means we can feed more people and that's what we are about.
I understand that maybe hauling a weeks worth of food for a family of 5 in thrift shop carriers may lower ones self esteem but to try and say that it affects your mental health and causes embarrassment is just another example of how we are pandering to the boo hoo culture now prevalent in our society.
If you do donate please keep it up, now more than ever it's so necessary. If you don't please consider doing so, if everybody donated one cheap own label item it would make a massive difference to people in crisis.
Take care, stay safe, love you all.
Many of you know that I am passionate about changing peoples lives for the better and as such one of the ways I try to help is by volunteering at my Churches foodbank. This is something that not only helps people in real need but also enables us to signpost them to other resources which may help them to give themselves and their families a better life.
Now this next bit is where the Christian values that I try to observe, follow and live by get tested.
We have just been informed by the National charity behind the scheme that we should pay attention to the way that the food is bagged has caused some clients embarrassment.
WTFF. Yes that's right folks, people come to the Church, receive the food, but then are embarrassed that they have to tote it home in Aldi, Lidl, or other less upmarket carrier bags.
Now I kind of revert to the old Mark at this point. Firstly as supermarkets no longer give out the old carrier bags we have to source the "bag for life" or 20p heavy duty bags by either scavenging at recycling points or by asking Church members to donate their old ones. Secondly the people who use our service have been referred by either the local authority, a charity authorised to do so or social services, so not exactly your average Waitrose or M and S customer. Finally where do these people think 80% of the donations come from in the first place, most is own brand value stuff and let's be honest we would rather get 4 tins of beans at 25p than 1 tin at 90p. It means we can feed more people and that's what we are about.
I understand that maybe hauling a weeks worth of food for a family of 5 in thrift shop carriers may lower ones self esteem but to try and say that it affects your mental health and causes embarrassment is just another example of how we are pandering to the boo hoo culture now prevalent in our society.
If you do donate please keep it up, now more than ever it's so necessary. If you don't please consider doing so, if everybody donated one cheap own label item it would make a massive difference to people in crisis.
Take care, stay safe, love you all.
Comments
However, I believe that some of the complaints relate to the packaging making it clear that they have received assistance from a foodbank. I can understand why people would not want that broadcast to the neighbours.
Are there those who blatently abuse the system. Yes of course but we cannot nor should we risk penalising the genuine cases because of a few fraudulent claims.
Unfortunately it would appear that the complaints come from the more genuine cases who claim that whilst already feeling stigmatised for needing the foodbank then have their shame exposed by the need to use mismatched and often "cheap" supermarket bags to carry the food home in.
We invited guests / clients to bring their own bags but that was an exercise in futility so unfortunately I shall be packing the items in whatever bags we have and if that causes a problem too bad.
Wow.
Donations should be accepted in whatever wrapping/bags they arrive in.