FOOD / Energy / Clothing BANKS : MORE A HUMANITARIAN THREAD ? 100,000+ Carers Reported As Needing Them In 2018

[Chris From The Gulag]

Housing charities and food banks report spike in donations after Tory win.

Organisations protecting the vulnerable such as Shelter, Refuge, the Trussell Trust and the Biscuit Fund welcomed contributions.

The UK’s largest food bank charity, the Trussell Trust, said it had been “overwhelmed” following a huge uplift in donations. While it could not yet give an exact figure, a spokesperson confirmed that hundreds of people have got in touch to set up a monthly donation or make a one-off payment.

The boost in support comes as many across the country have expressed despair at the Conservatives, who have overseen nearly a decade of deep cuts to public services since they came to power in 2010, winning the election.

The impact of austerity has been clear and well-documented: latest figures show that a child becomes homeless in Britain every eight minutes, and the estimated number of people who died homeless has increased by 51% between 2013 and 2018. Furthermore, 800,000 more children from working households are living in poverty since 2010, and food bank use has risen by

Emma Revie, the chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “We’re overwhelmed by the wave of support we’ve seen. Thank you so much to everyone who has been donating – we’re incredibly grateful. We know we can reach a future where no one needs a food bank, but we can’t do it alone. We must work together – this can change.”

[Chris From The Gulag]

Foodbank app run by newly elected Tory MP charges charities to use it.

Miriam Cates’s app attacked by Labour rival as " Profiting " from food poverty.

A newly-elected Conservative MP has been criticised after it emerged she owns an app which charges foodbanks to include their shopping lists of needed items.

Miriam Cates, who won the seat of Penistone and Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire in Thursday’s election, and her husband Dave are behind the app called Foodbank.

Launched in 2014, the app allows individual foodbanks to register which particular items of food they need, so people keen to donate can ensure they purchase things actually needed by their local facility.

However, any foodbank which wishes to sign up to the app must first pay a fee of £180, which the company says is to cover the cost of setting up the new charity within the app’s system.

Ms Cates’s defeated Labour opponent in Penistone and Stocksbridge, Francyne Johnson, said she was very concerned by how the Foodbank app sought to profit from food poverty.

“This revelation is deeply worrying, especially when you consider how the use of food banks has increased massively due to Conservative party policies,” she told the Novara Media website.

“Food banks are charitable services often run by local churches and charities helping the most vulnerable in society, and any attempt to profit from them would be appalling.

“I have worked with families in Penistone and Stocksbridge who are struggling to scrape together the bus fare to even get to the food bank because of the severe hardship caused by the Tory government.”

On Facebook, Ms Cates said it was “incorrect” that she had been trying to make a profit off foodbanks.

“We developed the app for free, using our time, resources, staff and money and did not charge S6 Foodbank for its use. The commercial cost of an app like this would be tens of thousands of pounds – we developed it for free,” she said.

“As a small business we did not have the resources to continue to develop the app for free so we had to charge Foodbanks a small set up charge to allow us to continue to support and update the app. However this fee works out at less than the monthly cost of a Just Giving subscription – something that the Foodbanks get for free using our app.

“Foodbanks also saw their financial donations increase directly as a result of the App.”

Many of those working in the foodbank sector blame Conservative actions in government for the rise in food poverty.

Figures from the Trussell Trust, by far the largest network of foodbanks in Britain, show that a record 1.6m food parcels were given out in 2018.

Its statistics show a fifth of all referrals to foodbanks were connected to delays in receiving benefits. The Trust has repeatedly criticised the five-week delay in first receiving benefits when people are moved onto the Universal Credit system in particular.

When the Foodbank app was launched in 2014 it said 40 local foodbanks had signed up to take part, but it is not clear how many are using it today.

The Foodbank app is not the only similar service available to local charities, and nor is it the only service which charges individual foodbanks.

Any foodbank which joins the Trussell Trust’s own network has to pay a joining fee of £1,500 and then £360 a year after that.

The Trust says this helps towards the costs of delivering their services to foodbanks, including £1.3m-worth of funding in 2018.

Ms Cates and the Conservative Party did not respond to requests for comment.

Any conclusion one will draw from this would be based on your viewpoint.

Despite the " Humanitarian " effort by the founders of Trussells ( Documented earlier ) , NO charity is exempt from criticism.

Whether any criticism is justified here , it's down to your own viewpoint.

What we all need is for Trussells to be whiter than white !

[Chris From The Gulag]

LadBaby sausage rolls topping Christmas charts again

YouTuber LadBaby is leading the race for this year's UK Christmas number one single with only days left to go, according to the Official Charts Company.

Last year LadBaby secured the seasonal chart-topper with We Built This City... On Sausage Rolls.

He has now returned with I Love Sausage Rolls, a similarly savoury rendition of the Joan Jett hit I Love Rock & Roll.

Money raised from downloads goes to the Trussell Trust food bank charity.

[Chris From The Gulag]

Products calls for unwanted record donations to help food banks.

AN arts magazine is calling on music lovers to donate unwanted records to raise funds for Scotland’s food banks.

Product magazine plans to host record fairs next year to turn the vinyl into cash to help with running costs of the 200-plus providers of emergency food currently operating in the country.

The project is in response to the “morally unacceptable” situation of people relying on charity to eat, says Patrick Small, editor of the independent arts and culture magazine.

Product’s drive comes as Edinburgh Food Project (EFP) reported a 48% increase in the number of parcels needed at its seven food banks in the city, with a third going to families with children.

EFP director Bethany Biggar says the jump came directly after the roll-out of Universal Credit in the Scottish capital in November.

Operations manager Ryan Strachan says he’s regularly amazed by the generosity of locals, whether they’re turning up at the Sighthill warehouse with bags of shopping, sending boxes from offices or donating provisions from their shopping.

But relying on public goodwill and an army of volunteers (“they’re our lifeblood,” Strachan says) has its limits, with fuel, travel and materials all needing paid for.

“It costs us five pounds to put out each box, not including staff costs,” Strachan says. “It’s a big operation. And while people are often very generous over this festive time, by February we’ll be running low again.”

The summer months are particularly tough, he says, with lower stocks of fruit juice and tinned meat common.

Coffee and tea are also hard to come by, with volunteers dividing up stocks into the three-day ration packs. Packs for people in temporary accommodation have items which can be prepared with a kettle – often the only cooking amenity they have access to.

“The project came from the feeling that it’s morally unacceptable to have a situation where people have to use food banks in a country as rich as Scotland,” says Small. “I know a lot of people feel this too, and looking through your vinyl collection for records you can donate is a very simple thing you can do to help.”

He adds: “Though I think we have to be very careful not to normalise food banks, while we need them – and I forsee we will for a while longer – we need them to be fully operational so they can help people.”

Donations from any genre and era are welcomed, says Small, with owners of particularly rare items advised to get in contact if they’d rather not place them in a collection point.

The magazine editor is urging pubs, eateries, shops and venues to become drop-off points in addition to EFP’s warehouse and early adopters the Filmhouse, The Waverley Bar on St Mary’s Street and Down The Hatch in South Queensferry.

And to help spread the word, Product want donors to make social media posts of themselves parting with their unwanted albums and singles.

“We need more people to help, to tell other people about it and to act as collection points, whether it’s a pub, cafe, live venue, anything,” says Small. “That way people don’t have to post anything or go out of their way. They can just go to their local place and put the vinyl in a box.”

“And remember,” he adds, “don’t not put anything in because you don’t like it. Something you don’t want, someone somewhere will.”

[Chris From The Gulag]

Seasons greetings from ... sssh , you know who ... to all that have had to use a food bank this year :





Somebody dust off our Vera ( Lynn ) for this one ?





And , a Christmas plea from low millions , including children out there ?

[Chris From The Gulag]

It's the magical day of the year ... for some ?

Dorset families turn to food banks as Christmas approaches.

Food banks in Dorset are in need of donations as they cater for an increasing number of families struggling to make ends meet this Christmas.

Tesco shoppers in Wales donate 150,000 meals to food banks.

Over 150,000 meals have been donated to food banks and groups feeding people in the local community thanks to the generosity of Tesco shoppers in Wales.

Kind Plymouth people donate more than 14,000 Christmas meals.

What an amazing effort in just three days.

Trussell Trust and FareShare distribute meals as part of Tesco Food Collection scheme.

Dorset shoppers have donated almost 20,000 meals to people in need this festive season.

They gave 19,320 meals to homeless shelters, people in crisis and lunch clubs for the elderly.

North East food banks set for busiest Christmas yet as figures show record numbers will need support.

The Trussell Trust is calling on the DWP to end the five-week wait for Universal Credit.

I could have posted a couple of hundred from the past few days.

At least , most out there will NOT now have any worries about EAT ... just leaving HEAT and ROOF to one side ... for a few days at least ?

[Chris From The Gulag]

Food bank use soars by 80% as Tory welfare cuts hit families.

The number of emergency food parcels handed out to people in Scotland by one charity has increased by almost 80% in four years, according to new figures.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18125 ... -families/

In 2018-19 the Trussell Trust handed out 210,605 aid packages – an increase of 92,916 from the 117,689 food parcels it provided in 2014-15.

An additional 159,849 food parcels were given out by independent food banks in Scotland in 2018/19, with the figures following a trend of increased demand since the roll out of the UK Government’s controversial Universal Credit policy which involves at least a five-week wait for a first payment.

SNP MSP Shona Robison blamed UK welfare policies and public spending cuts for the rising number of Scots being forced to turn to charities to feed their families.

Robison, who chairs the Social Justice and Fairness Commission set up by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, said: “There is no getting away from the fact the Tory welfare changes and cuts are to blame for rising poverty and debt, homelessness and the need for food banks.”

The Dundee City East MSP added: “The grim reality is that the poorest in our society are being forced to choose between feeding their families and heating their homes – something which DWP ministers have finally admitted to, but did nothing to fix.

“Under the Tories, poverty has risen dramatically, yet, day after day, Tory Government representatives obstinately refuse to acknowledge the turmoil their policies are causing and plough on with brutal cuts regardless.

“This new Tory Government must heed the warnings of frontline organisations all over the country, and act before more families and children are pushed into poverty on their watch.”

Meanwhile, independent food banks distributed at least 159,849 food parcels between April 2019 and March 2019, according to the Independent Food Aid Network.

Organisations fighting poverty such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) have also highlighted the UK benefits freeze as one of the biggest factors in exacerbating poverty levels among working families with children.

Rather than increasing each year in line with inflation – to reflect the rising cost of living – most working-age benefits and tax credits have been kept at the same value for more than four years, having last risen in April 2015. Low pay and insecure work have also been cited as factors to explain the increase in the number of people using food banks.

Last month, the Department for Work and Pensions said that from April next year the benefits freeze will end, meaning benefits such as jobseeker’s allowance, Universal Credit and child benefit will rise by 1.7%. Pensions, maternity pay and disability benefits were excluded from the freeze.

The Scottish Government has also announced plans for a new benefit which will provide low-income families with £10 a week for every child under 16 by 2022, with under-sixes to get early introduction by Christmas next year.

A spokeswoman for the UK Department for Work and Pensions said: “The reasons for people using food banks are complex.

“We spend over £95 billion a year on working-age benefits and Universal Credit supports more than 2.7 million people across the UK. It gives people financial help if they’re unemployed, low-paid or unable to work.

“People can get paid urgently if they need it and 95% of payments are made in full and on time. We’ve changed the system so people can receive even more money in the first two weeks than under the old system.

“Additionally in Scotland, people can choose to be paid twice monthly and have the housing element of their Universal Credit paid directly to their landlords.”

[Chris From The Gulag]

Glasgow has " More food banks than McDonald's restaurants. "

There are 52 food banks open in Glasgow, compared to 18 branches of McDonald's.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/gl ... -1-5067677

Old firm match shortly ... off forum , been tipped off of a JOINT Celtic / Rangers effort to collect much needed supplies.

A first ... for any joint venture between these two ?

Hunger ... transcends football and ... centuries of sectarian bigotry !





2020 ?

Perhaps we shall see a joint initiative by two aged old organizations allied to our world ... CUK and the Carers Trust ?

There again ... more chance of Millwall shaking hands with West Ham ... let alone assisting carers in real need ?

Search either of their web sites for the words ... FOOD BANKS.

What was revealed ???

[Chris From The Gulag]

Ground zero : North Yorkshire ( A true blue manor ) :

As foodbank demand rockets one volunteer says : " This can't go on. "

The use of foodbanks across North Yorkshire has rocketed by 40 per cent in the last two years, according to a poverty charity.

The Trussel Trust says the number of people using food banks has increased across the county from 4,791 between April and September 2017 to 6,798 over the same period in 2019.

This year, 1,738 of the customers were based in York.

Adam Raffell, spokesman for York Foodbank, said the level of people using foodbanks in York has stayed high over the last two years - and that Christmas is “one of the worst times of the year”.

He said: “We are seeing up to 40 per cent of people returning to the food bank more than once a month. Sadly we have not seen a decrease or improvement since we reached peak levels two years ago. We only have data for our food banks, and there are many more in York.”

Jayne Venables, a volunteer at the Hoping York food bank, said: "Street kitchen numbers have doubled from 30 in 2017 to 70 now.

"The foodbank has become extremely vital and we deliver food parcels often nightly to families who need sustenance.

“This can’t go on.”

The Trussell Trust’s chief executive Emma Revie said: “Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration – but for too many people in Yorkshire it’s becoming harder and harder to keep their heads above water. Nine in 10 of us believe hunger in the UK is a problem – food banks cannot and should not have to continue to pick up the pieces.

"It’s not inevitable that every Christmas we hear stories about families needing food banks. It’s in our power to reach a future where everyone has enough money for the basics. This can change.”

[Chris From The Gulag]

Haulage companies now join The Cause ... supplying food banks :

Edge Transport to expand food bank delivery scheme to other UK hauliers.

Deeside-based Edge Transport has set up a scheme to help its customers re-distribute their surplus food or household items to local food banks and is hoping other hauliers will launch similar schemes across the UK.

Working in partnership with Flintshire Food Bank, homeless charity Share and The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP), the family firm is donating the delivery of one load a month of clients’ surplus stock to food banks and homeless shelters across the North West of England.

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