A jar of coffee.

Dear reader,

My lovely mum helps out at a food bank. She's retired and wanted to do some volunteering. She's never done anything like that before but she went off to the training and now she does it a couple of times a week.
It got me thinking about what food people give and what would be best for feeding a family.
Most of the donations are from supermarkets and shops. There are donations from the public and most are great but some are really weird. Nail varnish (half used), dipping oil and a screwdriver.
Apparently corned beef and baked beans are the usual donations.
I have to admit, I've never donated. My mum loves 150 miles away so I can't just pop round and give her some stuff. I've never seen a donation point at any shops either. There's a drop off box for the local dogs home in our Asda but not a food bank one.

It's usually women who come in, usually terribly embarrassed. They fill out a shopping list which asks them whether they want pasta or rice and any sanitary products preferences. They are given toothbrushes and toothpaste if they need them too. I guess some have fled from dangerous abusers and some have just fallen on hard times and need to feed their kids. Some women haven't eaten for a couple of days.

I suppose some are there because of their life choices or are drug users or alcoholics. At first I was bemused by that but then I thought, they're still hungry.
It seems so unbalanced sometime when I am looking for my nearest Slimming World class and my mum is bagging up food for someone who hasn't eaten for a while.
I will look up my nearest food bank today and drop some stuff off. Apparently they need canned meat  (not corned beef) and coffee so that's what I will get.
Apparently the local paper asked people for those items on behalf of the food bank and some people who furious they were asking for coffee. Perhaps some people think that if you ask for a hand out you should just be eating rice and drinking water.
I know they can only go three times and are referred from other agencies and given a voucher, you can't just walk in a get a load of stuff.

I'm lucky and can go food shopping today. I can pick up what I fancy and not give it much thought, I use my card and know it will cover my purchases. I choose to be careful what I spend becuase I want my money to be used elsewhere for paying off debts.

I was going to write a post about wholesome dinners, what can be cooked with food from a food bank bulk cooking and freezing but then I thought, suppose I'm a mum of two, my nerves are frayed and I've fled the family home due to violence. Perhaps I'm in a hostel or bed sit with a crap shared kitchen,no utensils, no freezer. I'm not sure how I'm going to get throught the week, I've got no family to help. The kids are upset cos we've left the dog at a re homing place......

I don't begrudge a jar of coffee.