Can Foodbanks change lives?

I have been involved with Foodbanks for several years (long before I became politically active). The subject is emotive - last December whilst collecting in Bourne, a woman told me that she didn't believe in them because they encouraged scrounging- and there seem to be many myths around how they operate, and whether they help.

Myth: Undeserving people get handouts. Not true. People only receive food in exchange for a voucher issued by an organisation such as Citizens' Advice, the council, doctors, schools, charities etc … organisations who know the people involved are struggling. And the clients are more likely to be families with young children, than able-bodied 'scroungers'.

Myth: People become reliant on handouts. Not true. The rules say that a person can only get 3 vouchers in a 12 week period, and each food parcel is designed to last just 3 days. Hardly reliance!

Myth: Foodbanks are all about food. Not true. I've learned that, whilst the food is greatly needed, the volunteers' time is equally important. Clients typically feel shame, embarrassment, defeat, fatalism, low self-belief or fear……. a woman fleeing domestic violence with 2 under-fives in the middle of the night, too frightened to talk about her past in case her ex found them; a man with schizophrenia for whom care in the community had meant no home or medication; a young father in tears because the Job Centre had suspended his benefits for months because his interview letter hadn't been delivered & was now being terrorised by loan sharks; the middle-class man who had been made redundant, lost his home and family and was struggling to rebuild his life; the 18yr old who had fallen out with his family, spent 4 months on the streets but now just wanted to go to university.

That is not to say that all clients have made the best life choices. Some have made mistakes, certainly, but not all deserved the consequences that followed. So usually, they are just as grateful that someone will sit with them over a cup of coffee and hear their stories non-judgementally & compassionately…. and will try to help them help themselves.

So, at Grantham Foodbank, where I am a Trustee, we offer an on-site Citizens Advice office, and computers & printers to help with job applications. And I am currently trying to launch a community debt advice centre, which I hope will be operational by September.

There's another myth: Foodbanks always need food donations & volunteers. Both those things are important, of course. But whilst Grantham Foodbank currently has good food stocks and many volunteers, we are so short of money that we may have to close within a year because we won't be able to pay the rent. (In case you can help: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/granthamfoodbank)

Can foodbanks change lives? Yes- they changed mine. My intellectual distrust of Tory ideology turned into an heartfelt rejection of the inhumanity caused by austerity. I decided I had to do something… I decided to get involved in politics!

Take care, and speak soon

Anita

PS: If you are interested in any of my previous Postcards, you can find them here: https://southlincslibdems.org.uk/en/page/postcards-from-a-lincolnshire-liberal

Anita A D Day

Membership Development

South Lincs Liberal Democrats
Tel: 07410 709338 / @AnitadayA / FB: Anita.Day.LD