Food for thought
4:00pm Sunday 5th October 2008
Comments (21)IT is hard to believe that families in Bournemouth are so strapped for cash that they are going hungry in the 21st century.
Most people believe that the days of under-nourished children or parents going without to feed the younger members of the family are firmly in the past.
But the credit crunch is having more far-reaching effects than many of us realise.
Not only are families having to do without luxuries, many are literally struggling to survive.
This week it has been revealed that increasing numbers of desperate families are turning to a church food bank for food as the credit crunch bites.
Up to 40 life-saving parcels are being donated every week as families in crisis suffer from redundancy, delays in benefits, mental health problems and family breakdown.
The Bournemouth Food Bank, run by Bournemouth Vineyard Church, has seen demand soar since it was set up in 2007.
Several schools in the area have helped boost supplies by allocating Harvest Festival donations to the service in recent days.
But co-ordinator Vicki Lent said donations are still urgently needed to keep it going.
"Most of us can go to our kitchen fridge and cupboards and find food to feed our families" she said. "But what if the cupboards are bare, the fridge is empty and the children are sent to bed hungry?
"What if this is not happening in a Third World country? What if this is happening to your neighbours, to a child at your child's school or to your co-worker?
"This is a reality for more families than we realise in our communities."
She said recent months have seen the highest demand for parcels in the history of the service and urged members of the public to donate food or money.
"The donations from the school harvest celebrations have been amazing and have made a real difference," added Vicki. "We were just getting to the stage where we thought we were going to run out of food and, unfortunately, the new donations won't last for ever."
Items needed include sugar, long life fruit juice and milk, breakfast cereal, tinned soup, vegetables, fish and rice pudding, instant mashed potato, biscuits, tea bags, pasta and treats for children.
People in need are identified by education and health professionals as well as community workers, who give vouchers to those without food. Vouchers are exchanged at one of three distribution points in the town.
Anyone who wishes to donate food can take it to the Food Bank Centre at 1087 Christchurch Road, Boscombe East, between 11am and 2pm on a Sunday.
The Food Bank can be contacted on 01202 424442.
Your Say YourThisisdorset
PokesdownMark, Pokesdown says...
6:09pm Sun 5 Oct 08
-quote-:
Non-Religious
Where the imperfect are perfectly welcome
-unquote-.
Non-religious?! Well it looks pretty far out religious to me. But then I'm imperfect. So what do I know?
Carl Barron, Dorset says...
7:54pm Sun 5 Oct 08
(Quote I always thought charity starts at home.
Reply You know what that did Merrin?
The main reason they took food preservatives out of food, is that the food lasted too long.
The rubbish you read as to effects of food preservatives, are more likely to come form well written articles written by commissioned writers deliberately trying to get laws passed so that food has a least lasting shelf life as is possible.
What about the stories we have read as to returning solders not having enough money to feed thier families, and having to borrow money as a direct consequence?
Loyalist Britain sends troops to raid and pillage other countries for Oil, etc. under the command of a bunch of Loyalist MPs.
Who meanwhile are stuffing themselves to the eyeballs.
Wait until all the Utility bills start pouring through the letter boxes and there's not enough money to live on?
Did Brown cap these prices, noway he's to busy working out how to spend his HUGE pension when he retires.
None of the political parties really want to win the next election in (my opinion) as they don't have a clue what to do next.
Carl Barron, Dorset says...
7:59pm Sun 5 Oct 08
Reply You know what thought did don't you Merrin ?
Chris McColl, Bournemouth says...
8:02pm Sun 5 Oct 08
Maybe these cranks could set an example by emptying their larders and freezers and stocking up on instant mash and rice pudding, as I'm sure the 'deserving poor' would welcome the idea of eating what these people eat - most of whom seem less concerned with the second coming than they do the second helping.
Still, fair go for a publicity stunt I suppose.
Emulated, Bournemouth says...
8:16pm Sun 5 Oct 08
dancingdog777, Christchurch says...
8:49pm Sun 5 Oct 08
Merrin, Poole says...
8:59pm Sun 5 Oct 08
Well you could start by helping yourself. If you cannot make the money doing your current job then look for another one.
You must earn asleast £12,000 a year which then means the government gives you money aswell. So the fact that you say you have to go through skips to find food is so hard to belive.
I made it through university on under £9000 a year and that had to go on, Rent, Food, Books, Transport and equipment, but I didn't need to look for dinner in a skip. I just had to Budget carefully.
End of the day perhaps you should do what others do and thats get a second job. Help yourself because no one else is going to do it for you.
dancingdog777, Christchurch says...
9:00pm Sun 5 Oct 08
I doubt there are many very poor in the area.
Please back up your assertion with some facts and figures.
wilkiemini, poole says...
9:27pm Sun 5 Oct 08
dancingdog777, Christchurch says...
9:40pm Sun 5 Oct 08
Emulated, says...
9:46pm Sun 5 Oct 08
dancingdog777 wrote:Family credit and extra payments for each child. It doesnt matter if your car is 20 years old, it still cost to tax, insure and mot. If you are so poor why get Sky in the first place, get Freeview for extra channels.
I doubt there are many very poor in the area.Please back up your assertion with some facts and figures.
Carl Barron, Dorset says...
10:43pm Sun 5 Oct 08
Quote End of the day perhaps you should do what others do and that's get a second job.
Reply sounds like good advice Merrin .
Yet when you have a family not so easy to restrict you children's pleasures as others may well deem them as social outcasts, etc.
So you made it made it through university on under £9000 a year, well done you. Yet due to cutbacks I expect you have come away with a huge debt to UK Gov and now must work to repay that money.
UK Gov should assist all it can for those like yourself Merrin , who want to achieve, good luck to you and I wish you well.
Why is it others can come here who have not contributed, yet get all the benefits we have all worked so hard to achieve?
I did have two jobs for 9 years I woke at five and worked from 6am until 2pm then started work at 3.15pm and finished at 11 pm and sometimes I didn't get to bed until one o'clock the next day.
I fell asleep three times whilst driving and by the Grace of God was spared each time. Once stopping three inched from a Great Oak Tree .
That was when I decided I'd had enough of work till you drop. This is all you young people have left to look forward to now unfortunately, as retirement seems like it's no longer going to be possible for the majority.
Yet I enjoyed my jobs and loved the chance to make a good start for the family yet this very nearly killed me.
Just watch the high ranking Civil Servants and MPs retire early and bleed you to death financially.
laurie marsh, australia says...
12:37am Mon 6 Oct 08
You go through food skips?
O.k. that is your choice.
You go through food skips so that you can feed your kids?
That is disgracefull!
You own a computer, have sky t.v. and rent a "new" t.v.!
You are employed for 42.5 hrs. a week and for some reason or other dont get any holidays(?).
You seem to expect someone to come and bail you out.
Why?
You are the head of YOUR family and it is YOUR responsibility to look after them!
You state that you can get no help, this is not true!
If you ring your local citizens advice bureau they will put you on to an advisor who can organise your finances to get you out of the trouble that you are in!
To admit that you cant cope takes courage, that is the hard part. To pick up the phone and take the first step towards financial security is something that you will not regret.
Have a good life!
patrick stack, downmoor.ch says...
10:52am Mon 6 Oct 08
Ferret37, Bos Vegas says...
5:37pm Mon 6 Oct 08
amused, poole says...
5:48pm Mon 6 Oct 08
My daughter has 4 children their
rent is £550 per month and all the bills on top does not leave much money, they have a car but do not use unless necessary, she walks the kids to school. The difference is these days is when I was first married we had nothing so when we had 3 day week and interest rates of 15% we managed as our standard of living was not good , and that is where people today struggle they are used to more.
dancingdog777, Christchurch says...
11:38pm Mon 6 Oct 08
Why is it 'disgraceful'to search for food in a skip, Laurie? Would you rather the kids went hungry just to satisfy your moral values? Get off your high horse!
I get 'holidays' but there's no money to go anywhere, and you try sleeping two adults and two children in a two man tent! Oh, and the car, how would I travel 10 miles each way each day when the bus doesn't run until after my starting time? Thank you for your comments.
As the article stated in the first paragraph, "It is hard to believe that families in Bournemouth are so strapped for cash that they are going hungry in the 21st century."
You lot have proved that.
laurie marsh, australia says...
1:33am Tue 7 Oct 08
If your idea of looking after your kids is to feed them scraps rescued from a bin I feel very sorry for them!
One of us has a warped sense of what is right, for the sake of your kids I wish it was me!
You should use the GOYA principle :-
G. get
O. off
Y. your
A. A$$
Ever heard of working two jobs?
John, Poole says...
2:10am Tue 7 Oct 08
dancingdog777 wrote:dancingdog777
Trouble is Merrin, the mortgage (£560 per month). We could afford it up to last year, and then the energy and food prices went through the roof, the government cut their help and taxed us more by removing the basic 10%. It would be more helpful if the larger supermarkets (Sainburys, Tesco's, etc) didn't lock their skips so the out of date food could be used by the hungry instead of going to landfill.
Just a Tip...
If you get Child credit and earn less than £15460 p.a., you would qualify for a Warmfront Loft Insulation Grant which would help stop your energy going through the roof!
The Sky does not have to be the limit.
amused, poole says...
5:37am Tue 7 Oct 08
dancingdog777 wrote:I admire you reading some of these comments and not getting annoyed and resorting to abuse as some would do. Maybe there are some benefits you should be getting you dont know about to help you. I just worry about the food from the skip as It would have been out of refridgeration and could be dangerous. I hope things improve for you.
All good points thanks. The computer I built myself from scrap parts from the council tip, the monitor was given to me, very second hand. I am in the middle of the Sky contract and if I give it up I still have to pay the monthly contract amount. The TV we rent is 10 years old not 'new' as suggested above. Why is it 'disgraceful'to search for food in a skip, Laurie? Would you rather the kids went hungry just to satisfy your moral values? Get off your high horse! I get 'holidays' but there's no money to go anywhere, and you try sleeping two adults and two children in a two man tent! Oh, and the car, how would I travel 10 miles each way each day when the bus doesn't run until after my starting time? Thank you for your comments. As the article stated in the first paragraph, "It is hard to believe that families in Bournemouth are so strapped for cash that they are going hungry in the 21st century." You lot have proved that.
VALUABLE LIFELINE: Food bank co-ordinator Vicki Lent, right, with volunteer Danielle Brooks and food boxes ready to go out to those in need
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Merrin, Poole says...
4:48pm Sun 5 Oct 08
Perhaps it is time the "Church" used some of its vast wealth to give back to the people that gave the money in the first place. So much for christian charity.
What realy takes the mick is eveyday on the tv we get asked to give £2 or £3 a month to help the starving here there and everywhere. I always thought charity starts at home.