I have seen people comment that in today’s day and age there should be not be any need for food banks or soup kitchens in the UK or for any persons to be going hungry.
I agree, there shouldn’t be this need in an ideal world. However this world isn’t ideal and there ARE people starving in this country and there IS a need for food banks and unfortunately that issue is not going to end anytime soon.
It is very much a political issue and if anything the Government is making the matter worse and not better! We as the general public have little to no control over what the Government does ultimately (even though we are the ones to elect them!?) so we need to focus on what we can do at the micro level.
So what can we do to help ourselves and others in times of need?
- Budget for yourselves. Creating a budget system before you hit dire straits can prevent it from happening or allow you to have some savings “for those rainy days” if it does happen. There are so many different ways that could be utilised and each person will find their open way of doing it successfully. Pintrest has a multitude of ideas for budgeting on the link above.
- Following on from budgeting, saving and creating a stockpile of items when you have the spare money or good coupons/cashback offers come along can help in times of need. Remember that surplus items should be non-perishable and a suitable area of your home should be utilised for storage so that the items do not spoil.
- When you can, help family, friends and neighbours that are struggling. Remember the tale of borrowing a cup of sugar? If you have some sugar spare and a friend needs it, why not lend them some? The offer could be reciprocated in your times of need. This Bisto advert reminds me of the small gestures that we can offer others.
- Reduce your waste. I will be covering waste management in another blog post but essentially it means that you make full use of what you buy. Firstly plan what you need before you go shopping and buy only what you need (obviously if there is a coupon or cashback offer available for something that could go towards your stock pile then plan for that too). Develop ways in which you can fully use the items you have purchased. For example using meat carcass bones for stock or veg peelings for a soup base can work well.
- Give to food banks or soup kitchens. These are all over the UK and are currently struggling to keep up with demand. Also remember that food banks don’t just accept food!!! If you find your local, get a list and try and match their needs to coupons/cashback offers you can get items for your stock pile and items to donate that may be useful to others. The same applies here to pet shelters. I do not have a dog but if an offer comes up for dog food I will get it and donate it to a shelter or to a person I know with a dog. My local food bank is the Black Country food bank and their list of food and non-food items has quite a few items on it that could easily be fulfilled with the latest coupon/cashback offers.
What can we do if we are seriously struggling?
- Don’t be silent. Ask for help. Family, friends and neighbours won’t know you are struggling if you don’t tell them. It is not a sign of weakness. They are your friends for a reason and I am sure they will help if they can. Keeping the matter silent only furthers the taboo of the struggle.
- If you have exhausted all other methods then find a food bank or a soup kitchen for help. Anyone in financial trouble can go to these. Each food bank works with different front-line professionals, such as doctors, health visitors, social workers and the Citizens Advice, who make referrals to the food bank using a voucher. You will have to approach one of these professionals and show you are in financial distress to be given a voucher for three days of food and provisions.
As I said at the beginning of this post, there is a need for food banks and soup kitchens in the UK, we must not hide this issue. Speak up, be heard and there are ways to help those in need.
Laura x
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