Foodbanks

[margrace]

Do you support foodbanks, If not why? If yes Why?

[M.Dancer]

Do you support foodbanks, If not why? If yes Why?

No I don't

I went to a food bank a couple of years ago and deposited 10 cans of bean....two years went by and they hadn't grown one iota....that kind of return on investment I can get at BMO

....mind you, they had no service charges, so I was ahead of BMO, I suppose.....

[Renegade]

Do you support foodbanks, If not why? If yes Why?

Yes. Because they fill a need, and there is no coercion involved in collecting the funding.

I think it is stupid that people buy food to donate to the foodbank. They would be much smarter to just donate the equivalent in cash instead. The foodbank can make bulk purchases much more effectively than individuals.

[margrace]

Do you support foodbanks, If not why? If yes Why?

Yes. Because they fill a need, and there is no coercion involved in collecting the funding.

I think it is stupid that people buy food to donate to the foodbank. They would be much smarter to just donate the equivalent in cash instead. The foodbank can make bulk purchases much more effectively than individuals.

But that is the way food banks operate. They take donations in money and buy in bulk. The also get donations of illegally shot deer and moose from the MNR. They pay to have it cut and wrapped.

[Charles Anthony]

I have a profound respect for people who volunteer to keep foodbanks going. I helped out once when I was a kid. It struck me to see people waiting to be served for smaller meals than I had eaten myself.

I think it is stupid that people buy food to donate to the foodbank.

For the individual donor, you are right. It makes more sense to give them money.

Many times the donations of food are from retailers who are getting rid of stock that is old (not as old as the SunkisTuna deal) but just shy of expiry. Since the food is consumed rapidly at the foodbanks, it seems to work out. The retailers are able to time it strategically to also take advantage of tax deductions for the donations.

[betsy]

Do you support foodbanks, If not why? If yes Why?

I do. I try to give regularly....and I do consider the nutritional value of what I give. The grocery where I shop has a drop-in box...so I try to get some extras to put in it.

Why? Because there are people who truly need help. I am thinking of those who are poor that they have to skip meals, or scrounge in garbages. And food is the most basic need.

Yes, I feel aghast that some people abuse the food bank....but I guess it is something I have to accept.

My concern is for those who are truly helpless and hungry.

My usual donations are what you'd call "ready-to-eat" foods, or those that need less preparation and hardly any additional ingredients.

Chunky soups, pea soups, and stews, peanut butter, Chef Boyardee Spag and meatballs, ravioli etc..(only those with meat/protein included), pasta/pasta sauces (includes Bravo meat sauce), yes Kraft dinner too, pork and beans, hot cereals, etc.,

If I win the lotto, the food bank is one of my main charities that I will aid.

[margrace]

Do you support foodbanks, If not why? If yes Why?

I do. I try to give regularly....and I do consider the nutritional value of what I give. The grocery where I shop has a drop-in box...so I try to get some extras to put in it.

Why? Because there are people who truly need help. I am thinking of those who are poor that they have to skip meals, or scrounge in garbages. And food is the most basic need.

Yes, I feel aghast that some people abuse the food bank....but I guess it is something I have to accept.

My concern is for those who are truly helpless and hungry.

My usual donations are what you'd call "ready-to-eat" foods, or those that need less preparation and hardly any additional ingredients.

Chunky soups, pea soups, and stews, peanut butter, Chef Boyardee Spag and meatballs, ravioli etc..(only those with meat/protein included), pasta/pasta sauces (includes Bravo meat sauce), yes Kraft dinner too, pork and beans, hot cereals, etc.,

If I win the lotto, the food bank is one of my main charities that I will aid.

Hi Betsy, you are the kind of contributor we appreciate, you give exactly what is needed. Other things that some people make a point of giving are items such as toothpaste and toilet paper etc. In our area some single men are housed in unused motel rooms with little cooking facilities. So the food you donate is much more accessable to them.

In our food bank it is very hard to abuse because we still call ourselves an Emergency Food bank and we try to limit the use to four times a year. After that the user gets an interview and has to prove need. Some people are allowed to use it more often if there is conceived to be that need.

We have some great people manning our food bank, some of our newer voluteers are people who have retired to our area.

One of the problems we try to conteract is that people spread deliberate falsehoods about the food bank. Why I don't know but one was of a person using our food bank who had their cupboards stuffed with canned goods. Upon investigation it was proved that this was a deliberate fasehood. The person in question had never used the food bank. We keep strick records of who uses it.

[Leafless]

Do you support foodbanks, If not why? If yes Why?

Food for all Canadians incapable of providing their own, should be the SOLE responsibility of the federal government and no one else.

If the federal government fails to acknowledge that full employment is NOT a fundamental right, applicable to all Canadians, then they should or must assume responsibility, to ensure ALL Canadians are properly nourished and fed.

The 'Charter of Rights and Freedoms' Sec.-15 (1), "Every individual is equal before the and under the law and has the right to equal protection without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability."

If you are unfortunate enough to not be able to find employment, or are working but cannot put sufficient food on the table, the federal government should be in the position to ensure you are fed properly, similar to all other Canadians or you are being discriminated against, by the SYSTEM which disallows you from doing so.

[BubberMiley]

When did Leafless become a born-again Communist? I'm glad to see he's coming around to loving the Charter though.

[betsy]

One of the problems we try to conteract is that people spread deliberate falsehoods about the food bank. Why I don't know but one was of a person using our food bank who had their cupboards stuffed with canned goods. Upon investigation it was proved that this was a deliberate fasehood. The person in question had never used the food bank. We keep strick records of who uses it.

I have to admit that what I know about abuses come from hearsay. One was regarding a single mom, waitressing in a bar. The talk about her receiving child support plus undeclared tips for income, and that allegedly she was also using the food bank. So that was the rumour that went around.

However, not long after that, she died of cancer. Now I'm thinking that perhaps it was really financially tough for her to put food on the table, have a roof over their heads...plus the added expenses of dealing with her illness. If that were the case, I have no complaints about it. My heart goes to her and her family.

[betsy]

Margrace, maybe you know people who can suggest to manufacturers to use a consumer-friendly straight forward expiry date or best-before-date instead of those codes.

People have a little stock-pile for emergency situations, and it will benefit the food banks if you put out the necessary information and encourage people to have a practical emergency food supply in their pantry. The Red Cross advises that in case of storms or other natural disasters. My friend experienced huricane Katrina in Mississippi trapped in their house for several days...and they survived on canned beans. And she said she never thought about the importance of disposable cutlery until they experienced having no clean water to wash their cutlery...what little water they had was reserved for drinking.

Right now my stock-pile is limited to only those that specify a clear expiry date, all ready-to-eat, with the assumption that there is no electrical power or means to cook (just like what some places experienced during the ice storm).

About 3 months before they get expired, I haul them off to the foodbank box and replenish my stockpile.

An organised rotation of food products. Imagine how much more food donations the banks would get on a regular, continuous basis by promoting this practical emergency readiness.

I don't know why a lot of products still use those codes.

[margrace]

Betsy there are codes on the cans that perhaps you or I do not understand. However our people are trained in reading them. No food is allowed on the shelves before being checked by a trained person. On the other hand I agree it certainly would be helpful if everycan was clearly marked.

It is amazing however the amount that is donated with clear codes that are overdue. We have come to the conclusion that every four or five years some well meaning persons clean out their cupboards and give old cans to the food bank.

You have a great idea, our food turns over very quickly and if everyone instead of letting them expire would check and renew their emegency supplies then the food banks would benefit. So would our dumps.

[Leafless]

When did Leafless become a born-again Communist? I'm glad to see he's coming around to loving the Charter though.

No, not really.

What I am doing though is following the example of the creators of the charter, and that is to take ADVANTAGE of Canadian society, utilizing the charter.

Why Not??

All Canadians should be treated ROYALLY, not only a select few.

[Riverwind]

You have a great idea, our food turns over very quickly and if everyone instead of letting them expire would check and renew their emegency supplies then the food banks would benefit. So would our dumps.

Sounds like a business opportunity. Create a 'emergency supplies box' with a best before date and the address/phone number of the local food bank. Sell the boxes as a closed package that people could keep in their closet or garage. You could even allow people to sign up for a service where the foodbank would call a month before it expires and offer to sell off a replacement box. In fact, the foodbank could make this as a vehicle for donations - give the boxes for free with every $100 worth of donations.

[betsy]

You have a great idea, our food turns over very quickly and if everyone instead of letting them expire would check and renew their emegency supplies then the food banks would benefit. So would our dumps.

Sounds like a business opportunity. Create a 'emergency supplies box' with a best before date and the address/phone number of the local food bank. Sell the boxes as a closed package that people could keep in their closet or garage. You could even allow people to sign up for a service where the foodbank would call a month before it expires and offer to sell off a replacement box. In fact, the foodbank could make this as a vehicle for donations - give the boxes for free with every $100 worth of donations.

Now that Riverwind had mentioned about calling people.....fund-raising for Diabetes call regularly every couple of months or so to tell us what day their truck will be coming to our street/area. They are asking for old clothings. We leave said clothings in a box outside by the street with a label indicating it is for the diabetes and the truck just automatically picks it up.

Maybe the food banks in every community should call their local population and do particular planned route of rounds, repeated after every couple of months. It will remind people to check their pantry's expiry dates (and it's so easy to forget about some old cans sitting there gathering dust).....so the food bank is actually also providing a service to these homes when calling.

I bet people will still give away a few cans or so even when they're far from expiring.

If every community conscientiously gets involved in regularly donating to their local food banks, and food banks motivate that kind of dedicated involvement by promoting awareness, showing credible well-organized methods (and I am sure communities will gladly want to take part in it on a regular basis), then maybe there wouldn't be any hungry people going around...and who knows, it might just put the spark of hope back into some of these folks' hearts.

Giving to the food bank will...and should become just one of our regular habits.

And think how it will help our young kids learn about compassion, concern for others and empathy....by getting them to see and understand what mom or dad is doing when they go through the contents of their pantry, putting food in bags or boxes. Those are the values that seem sadly lacking in this self-centered world that we live in.

So it's a win-win! Let's do it!

[margrace]

Hi Betsy, that is a good idea, now I just have to figure out how to present this to our hard working volunteers. The biggest problem is that we find that the same people do the bulk of the work. There must be an easy way of doing it. Perhaps utilizing our local paper's good will would be an idea.

I find that the same people stock and staff the food bank as run our Home based Palliative Care and deliver our Wheels to meals programs. If just a small fraction of others would help it would relieve the burden on these people.