Vocal Voices

Have just pushed an envelope through our door asking for £5 to provide two nutritious meals for "Refugees" "fleeing" to Europe. They won't be getting it.

Good for you. All you would have been doing is contributing to their CEO's salary.

Down at the supermarket today, I did what I try to do every Sunday, and contributed two tins of peas and baby carrots to the Gillingham Food Bank. It's either that or tinned soups / beans / spaghetti / potatoes / tomatoes. And at least I know that my contribution will be directed straight to those in acute rural poverty around here (someone from one of the local churches told us that he'd worked with food banks in both urban and rural settings, and "believe me, it's far worse down here than it is in London". I think the local foodbank helped something like 1,500 folk last year ......

I'd go so far as to ask any of you good folk reading this thread, if you can afford it, try to stick a tin or two in your local foodbank this week, wherever you live ....

The local supermarket has a trolley for donations to a local OAP service. It suggests tins of veg and soups or dry goods such as pasta, rice or noodles. I do not mind donating goods to it as it is direct help.

However, I am now reluctant to hand over money, especially to the big charities. Some of the stories about where funds go - only pennies in the pound - have turned me right off. I also pay special care to avoid those which as for a particular sum.

What has upset me is that it is one of our neighbours who has put the envelope through our letterbox. But they don't do it themselves, they send their children. Both to post the envelope and to collect it. So I'm now going to have to resist emotional blackmail when I say "No" to small children.

eta - Re the demand for a specific amount. My son used to donate £10 a month from his pay to a charity. They rang him up a couple of months later and asked him would he consider raising it to £30?

Our local Sainsbury's has a trolley where you leave donations to the local food bank Os. I will put something in there from now on.

I often put a tin in the food bank box, either at Sainsbury's or Morrisons

Great to know others are also donating food direct to their local foodbanks. Judging by the collection point bins down here, folk do recognise the need and are quite generous. As for what's sought, as well as the list WM gave, the local bank even asks for UHT long-life milk cartons, I think.

I totally ignore the big charities it's a racket
I give to local ones if they are collaborating in morrisons say or coop
Don't fill the charity bags either