Food banks are abused

HARD times have been with us throughout the generations. I sampled it myself in the 1970s with three hungry kids and no support from food banks and all other agencies springing up now.

I survived thanks to agency work – and cutting my cloth according to my weekly income, common sense really. Non-essentials went straight out of the window, it was just food and survive.

Work hours available were unreliable. I was unable to budget. It was a case of three days’ work meant egg, chips and beans all week, four days’ work – a few chops rustled up at the weekend.

I hold my hands up. There are people today queuing at food banks genuinely desperate and on their uppers. However, some individuals are abusing the ‘free food’ arrangement, unhappy at having to curtail their habitual monthly nonessential outgoings – such as phone contracts, satellite TV subscriptions or dampening down on recreational activity.

These individuals selfishly take away limited supplies off people genuinely in need and down on their luck.

Hopefully various agencies monitor the income of food bank participants as best they can, but are they checking the other side of the coin regarding unnecessary outgoings by the selfish few accepting free food and using what was previously their food budget on a continuing uninterrupted lifestyle? David Barlow, Middleton