"We heard stories and gained first-hand
experience that led us to the conclusion that
the rise in the use of food banks does indicate
a deeper problem in our society; the ‘glue’
that used to be there is no longer there in
many instances. It can be described as the
commodification process with people seen as
commodities, and the transactions between
them are regarded simply as the exchanging of
products rather than relationships between two
human beings"
"So it is that right across the country, in towns and
villages, in urban and rural places, where there
would appear to be little deprivation and in places
of high deprivation, people have found ways to
try and put in place systems to help those most
in need. The phenomenon that has caught the
imagination most is food banks."
"We want to celebrate this and to reflect on our
hopes of livingin a country where people do share
values andvirtues centred on a sense of interdependence,
underpinned in all we do by recognising the
intrinsic worth and value of humanity "
"We also want to avoid the easy mistake made
by reports such as this which all too easily
‘blame’ some groups and point the finger at
particular institutions. We do want to say some
hard things to different groups and there are
lessons to be learnt by all. It cannot be right,
for example, that in the twenty first century
we have so many people who appear to have
little or no food and that children and adults
are going hungry whilst many others (including
some of our large institutions) waste food in
scandalously huge amounts."
"We want to encourage all in our society to look
to our values and virtues and to begin a much
larger and deeper conversation about how
we live together. This conversation will have
consequences for the way we talk about other
people. For example, do we blame those who
have little or nothing or do we find ways to help
them? Do we criticise those who work in our
government departments or do we encourage
and allow them to work with discretion and to
find human ways to communicate and interact
with those they serve?"
"There are people in this very position right
now in this country although, for fairly obvious
reasons, we cannot put an exact number on
them. All we know, from our observations
gathered throughout this Inquiry, is that there
are too many people in this group. We also
know that even if families have enough, just
enough money to prevent hunger, this most
basic of objectives is made that much more
difficult if a family has only a very limited range
of food on offer, little or no ability to prepare
and cook food, and no facilities to cook that
food, or if there are other fundamental crises
afflicting their lives"
There follows lots of insightful writings on why people find themselves
at food banks and then a few facts the most shocking of which I think is:
"Between 2003 and 2013, the price
of electricity, gas and other fuels increased
by 153.6% in Britain, 76% in Germany and
58.8% in France."
"And yet: Britain’s wages haven’t kept up.
Between 2003 and 2013, wages grew most
in Canada (36.5%) followed by the United
States (30.2%). Wages in Britain grew by
28% and in France by 26.6%. Wages grew
most slowly in Germany at 17.7%."
The report then goes on to state that the trickle down models, which
assertained that as the general wealth of a country increases we
all get richer is no longer working. The rich are getting richer
and the poor are no longer benefiting. It also calls for long term
solitions which go beyond a single political term and agenda.
And then come the recommendations. One of the most profound of these in my mind is one which echoes thinkers from years ago such as E. F. Schumacher
who wrote "Small is Beautiful" or the writers of "A patterned Language".
"WhileFeeding Britain has the overall goal of a
hunger-free United Kingdom, this goal can
only be achieved if its strategy is based up
from the local town to city and then to region.
We believe that, as it develops, it is crucial
that this body develops a life of its own that
is independent of government and with the
ability to rise above other sectorial interests."
It goes on to reiterate the need for local and trusted known points of contact.
The Report very much sees hunger in britain as one element of a larger picture.
Alongside its suggestions around food it also states that:
"We believe the establishment of Feeding
Britain, alongside a higher National Minimum
Wage and a fairer and more reliable benefits
system, can help to rebuild our national
minimum to ensure we live in a ‘Zero Hunger
Britain’ – and thus bring together the two
parts of Beveridge that harness the virtues of
public and voluntary action."
It goes on to outline a number of practical solutions like "Social Supermarkets"
where surplus from supermarkets etc are donated and sold at
a highly discounted price. It also calls on supermarkets to increase the
percentage of their profits (ie cash we plough into them :our spending to buy back goods we help produce and sell and their profits, my words not the reports)
into emergency food scenarios. This will then free up the food bank
organisations to spent charitable donations on tackling deeper underlying issues.
The report then goes on to discuss and provide recommendations for the wider issues which lead to
people needing to access foodbanks such as increased energy bills,
poorly ran benefits systems, low pay and the lack of education in cooking healthy food.
All in all its a well considered report which avoids the high brow speaking
you usually get with these kind of things.
Its the combined efforts of people in goverment who have taken this on above and beyond what they usually do. I am as sceptical as the next person about
most of those who govern our country but think its a mistake to shoot down those
who seem to want to put their head above the parapit and help. Be we rich or poor we all make decisions to help our fellow man or not. I wouldn't be suprised
if after getting such a media bashing Barroness Jenkins doesn't go back to her mansion and revert to buying handbags and shoes.
The full report is here if you want to read it without my selections which might be biased towards my particular interests.
http://bristol-cathedral.co.uk/images/uploads/Food_Poverty_Feeding_Britain_FINAL_PDF.pdf
