Free food/food banks etc in London

RoisinDove

Hi everyone,

I have a friend who is desperately looking for help. She was let go from her job a few weeks ago because they were overstaffed. She has now found another one, but won't be paid for a few weeks and is virtually penniless. She has to pay £16 return to commute to her new job every day and she has no money for food. She has been lent money by friends but most of us are badly off ourselves and she is very embarrassed to take any more. She has never been on benefits or had any handout before and feels that she doesn't have the right to use a food bank because she's working, but I think she absolutely has the right and even more so because she has tried to hard to keep her head above water on her own. If she can't afford to eat, what is she meant to do?

I have tried to find food banks and such by googling, but it seems that the vast majority are only open during weekday mornings and afternoons, which is no use for someone who is working. I've found contradictory reports about the Hare Krishna 'food for all' project at Lincolns Inn Fields, with some sites stating it runs free evening meals Monday to Thursday 7.30-8.30 and others stating that it's only Monday and Wednesday. Would anyone know any more?

silvervixen84

You didn't say if she's Irish, but the London Irish Centre and Mind Yourself might be able to help her get back on her feet -

http://www.londonirishcentre.org/services/
http://www.mind-yourself.co.uk/mission/

I've just asked my friend (grew up in London) if she knows any food banks and she mentioned that most of the food banks operate through Trussell Trust http://www.trusselltrust.org/

In the meantime, instead of giving her more money that ye don't have or that she's embarrassed to take, could you and her other friends club together to give her a few spare tins of beans/packets of pasta etc to tide her over til she gets paid? Or invite her over to dinner?

RoisinDove

silvervixen84 wrote: »

You didn't say if she's Irish, but the London Irish Centre and Mind Yourself might be able to help her get back on her feet -

http://www.londonirishcentre.org/services/
http://www.mind-yourself.co.uk/mission/

I've just asked my friend (grew up in London) if she knows any food banks and she mentioned that most of the food banks operate through Trussell Trust http://www.trusselltrust.org/

In the meantime, instead of giving her more money that ye don't have or that she's embarrassed to take, could you and her other friends club together to give her a few spare tins of beans/packets of pasta etc to tide her over til she gets paid? Or invite her over to dinner?

Thanks for the advice. No, she isn't Irish. I've e-mailed the Trussell Trust and a few other food banks but haven't heard back yet. I have found a few churches who offer some food over the weekend - I know she feels terrible because she thinks other people (homeless, etc) need it more so she might not go but I know for sure that the Hare Krishna food is often served up to SOAS and UCL students, and I doubt they are more in need than she is.

I've already given her some packets of food under the pretext that an old flatmate left it behind and I didn't want it, but she was wise to that and she feels really uncomfortable taking anything. She hasn't got a big group of friends and unfortunately the ones she has are pretty badly off as well. I'm working two jobs at the minute from 9 to 6 and then 7 to 12, so inviting her over to dinner isn't an option during the week and I think her other friends are in similar positions or on the dole.

I think this must be quite a common problem - people who are not homeless and completely destitute, but who live paycheck to paycheck and are only a couple of weeks away from not being able to afford to eat, given the insane cost of living in London. I'm surprised that there isn't some sort of assistance more readily available. She is absolutely trying to stay away from those payday lenders, which is a good idea, but I'm surprised there isn't some sort of crisis loan available.

maggiep2010

Hi, I just mentioned this post to my partner, who is involved in social care in London. She said your friend should go to her GP, or her local social services and explain her circumstances. The GP can then refer her to a food bank. Apparently you can't just walk into one off the street, you need to be referred by either one of those mentioned.

RoisinDove

maggiep2010 wrote: »

Hi, I just mentioned this post to my partner, who is involved in social care in London. She said your friend should go to her GP, or her local social services and explain her circumstances. The GP can then refer her to a food bank. Apparently you can't just walk into one off the street, you need to be referred by either one of those mentioned.

I've said it to her and she can't go to the GP as she works long hours, but e-mailing social services could be an option. Would your partner know if it's common for people to be in her situation and use food banks?

I've googled some more and apparently you can just turn up for the Hare Krishna food...just can't seem to establish exactly when they're around!

Jack B. Badd

Could she ask her new employer for an advance to tide her over until her first paycheck? They may not oblige but there's probably no harm in asking. I'm sure they'd want their new employee concentrating on the job & not stressing about food.

RoisinDove

Jack B. Badd wrote: »

Could she ask her new employer for an advance to tide her over until her first paycheck? They may not oblige but there's probably no harm in asking. I'm sure they'd want their new employee concentrating on the job & not stressing about food.

She has already, as have some of her colleagues who started at the same time, but they haven't heard back yet. I understand it's a difficult situation because she doesn't want to nag them or come across as desperate. I advised her to check again on Monday. She probably wouldn't get much money because they'd only pay for work she's already done, but that would at least cover her rent and maybe some food costs.

RoisinDove

Update: my friend has unfortunately been refused an advance from her work. I don't think they understand how serious the situation is, as she's embarrassed to say how bad it is.

I've found a few churches who give out food without asking questions. I don't suppose anyone knows where she could get some casual (legal) work which pays very quickly? Something she could do at the weekend? I can't think of anything myself

FTA69

Can any of ye chip in and buy the woman a bag of shopping? F*ck her pride to be honest, her accepting it is simply a matter of you insisting she take it in a non-patronising manner. Also the Hares distribute vegetarian curries at lunch time in Camden Town, can she get there on her lunch break? They also hand out free dinners on Mondays and Wednesdays at Lincoln Inn's Fields.

Choccie Lover

Your poor friend. What a horrible situation to be in.

Did she just send an e-mail to the HR department or did she actually talk with one of the HR advisors?

As you said, she didn't really explain how grave her situation was.

I have temped at a HR department in the past (working on the admin side of things) and have processed quite a few advances like that after the employee has had a meeting with one of the advisors to explain their case. Try to explain to her that it is more common than she thinks and that there is no need to be embarrassed. HR have heard it all before and nobody else at work need know about it. What happens in HR stays in HR :-)

Of course, every company is different and perhaps they may not give it......but no harm giving it another try if it is the case that she only sent them an e-mail to start with.

Hope it all works out!

Playboy

Honestly she needs to see a bit of sense and stop being so prideful. Everyone needs some help every now and then and there is no shame in accepting it. She can always return the favour / pay it back if she feels she needs to. She shouldn't let her health suffer for the sake of pride and in fact she may put her new job at risk if she gets poorly due to lack of food. The offer I made via pm still stands.

silvervixen84

Can she look for a second job for evenings and/or weekends for the next few weeks, perhaps one that could pay cash in hand? If it's in a pub that serves food, I think they feed staff too during their shifts.

RoisinDove

FTA69 wrote: »

Can any of ye chip in and buy the woman a bag of shopping? F*ck her pride to be honest, her accepting it is simply a matter of you insisting she take it in a non-patronising manner. Also the Hares distribute vegetarian curries at lunch time in Camden Town, can she get there on her lunch break? They also hand out free dinners on Mondays and Wednesdays at Lincoln Inn's Fields.

Don't want to go into it too much for fear she may somehow find the thread and read this, but she doesn't have a group of friends as such. She's more of an acquaintance to me really and I'm not sure how close her other friends are or if she really has that many. I got another FB message today and it seems that it isn't just food, but that she will be unable to pay her rent and travel costs if she doesn't get this advance.

Choccie Lover wrote: »

Your poor friend. What a horrible situation to be in.

Did she just send an e-mail to the HR department or did she actually talk with one of the HR advisors?

As you said, she didn't really explain how grave her situation was.

I have temped at a HR department in the past (working on the admin side of things) and have processed quite a few advances like that after the employee has had a meeting with one of the advisors to explain their case. Try to explain to her that it is more common than she thinks and that there is no need to be embarrassed. HR have heard it all before and nobody else at work need know about it. What happens in HR stays in HR :-)

Of course, every company is different and perhaps they may not give it......but no harm giving it another try if it is the case that she only sent them an e-mail to start with.

Hope it all works out!

She sent an email but I don't think she went into how bad things were. She says it doesn't stay in HR - her line manager is already aware that her and a few colleagues have asked for advances. My friend is worried about it reflecting badly on her and it looking like she can't manage her finances

Playboy wrote: »

Honestly she needs to see a bit of sense and stop being so prideful. Everyone needs some help every now and then and there is no shame in accepting it. She can always return the favour / pay it back if she feels she needs to. She shouldn't let her health suffer for the sake of pride and in fact she may put her new job at risk if she gets poorly due to lack of food. The offer I made via pm still stands.

I will let her know... I'm now getting the impression that the food thing is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't think she can afford any of the stuff she needs to pay for next month like rent and travel. I'm not sure what she can do if she doesn't get this advance.

silvervixen84 wrote: »

Can she look for a second job for evenings and/or weekends for the next few weeks, perhaps one that could pay cash in hand? If it's in a pub that serves food, I think they feed staff too during their shifts.

She is looking and so am I, but I can't find anything. She has no bar experience, so it would probably be difficult to get cover work in something like that, as they'd expect her to be able to jump right in and do it without any training? She does have some waitressing experience. Would you have any idea where would be a good place to look? I don't think most cash-in-hand jobs openly advertise so I'm finding it hard. She is more than happy to work in the evenings and weekends for the next few weeks but it has to be cash in hand.

maggiep2010

Has she tried the St Vincent de Paul society, or the Red Cross? They may be able to help or advise..
www.svp.org.uk
www.redcross.org.uk

Choccie Lover

Hi,

I have no idea why HR relayed that to the line manager, but anyway that's another issue!

I would still advise that she arrange a meeting with a HR advisor (asking for a little discretion in the matter this time) to explain her case. If it's a case they got a number of e-mail requests through from a bunch of employees, then they might have just thought they were all chancing their arm. She has to swallow her pride and not be worrying about how people view her management of money.

As well as my experience of working in HR, I've worked in other places where my colleagues have asked for advances right from the get-go. One had to ask for advances for the first three months of employment. She found it embarrassing, but she had to do it. It's a very common reality of living in London.

Other than that, it seems your friend just gives up in the face of every road block. If she has to see a GP to get a food bank referral, then she has to explain to her employer that it's an absolute emergency, that she needs a couple of hours off and she can make up the hours another time.

Also, maybe she can look on gumtree for some cash-in- hand work. I'm not sure what is on there at the moment, but in the past I have seen ads looking for people to do catering at one-off weekend events etc.

RoisinDove

Choccie Lover wrote: »

Hi,

I have no idea why HR relayed that to the line manager, but anyway that's another issue!

I would still advise that she arrange a meeting with a HR advisor (asking for a little discretion in the matter this time) to explain her case. If it's a case they got a number of e-mail requests through from a bunch of employees, then they might have just thought they were all chancing their arm. She has to swallow her pride and not be worrying about how people view her management of money.

I know but I can understand the feeling. This is a temporary job and she's hoping to be chosen to stay on out of the dozens of summer workers...she doesn't want to do anything to stand out in a bad way.

As well as my experience of working in HR, I've worked in other places where my colleagues have asked for advances right from the get-go. One had to ask for advances for the first three months of employment. She found it embarrassing, but she had to do it. It's a very common reality of living in London.

I know, which is why I'm surprised the employer is being so unreasonable. They know that everyone who recently started was either unemployed or had to give up other paid work to go to the unpaid induction days. I don't think it's reasonable to expect people to go 6+ weeks with no pay.

Other than that, it seems your friend just gives up in the face of every road block. If she has to see a GP to get a food bank referral, then she has to explain to her employer that it's an absolute emergency, that she needs a couple of hours off and she can make up the hours another time.

She has a long-term illness and has already had to ask for time off for that, which they weren't pleased about, so obviously she'd rather not take even more time off. I have found alternatives to food banks (churches and Hare Krishna) for her but obviously they only cover food and not travel costs, rent, etc.

Also, maybe she can look on gumtree for some cash-in- hand work. I'm not sure what is on there at the moment, but in the past I have seen ads looking for people to do catering at one-off weekend events etc.

She is looking and I am too. Fingers crossed something turns up. There's plenty of non cash-in-hand stuff but that's not much use if they also won't pay until end of July.

djpbarry

RoisinDove wrote: »

Don't want to go into it too much for fear she may somehow find the thread and read this, but she doesn't have a group of friends as such. She's more of an acquaintance to me really and I'm not sure how close her other friends are or if she really has that many. I got another FB message today and it seems that it isn't just food, but that she will be unable to pay her rent and travel costs if she doesn't get this advance.

I'm going to assume that she's explored the obvious option of additional welfare support?

Fysh

Locking thread as the OP appears to be a re-reg.