Is there a "free food app"?

[newbury]

I'm just wondering. It seems there are a lot people that have gotten in the habit of getting free food from various charities. I first started noticing it last year, lines and lines of relatively new fancy vehicles driving up and getting their trunks filled free, usually no questions asked. I though it would slow down as covid declined but it hasn't.
The latest one I saw today must have had 75 cars in line for free turkeys and food, virtually all of the vehicles very late model SUV's.

Used to be if you could afford a new car you could afford food.

 

[Jstpssng]

There used to be a certain stigmatism about asking for help. Now many government agencies encourage it.

 

[Alan W.]

Friend of mine helps out at the one in our county.
He is about to quit. Says it gets quite disheartening to place a food box in a brand new vehicle.

 

[etpm]

Where I live the local food banks don't ask questions and go out of their way to not stigmatize the folks going there. I think this is very good. There must be many folks who have lost their jobs but still have car payments. These are obligations they made when times were good and they are obligated to paying off the loan. Even if they could just give the car away and let someone take over the payments what do they do then? How do they replace that necessary vehicle when they are so low on funds? Save for 6 months with no transportation and then buy a really used car that may have hidden problems? Of course there are some scammers but I bet the folks getting free food make up less than 10 percent. I cannot believe how lucky I have been when serious bad luck has befallen me. When I see nice cars at the food bank I don't give it a second thought. I don't know what their story is. I'm not gonna judge.
Eric

 

[K5lwq]

Some people have taken advantage of generosity for ever. People that give understand that but the ones that really need help make it worth the trouble. Unfortunately it will continue to get worse.

 

[shooterdon]

I stopped giving to our church food bank when I saw the abuse. Living in a rural area, we know who is in need and those who are just parasites....and there are far more parasites.

 

[4570Man]

Where I live the local food banks don't ask questions and go out of their way to not stigmatize the folks going there. I think this is very good. There must be many folks who have lost their jobs but still have car payments. These are obligations they made when times were good and they are obligated to paying off the loan. Even if they could just give the car away and let someone take over the payments what do they do then? How do they replace that necessary vehicle when they are so low on funds? Save for 6 months with no transportation and then buy a really used car that may have hidden problems? Of course there are some scammers but I bet the folks getting free food make up less than 10 percent. I cannot believe how lucky I have been when serious bad luck has befallen me. When I see nice cars at the food bank I don't give it a second thought. I don't know what their story is. I'm not gonna judge.
Eric

That was maybe a good excuse a 1.5 years ago. There’s zero excuse to not have a job now. Every business in the whole country is critically understaffed. That’s not taking into account all the government hand outs. How many people actually went with nothing?

 

[KennyG]

Our church has a monthly "Feed America" event and we usually provide food to over 100 families, no questions asked. I'm sure there are some people taking unneeded advantage of the system, but the majority are retired people with limited income and parents with low paying jobs. Not many newer cars show up.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm as cynical about this as the next guy, yet some people really can use some help. For Christmas my family started picking names off the tree at my parent's church to buy things for. The first year a woman asked for toilet paper. Toilet paper! I can't imagine being that destitute. That was about 15 years ago and she probably still is working her way through the supply we sent to her...

We did that for a few years an I actually started enjoying the hoilday season again. After a while though the city became a center for refugees and the church started helping them out... all that they wanted was gift cards. I'm back to saying "Bah Humbug" again.

 

[PILOON]

I also have seen those parasites.

They hide the new SUV around the corner don their old worn cloth coat and join the line.
Then reject basic items like canned beans demanding the finer choices.

The other day I was sitting in my car while my wife shopped and there was a knock on my door.
It was a panhandler asking for cash and that person really did not look needy.
Panhandlers outside the dollar store and a 'musician (?)' with a harmonica at the booze store with the collection pot at his feet.

Don't bother to offer packaged or canned food as they only want cash.