Food Bank Challenge

 I've made a start with this today looking at some of the 'Research' clauses and 'Learn About' clauses.  I also started inventorying my food cupboards.

Over the month, complete at least 8 of the following 16 clauses

Clause 1 - Find out where your local food bank is and how you can help them.  Are they looking for specific produce? I am living between two distribution points (both local churches) for the same Food Bank.  Currently they are looking for:

• Tined fish
• Tinned meat
• Tinned veg
• Cook in sauces
• Breakfast tea bags
• Baked Beans
• Bars of chocolate 
• Snack bars
• Tinned soup
• Tinned fruit in juice
• Sponge puddings
• Savoury snacks

Clause 3 - Inventory all the food in your cupboards.  Make at least three meals from items that have been at the back of the cupboard for some time.  Well, I went through the cupboards last month during the Scavenger Hunt looking for an old best before, so there wasn't much to find!  I am going to use up the arborio rice in a risotto and a make a vegetable paella this week.  There are also lots of tins of soup, but they will get eaten when the weather cools down a bit.

Clause 6 - Find out which non-food items you can donate to your local food bank.  Apparently, nothing.  Everything on the list is non-perishable food

Clause 7 - Learn about online food donation and food waste apps. bankuet.co.uk "Give once or give monthly to any food bank signed up to Bankuet.  After you’ve given, Bankuet will ensure your donation is dropped off at the food bank at a time most convenient to them."

I also have Too Good To Go on my phone, but I have yet to use them. 

Clause 9 - Tally up your weekly food shop, investigate other supermarkets, brands and other options to see how much you could save.  I did a quick tally of eighteen branded items that we buy regularly on Ocado and compared it to Asda.  Ocado = £41.38 Asda = £31.59

Asda does now deliver to our street.  When we started with Ocado we couldn't get Asda because the store was too close to where we live.  I think we'll be making a change there.  We will continue to rescue fruit and veg through Oddbox.

Clause 12 - Learn about how your local food bank is funded and who can access it.  Is it independent or part of a national scheme? Our food bank is part of the Trussell Trust and it was unclear how it is funded.  Accessed via referral from GPs, churches, care workers

Clause 16 - Donate a basket of food to your local food bank, community fridge or local supermarket drop off point.  I learned that the food donated at my local Asda goes to the local food bank.  However, this research suggests that I could donate much more easily online.  The money goes directly to the local food bank to use exactly as they need, so that's what I have chosen to do.