Tag: charity

Language matters but so do your goals

You know how some people use all the right buzz words but their heart’s not in the right place? Usually in activist spaces they talk the talk and can focus on the hot topics, but move on once it’s not cool anymore, or there’s a better opportunity elsewhere. Or, their methods don’t work to lessen or get rid of the root cause of a problem but mainly build systems to sustain bandaids around it. These systems and often businesses will call themselves “not-for-profit” but everyone being paid to do it lives a comfortable life that doesn’t need them to challenge whether they’re doing this the most effective way.

That’s a problem with everything being a business, or using the language of business in charitable endeavours. Are you working to establish new markets or expand your footprint? Are you doing ANYTHING to remove the need for your services? Does your model depend on continuing the status quo – do you need a steady supply of people or animals to keep suffering in order for your day job to continue? Are you treading water on their behalf?  We’re all part of the systems, but it’s great to know where you fit in and question your role in keeping people down rather than actually improving their lot in life.

Do you claim to speak for the voiceless? If a person is conscious, they are likely able to communicate for themselves in some way. Even the pre-intentional or pre-symbolic communicator can communicate with those familiar with how they communicate. But if you’re seeking to be the voice of someone who can actually say what they need and want, what they struggle with and how they can be best helped? You’re probably talking over them rather than giving them the chance to speak to those in power themselves. Help them to learn “they ways” of policy jargon or talking in the media, rather than saying hey look at these people suffering give us money for short term remedies rather than addressing the problem.

You can help people short term, it’s okay. But you have to stop building your lives and businesses around keeping people down.

I’m repeating myself but so long as we’re seeing organisations aiming to expand themselves without daring to mention the causes of the issues – all the while talking for people in need rather than helping them speak for themselves – I’m going to have to.

We’ve announced the new dates for the People Against Poverty Summit – June 21 and 22 up in Maganjin/Brisbane. You can get tickets here – free and low cost tickets are available and people and organisations with money are encouraged to contribute more when booking or donate to the travel fund to enable us to get people in poverty from around the continent to the conference.

Our first online session is on Youtube for those keen to hear from me, Rick Morton and Kristin O’Connell about “Talking about Poverty” in media and online and IRL:

Also, if you’re inspired – get a Break The Poverty Machine tshirt or tote from the Antipoverty Centre store! It’s a great conversation started about tearing down the systems that keep people down in order to sustain themselves.

Food banks are broken, just like the rest of system they are in

So, I’ve been sharing this article “Shopping at Australian food charities can be more expensive than supermarkets. What’s gone wrong?” because I’m the foodbank user quoted and because the whole system is broken when charities on the ground are struggling to afford to buy food from mega charities to continue their essential work on the ground.

Regulars here know the story – I shop around foodbanks and Aldi and occasionally the majors since I have all three in my major town centre, in order to get the best value for myself and my little family that looks different each time I take stock. I haven’t gotten back to doing that this year – the food charities are reopening this week after Xmas shutdown, and I don’t have access to a car all the time since one is off the road at the moment. So I’m shopping at Aldi (or my partner is) and we’re getting our meal boxes and I’m sure it’s better for my waistline to not be able to get more food for less, but ugh I’m bored lol. Also, my stepson’s summer job just ended so he’s eating more at home and earning less until the Centrelink systems are reliable enough to reapply for jobseeker or he can find another casual job around the place.

Foodbank branches in NSW and Victoria operate under different rules: in NSW, charities who buy from Foodbank can charge their customers, while in Victoria charities must give the food away. The money Foodbank charges charities covers its handling fees – the cost of sourcing and redistributing the food. A Victorian-based charity worker, who did not want to be named, said that Foodbank had raised its prices to the point where the charity she works at was struggling to stay open. Screenshots taken last month from Foodbank’s online pantry, seen by Guardian Australia, show some items were significantly more expensive compared with major supermarkets. Composite image of dishwashing liquid prices on websites View image in fullscreen Some products are cheaper at major supermarkets, in this case dishwashing liquid at Woolworths. Composite: Woolworths website/Foodbank website Charities could buy dry dog food from Foodbank for $2.08 per 100g, compared with $0.23 per 100g at Coles. Dishwashing liquid was $1.15 for 495ml at Foodbank while shoppers could buy a litre for under $1.50 at all three majors. The charity worker says Foodbank prices have spiked in the last two years. In 2022, she says a dozen 450g cans of tinned ham cost $3.02 but last month was $64.30. In 2022, a dozen 400g Christmas puddings cost $5.40 but was now $43.80.

I knew that charities on the ground were facing increased costs for their purchases from Foodbank, but I didn’t realise it had gone up so much.

But I don’t see the answer as giving more money to Foodbank itself. They have corporate and individual donors, they have government funding, volunteer labour and other in-kind support, and yet they still have to charge more to the charities on the ground to receive the food and other items.

She stresses Foodbank provides a vital service, that they do good work and are underfunded. But the system is broken, she says. “The point is, they should be well funded so they don’t have to sell food, right? And we should be well funded so we don’t have to sell food.” The federal assistant minister for charities, Andrew Leigh, says “Labor strongly supports the value of food relief”. “Over the past 12 months, we have announced nearly $20m in additional funding for emergency and food relief charities,” Leigh said in a statement.

I also find myself even more cranky at the local charities that on-sell the items with significant markups (to just under full major supermarket prices) to fund their other work. Whether that’s to fund their free food hampers to those even more in need than the regular foodbank shopper, to pay their rent of warehouses, or to go into their missionary coffers (yes it happens), if there’s such a shortage of food coming into Foodbank warehouses as donations or being purchased it shouldn’t be marked up. Selling it on at your cost when it’s an essential item should be expected. (I’ll pay a markup on my short-dated Lindt though, happy to help when I’m able).

I’ll come back to it again – people need enough money to survive. They need to be able to afford to buy the food and other essential items they need to survive. Welfare rates need to be above the poverty line. People need to be able to afford to buy groceries and afford healthcare. There’s a lot that candidates can take into the election this year, and I want to see more of them promising to do the easy thing to lift millions out of poverty – Raising the rate of all welfare payments above the poverty line. That will cut demand greatly for emergency hampers that charities hand out each week. That will enable people to be able to directly support their own families and friends in need.

There is a place for emergency help – but having large corporate charity machines is not lessening the need for it.

 

Xmas Shutdown – Much needed time off for Volunteers, but here’s how long til the Food Banks reopen

Second last morning for my regular food bank this morning. After Wednesday 11/12 they reopen on January 6. Knowing them, they’ll be delivering emergency hampers this whole time. Emergency hampers not funded by the government, but from funds they’re raised through the year from community members and local businesses.

They’re frantically prepping for their Xmas party Sunday. They have gifts for 2000 kids and hundreds of hampers. They’re even doing gift cards for teens, getting donations for them from local businesses.

palates of standard $25 foodbank hampers

Another local foodbank closes Wed 18th at lunchtime, reopens January 13. Another weekly one does their last $15 hampers on the 19th and then comes back Jan 16.

last year's foodbank christmas hamper

Obviously, all these volunteers well and truly deserve a break, and school holidays and Christmas means less people available to help out. A few more just generally close for school holidays (so not back until February). So then, people are left to their own devices, a time when schools are closed, work schedules are thrown out (sometimes way more work sometimes way less), Centrelink reporting is earlier and people either get paid earlier with the public holidays or they miss the early reporting date and have to stretch til the payment comes through.

We also all know the chaos of holiday grocery shopping, even on more generous budgets.

So, on this day where Youth Payment indexation has been advertised – up to $24.30 extra a fortnight from Jan 1 – and organisations are asking the government to raise the rate of welfare payments, let’s aim for better and ask for ALL payments to be raised above the poverty line – at last $88 a day if we go with the Henderson Poverty Line. People need money to survive, they can’t actually access safety nets like food banks all year around, give them the dignity of choosing and buying their own food – for Christmas and for every day.

Food banks are just a more expensive way to get food that isn’t necessarily suitable to poor people: Prove me wrong

A christmas hamper from a foodbank
2023’s Foodbank Christmas Hamper

TFIF, am I right? And that the pollies have headed home for the summer break after a chaotic final week, and maybe we’ll get some respite from their pontificating until that election is called/ Rumours around say it’ll be in March, others say it’ll drag on til the usual May.

To follow up on my last post “Just because it’s better than nothing, doesn’t make it “good”, we head back to the food banks as the summer heat and humidity really kick in, and summer shutdowns approach. The charities themselves are also in rush mode, soliciting donations how they can while getting out the Xmas hampers to those needing the support.

But let’s break down that process a little.

Foodbank™ charges the local charities and food pantries for the hampers and food items they get from them. It’s usually $25 for a prepacked hamper, whether Xmas or through the year, and (often extremely short dated) groceries are sold and the locals then generally on sell them a little above their cost, but sometimes for more. This can be to the point where it’s cheaper to buy items from regular supermarkets, at least on special.

St Vincent de Paul Inc This CHRISTMAS HELP PEOPLE LIKE TANIA GET BACK ON THEIR FEET

They rely on the labour of volunteers – at the warehouses it’s often corporate volunteers, there paid by their regular employer, often a big (?tax avoiding) business. As do the local charities, but they’re well meaning locals, church members or someone who used the service and isn’t doing as bad as others at the moment. This labour is “free” to the charities, and most people want to be there (though we do hear of work for the dole at foodbanks) but it’s still labour.

Survivor's R Us Incorporated · 💙 SRU HAMPERS OF HOPE 💙 Many people ask how they can help us help others... here is one very important way you can help! By donating $25, you will allow us to purchase an essentials food hamper from Foodbank for someone in need. The hampers feature over $70 worth of groceries that will help the recipient create several meals and snacks - breakfast cereal, soup, pasta, noodles, tinned goods, milk, coffee, tea bags, biscuits, etc. Contributing this way will help us help people in need EVERY DAY, in fact, several times each day. You can donate via the link to our website - with paypal, direct deposit into our account, or donate while you're here shopping with us: https://www.survivorsrusincorporated.com/donations Every little bit helps! We thank you in advance.
“The hampers feature over $70 worth of groceries that will help the recipient create several meals and snacks – breakfast cereal, soup, pasta, noodles, tinned goods, milk, coffee, tea bags, biscuits, etc.”

Emergency hampers are funded by what ever the local charities can get together. SRU asks directly for $25 from supporters to buy a hamper from Foodbank. Vinnies asks for $72 so they can purchase their own for their clients. Foodbank also asks for $35 donations for hampers, again is this on top of the $25 they charge the local charities, any donations made by corporations, through telethons and ones at the checkout. They and other food relief charities like Ozharvest regularly are mentioned by politicians as receiving a block of funding to rent a new warehouse, while not mentioning WHY people can’t afford to just purchase their own food.

Vinnies NSW · Follow rpesSotndo3c c1h5 n e 0520h96ut9gt0ifu0 J i u 8fm04f2 8 31magi3h655h6 · Did you know? A $72 donation helps provide urgent, immediate assistance to a vulnerable person in our community. A $72 donation is enough to cover the cost of a hamper filled with essential food for someone who is experiencing or is at risk of homelessness this winter. More donations are needed so more hampers can be provided to people who need them. Will you donate today? Click here to learn more https://donate.vinnies.org.au/appeals-nsw/winter-appeal-nsw

The food is standard fare – pasta and vegemite, weetbix and UHT milk and the like. The Christmas ones are similar but with tinned ham and pudding and custard. Not exactly allergy friendly for my many gluten or dairy intolerant folks. All these items are purchased outright it seems for the hampers, they’re well in date and consistent in brands, though it’s possible some of the companies make specific bulk donations. Unlike the stuff that comes from the Supermarkets – the close to date foods or experimental foods that haven’t sold and Colesworth can write them off as donations rather than copping the loss because they purchased incorrectly. Don’t worry, it’s not coming out of their profits.

Then we get to the fresh produce. I picked up some bread from my local food pantry Wednesday, and threw it out Thursday because it was moldy. This heat and humidity is terrible, but the bread was best before the 24th, so for it to turn by the 28th is not all surprising. It’s a pain, and fortunately I could afford replace it with a fresh loaf when I was out last night, but for others that means no bread til Monday or Wednesday when the foodbank is open again. Freezing it as soon as I got it home Wednesday would just have meant I’d be having bread that was not yet showing mold. Yum Yum.

And this is why I scream just give people enough money to feed themselves the food they want when they want it. Raise welfare above the poverty line so people can afford fresh bread that lasts more than a day before turning. So they can buy allergy-friendly foods. So they can choose the fruit and veges and snacks they are their kids actually like to eat. Channel all that extra government funding for warehouses and transporting old food around the country into welfare payments and programs that actually support people. Give them free childcare rather than free weetbix. Tax the supermarkets and the resources companies more so they can directly fund these thigns rather than them pretending to be the good guys by writing off excess food and donating cash and staff labour and getting to put their little logos on things.

Major reform is needed, but you can start by giving people enough money to live.

Middle fingers up til the reaper shows up

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Added later cos OMG:

I sleep in a clifftop mansion with my new wife – Antipoverty week and Labor’s weird optics 2024 edition

Copacabana’s pothole problem’s been solved – just have the soon to be (I don’t know how soon but bloody hell he’s trying not to be there past May) former PM move in cliffside (it’s quite the drop) and he’ll get CC council to spend their negative budget on his lil roads, centra coast roads that deteriorate ever rain event, and really weren’t designed for more than holiday traffic.

There were fears of the housing falling into the ocean further north at Wamberal and down in the Northern Beaches of Sydney when there’s severe events, we’ll see if this holiday house up on the hill is far enough from the edge for such events as the impacts of Tony and Tanya’s new coal mines and mine expansions are felt in the coming years.

He did get a bargain though, 300k less than the last sale price. Maybe that can go on the wedding, set to be next spring surely, as it’s gotta be after the election now, and Albo wouldn’t have it in Winter would he?

Lidia Thorpe posted the contrast between Foodbank putting out their hunger report this week with Albo’s new purchase. Andrew Leigh is launching a book, one that Gillard called “fun” which also talks about the haves and the have nots in the country. Fun? Have FUN growing your charity sector and not helping people directly. I’ll give you a hint, you don’t broach divides with golden cheese platters under the giving tree, and more funds for the Salvos. Foodbank charge charities $25 a pop for the food hampers they’ve got their corporate volunteers and school kids packing. Some charities will have to pass this onto the vulnerable families they serve

Those on welfare, while not as worried about the cliff falls that may face the richer among us, food insecurity is just increasing and all of Labor’s protestations that they’re doing stuff to relieve the cost of living isn’t doing a thing to actually help those at the bottom, and while we may fight about the figure, welfare needs to go up, go up a lot, and actually drag the standard of living in this country back past pre GFC levels. We’re also all watching the weather events in the US wondering if this summer will bring us flooding or fires or both and what impact that will have on the people around us living out of their cars if they’re lucky. but, enjoy your cliff face Albo.

So, it’s Antipoverty Week. The official campaigns the well meaning white women and their organisations are pushing are the Valuing Children Initiatives end childhood poverty, Everybody’s Home‘s call for more social housing (not public), and Raise The Rate For Good (that asks for payments to go up to the pension level of $82/day that leaves Nannas in poverty). All of which are “nice” but nice asks aren’t getting us anywhere are they? Asking nicely for Israel to consider maybe not genociding, (not it those words that’s not a polite word to say) asking to maybe stop killing and locking up Blak kids, asking nicely please sir.

 

Social Cohesion is code for assimilation or elimination of dissent and difference. Grace Tame showed us to be true to ourselves, that politeness is no good in the face of people who are making the world worse one smirk or lie at a time. Paint on a wall isn’t violence, not when the other side isn’t doing anything to stop people (graphic content) being burned alive in the new Holocaust.

It’s hard to focus on much this week.

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