What is your opinion of food banks?

There is a great need for help with the food banks. There is such a demand for food these days. I think it was a negative to have all these people crowding the store. If you wish to donate, please do. If you don't, then don't. Believe me sweetie, there are many out there who would love to work, but there just aren't enough jobs. I know there are many more just using the system. But still, we have to be charitable. It's the right thing to do.

You should complain if you think the volunteers from the food bank were intimidating you, the local paper would probably be interested in this. I have felt under pressure to donate, but then I do shop at Waitrose which gives others the impression that I have money.

A lot of people in full employment have to use foodbanks as they don't earn enough...it's not "Waitrose without the tills" as someone said , people have to be referred by the jobcentre, church etc...I work with homeless women and we send them there...they get three vouchers for nine products each - and that is all...it's not a lot, it's not a reward for pretending to be sick or for having a load of children, it's a soul-destroying experience queueing up for hours for a few basic own brand groceries...if you don't support this, then there's no need at all to donate.

I volunteer with a charity that supplies food for food banks but don't donate. I think it is hard to believe people are actually in need not just lazy scammers. I am trying to be more charitable but it is hard for me. I see the food we pack for the food banks and most of it I am glad I don't have to eat. This week we did oranges, pasta and canned meats like tuna. The oranges and pasta were purchased in bulk but the canned meat was donations. We had to check dates and some was really old so we throw them out some had dents or loose labels.

I have been to a food bank while people were getting food and it was like two cans, some old bread, old desert, a little dairy if they had any and lots of fruits and veggies that were past the prime from the expensive store but still good. A family might get two bags of groceries to last a month to stretch the grocery money. Most of the people are working poor so every little bit helps. Canned meats and peanut butter are in really short supply so you are lucky to get any protein at a food bank.

The food supplies like I work for get a good price on thinks like pallets of 50lb bags of rice. We put two scoops into smaller bags to send to the food bank, cash does more good than food donations. Most people rather donate a box or can than money so they set up those donation events like you saw. The people manning them are volunteers and shouldn't have bothered you but were excited by the chance to help. They wouldn't have prevented you leaving you can ignore them or say you donated on the way in.

The way the handled asking you donate was wrong and you should have contacted the manager and complained. In my area there are boxes and it is optional.

I think personally it is easy to be judgemental and make assumptions about people down on luck and on benefits. But for a great many families is it not about huge televisions but more about simple survival and until you are down on your luck and in that position you cannot possibly understand.

Whilst some play the system and do well many do not cope within the system and life is hard.

You should have complained to the store manager and told him why you weren't making a purchase.

And no, I never let anyone pressure me into donating to charity. The charities to which I donate are selected by me after making sure that the money actually makes it to those who need it.

Food banks are great.. I believe, because they help people who can't afford food & they help those people .. I've gave clothing & food shoes, coats & a vehichle before I became disabled & unable to work now do to getting hit on a sidewalk right after I had back surgery.I was in my power wheelchair that just got stolen a year ago. I have had so many health issues since I had the back surgery & that is what caused me to start having a lot more happen. I have two little boys that I raise on my own & my family have all past away from Cancer & heart & kidney disease. We my boys & I only have my mom left & she has Kidney Cancer all through out her body now.

It doesn't happen in Winchester. I imagine the left wing fraternity are the ones promoting the insanity.

I expect the vast majority of those who use food banks laugh all the way to the pub.

Great to see the support but it's thanks to the callous Tory parasites there on the increase food poverty in Britain one of the richest countries in the world?Poor and disabled are being squeezed so the rich don't have to be its reverse Robin Hood steal from the poor to keep the rich flourishing.

75 percent of the working people in my county use food banks because they are so broke.