Monday, May 14, 2012

“Some people very, very against the idea of giving out food parcels.”


The headlines, local and national, about the situation of families in Nairn needing food handouts have gone away but for those in receipt of the parcels the situation has not gone away at all. In response to the crisis, the town’s three community councils have donated £100  each to buy food for Nairn families. This food will be distributed locally and will not leave the town according to Tommy Hogg at last week’s River CC meeting. 

There are those that feel that giving free food to families is not an appropriate gesture in these troubled times. This observer would contend that they are a minority in our community but they do exist. Perhaps those that disagree with food parcels have a stereo-typical image of social security scrounger in their minds when they articulate their complaints but poverty in 2012 comes in unconventional forms however, and it only needs one member of a family, where both parents work, to find themselves out of a job, for that family to find themselves in distressing circumstances. Imagine how it must feel to have to go and ask the CAB, the Social Services of the minister for help in feeding your children? Some people in Nairn are in need and thanks to the headlines recently in the Nairnshire Telegraph that situation can no longer be hidden.

An insight into the thinking of those that are against food parcels was given at that River CC meeting on Tuesday evening of last week when Cllr Simon Noble related his experiences of earlier that day. He said:

”I was at a meeting at lunchtime and I talked with some people very, very against the idea of giving out food parcels. Now I don’t agree with that but the fact that there are people in the community who don’t support it because they believe that it is abused by the recipient. It is really important that we are clear what we are donating, why and that we are expecting that it can be accounted for in the way we are making a donation.[…] There will be people in the community who will say that it is not only an empty gesture, it is a futile gesture and its going to all the wrong people.”

Tommy Hogg said in reply to Simon’s Statement: “If they can’t take the minister’s word for it these people want to have a look at themselves.”

3 comments:

growtosow said...

Tommy Hogg said in reply to Simon’s Statement: “If they can’t take the minister’s word for it these people want to have a look at themselves.” well said on the above sad that folk have said these things, any one of us could be in need of this help, even more so in todays climate, perhaps these folk will maybe think again on their words.

Anonymous said...

You cant blame anybody for not taking the ministers words-we have been taking them for a long time now and look at the state of the country.

Anonymous said...

Not being one to judge to quickly but what is the situation into the criteria in handing out parcels, is there a means test conducted prior to this?, It is factual that being from a poorer background you will be in the bracket where you smoke & drink, there should be test conducted to see and prove that they are not spending what little they have on wasted products prior to being issued free food.....where there is something for nothing then someone will take full advantage..

I fear that knee jerk reaction will lead to people 'Jumping on the bandwagon' where this ic concerned....