Not true. In Dundee, it is overwhelmingly payments in vouchers. Only where an applicant asks for and gives a special reason for cash is this paid. It is not offered in the first instance.

The online application process for SWF is lengthy for a crisis grant, and the phone is really hard to get through on. Our SWF Team, who do a great job, are constantly overwhelmed. Quite often, our clients will have been trying to sort out their problem first (e.g. benefit delay) and sometimes can spend the whole day trying. By the time they maybe get a resolution, its too late to apply to SWF, so the foodbank is the only alternative (in our area, the foodbank is open in the evening).

What we really need to address is how we can make SWF application process easier and quicker for the client, and consider other methods than online. We also need to make access to advice services, especially benefits advice easier – our CAB is only open 2 full days, and 2 half days, and not at weekends.

We also need to make more use of community food projects, community meals, growing projects and collective food buying schemes to help address lower the cost of food, and give communities more choice and increase access.

“There are cash supports available for those awaiting benefit payments or experiencing sanctions.”

If you’re a healthy, able-bodied single man with no dependents, there is the hardship payment, which is a loan which is paid back out of future benefit, which is basically therefore ameloriating one so-called ‘sanction’ by arranging another ‘sanction’ later on, and you still end up financially with the same amount of money being lost to the household by the end of it all. What’s more, you can be refused a crisis grant on the grounds that you do not apply for a hardship payment.

I welcome “Menu for Change”. It may not be the beginning of the end for foodbanks but I dare hope that it might be the end of the beginning.