Skipping (Dumpster Diving)

[lou boutin]

When I used to work at a homeless hostel the independent sandwich place opposite the hostel used to give us a call at the end of the day to collect all their left over stock.
We also used to get crates of food from M&S that would otherwise be unsaleable for them.  The only awkward thing was explaining to a 17 year old homeless person what to do with asparagus, smoked salmon and other 'exotic' food stuffs that don't include microwave or kettle based instructions.

It's good to hear that some companies, M&S included, will support the homeless it this way. 

Except that, as above, M&S no longer do this. Sadly.

Sorry, I meant Pret (re Butterfly's post). DoH! 

[henshaw11]

Oops ! - didn't read the post properly and thought it was general skip diving (which I do). Tho' I don't have an issue with anyone doing so, so long as they're pretty sure whatever they're picking up is safe to eat (which if freshly chucked from a supermarket or shop, probably will be).

Re the ice cream thing - not food but..one of my most annoying attempts at skip diving was at a local garden centre. A whole bunch of rose plants - I'd spotted a lovely yellow one   - were in the skip to be binned - most very dry and probably dead, some just hanging on.They'd have been sitting inside the place in the reduced section beforehand, probably (not that it matters). We did what I'd have thought any self respecting gardener would do and fished the whole lot out - mebbe 12 pots-worth - and seeing some employee mentioned what we were doing. But no, we're asked to put them back. How about if we ask the manager ? - no. Basically their company policy seems to be that they don't trust* their managers or employees to sign something off as skipped, in case (to use his example) someone purposely chipped a pot to put it in the waste, and pick it up later. Fuckwits

[ferret]

Why are the squaddies dumping so much food? What are they eating instead? Maybe they just don't like the packed lunches they're given, in which case a bit of market research is needed!

I'm not sure, I will find out, but I do know that until the skips were locked several of us used to live quite well for free,
the food they are given is pretty good from what I know, not the sort of stuff that you would turn your nose up at.

the normal packed lunch is, 2 sandwiches (thats 4 slices of bread) 2 meat pies (supplied by Peters Pies) fruit, chocolate bar (and a drink I think)
most of the squaddies stop at the garage between the camp in Sennybridge and the ranges 6 miles down the road in Trecastle, where they top up on pies, chocolate and biscuits etc etc.
when they are on maneuvers and the 24hour ration packs are in use, a lot of them don't even get opened, check out the prices they sell for on ebay or on camping web sites,   it's taken a while but that's what I've found out so far.

ps the 24 hr ration packs are available in all sorts of flavours including vegetarian and even kosher I think, have to check that one out

[David Frank]

When I used to work at a homeless hostel the independent sandwich place opposite the hostel used to give us a call at the end of the day to collect all their left over stock.
We also used to get crates of food from M&S that would otherwise be unsaleable for them.  The only awkward thing was explaining to a 17 year old homeless person what to do with asparagus, smoked salmon and other 'exotic' food stuffs that don't include microwave or kettle based instructions.

It's good to hear that some companies, M&S included, will support the homeless it this way. 

Except that, as above, M&S no longer do this. Sadly.

My wife's gran lived in a block of old people's council flats in the 1990's and used to regularly receive out of date M&S food.  I don't think she knew what some of it was, so she gave it to me.

[lou boutin]

When I used to work at a homeless hostel the independent sandwich place opposite the hostel used to give us a call at the end of the day to collect all their left over stock.
We also used to get crates of food from M&S that would otherwise be unsaleable for them.  The only awkward thing was explaining to a 17 year old homeless person what to do with asparagus, smoked salmon and other 'exotic' food stuffs that don't include microwave or kettle based instructions.

It's good to hear that some companies, M&S included, will support the homeless it this way. 

Except that, as above, M&S no longer do this. Sadly.

My wife's gran lived in a block of old people's council flats in the 1990's and used to regularly receive out of date M&S food.  I don't think she knew what some of it was, so she gave it to me.
[/]

through these conversations, it seems we are gathering more and more evidence that health and safety lesiglation appears to have deprived a lot of people of some generous corporate action.