Shopping and food parcels

[Potatos]

I am hoping someone can help with this. I have received the shielding letter and initially signed up as extremely vulnerable, but said I had someone to shop as my husband could still go out. At this point none of the supermarkets allocated us any priority shopping slots. My husband then also received a shielding letter so I changed our answer to having no-one to shop. We have now a regular online shopping slot as we were flagged by the Government database.We then also received a food parcel! How do you stop the food parcels without losing the priority online shopping? Has anyone managed to do this?

[allanah]

Go back onto gov.uk and reregister once each saying no one available to shop.

[Summerrain14]

Hi, each council has a community hub who distributes the food parcels. If you can go on your local council website it will give you the phone number for them and you could call them to say you are not needing the food parcels. You should still keep your priority slots with the supermarkets still though as that is something that comes from the supermarket rather than the council that provide the food parcels. Hope this helps? Gail x

[Potatos in reply to Summerrain14]

Thanks. I tried that. They said to go back on the Government website and change my answer to I have someone to shop for me, but I am afraid if I do that I will not keep access to the priority online slot. On the ASDA website it says you have to have answered that you have no-one to shop to get access to the priority slots. A circle of databases!

[Summerrain14 in reply to Potatos]

Oh heck, so sorry, hadn’t realised you have tried this. Really not sure then. Sounds a nightmare with the database. Gail x

[Hidden in reply to Potatos]

How about if they turn up just refuse it or ask to hand on to someone else on their list that day.

[Kerensa21]

I’ve ticked I have someone to shop at mo’ and still got Asda priority slot tho found it easier to get earlier slots at Tesco & Iceland so am

assuming I’m on their lists too though no notification of this?

[English_Patient]

I rang the number given to me by my GP and was told if a box is delivered and you don't need it, contact the local food bank to pick it up and redistribute it.

[Fra22-57]

I have never had a food parcel.I had heard some people had got. I have priority pass with Asda .Sainsburys said I had which then only said I could click m collect which is useless.I do run out alot in between slots but so parcel would help

[vonniesims]

I registered with 5 supermarkets. I had a call from Sainsburys to say I could have a weekly delivery, but actually they have no spaces for delivery or click and collect. I understand they are only delivering to the vulnerable , but its clearly not working!

[Tillie20]

You have to re-register again as I received. Food package on Monday and we did not need it my husband took the food to Sainsburys food bank, I called our council office and they said a lot of people do not require the food package as far as I know I re-registered, sent an email and spoke to someone if another arrives I will take to Sainsburys again.

[AgedCrone]

Good question P.......I’m sure a lot of people will want the answer.

[helenlw7]

I also received food parcels before I got an online shopping slot. I actually got two a week from two different providers. One was from my local cancel so I rang them up - it had a letter in the box giving a number to ring. The other one was left on the doorstep with no indication of where it had come from. It took three weeks of lying in wait before a could speak to the delivery man. He told me that it was supplied by Bidfood. I did a bit of googling and found my local depot and emailed them telling them how grateful I was but no longer needed their services.

No food parcels this week so it must have worked!

[Potatos in reply to helenlw7]

Mine also had a letter telling me to go online to cancel. I tried that but the question it said to answer no to didn't exist! We will try lying in wait for the delivery man but the last one was just left on the doorstep without even a bell ring. I tried our council phone number but they told me to change my answer to the have you someone to shop for you question. I'm afraid if we do that we will losexaccess to the online priority slots which we need. I think I am going to resort to an old fashioned letter to the council!

Thanks for your help.

[AgedCrone in reply to helenlw7]

I’m glad you managed to divert the food to somebody who really needs it.

The organisation of information on the whole CV19 situation has been deplorable.

[Kags1068]

Thanks so much for posting about this. I found myself in exactly the same situation yesterday when a box of food arrived totally unexpectedly! I was a bit overwhelmed by the kindness tbh!

I will try the tips given above above and see if I have any luck re-directing any future boxes to people in genuine need.

Thanks again 🙂

[Hidden]

Hi Potatos,

I'm so glad you brought up this subject as it helps me to understand why I can no longer find a delivery slot at my Tesco store.

I don't drive since having RA so, before COVID, I used the on-line delivery as a necessity - but now that's not possible.

I am in the "Medium Risk" category (according to the RA Dept in Leeds), so am not on the list of Shielders, but still advised to stay indoors at all times.

I don't expect to receive any letters from the NHS to help me.

I'm really worried that I'll run out of food in a week or so, because I don't qualify for a priority delivery slot. It could be a few weeks before the NHS decide to look at those people at "Medium Risk" according to my GP practice.

I can't be the only person in this situation?

It means I'll have to go out to buy food at some point soon and I'm dreading it. I'll need to walk two miles and carry my shopping home, so it might need a few trips!

Does anyone know how I might persuade Tesco to put me on their Priority list, without a letter? I need a delivery slot!

Thanks

L

[medway-lady in reply to Hidden]

Here if it helps its busy so I make up my basket and check in every morning and afternoon. And evening as slots do become available and then I can just ping it in. You can add to order but they come up at short notice. I have the letter as very vulnerable due to CKD but so far no priority slots email.

[TytoAlba in reply to Hidden]

I'm so sorry to hear you're having problems, I think some people have slipped through the net because everyone assumes that you can fend for yourself if you haven't been put on the extremely vulnerable list. Please don't think I'm patronising you but these are just a few thoughts about how you might be able to get some help. I'm lucky because I have been put on the priority delivery list but it's still taken 4 weeks to find a free slot with Asda and that's not for another fortnight. I found that Asda seem to release their slots about half past midnight and it sounds like Tesco drip-feed slots throughout the day so there's no 'normal' time that's adopted by supermarkets. I'm on Sainsbury's priority list too but have not been able to find a slot with them since they put me on the list despite normally using them for my deliveries.

Try contacting your local council because they're arranging deliveries to people who can't get out. The council I work for doesn't insist people are on the vulnerable list, just that they aren't able to access shops or food deliveries and I think that a person with RA needing to walk for 2 miles would come into that category.

I don't know your age but I was contacted by Age Concern yesterday to ask if I needed any support with shopping or getting medication so they may be able to help you.

Do you have a local Nextdoor community you can join? nextdoor.co.uk The group in our area has lots of volunteers who help with shopping for people with no transport, older people who aren't on the priority list, single parents with childcare issues, etc.

In the last resort, do you have a local farm shop? They're a bit expensive but I've been told a lot of them are doing deliveries.

[Hidden in reply to TytoAlba]

Hi

Many thanks for responding - lots of very useful information, especially regarding delivery slots at the main supermarkets! You definitely know your stuff.

The farm shop is something I hadn't considered and we have a really good one 4 miles away, so I'll look that up.

My mum is almost 90 and was telling me that she's signed up to a £25 weekly box delivery from a local supplier and it's absolutely packed with fruit n veg to keep her going. So there are other options springing up elsewhere. Something like this would be great.

I really don't mind paying extra for food in these times, and I'm not looking for free food (which should be set aside for those in financial hardship).

Many thanks

L

[TytoAlba in reply to Hidden]

Hi,

I only know my stuff because my husband and I have been in isolation for almost 5 weeks now as his GP contacted us right at the start of this to say we must stay in isolation, so I've had a head start on most people.

Supermarket click and collect worked ok to start with and I got a taxi company to collect it for me but only did that once due to the cost.

I really think that looking at smaller outlets is the way to go at the moment because a lot of independent shops are changing their business model to best serve their local communities and stay in business. Our village shop/post office usually has a rather limited dry goods and tins range, newspapers, etc but not much else in the way of fresh food. They've really pulled out all the stops as we're 6 miles from the nearest town and our bus service has been cancelled. They post a list of what's in stock on Nextdoor each time they've had a new delivery (they have pasta, flour, eggs, toilet rolls and a lot of things the supermarkets don't at the moment, even fresh yeast). They've also teamed up with local butchers, bakers (no candle-stick makers), greengrocers etc and they're taking combined orders and delivering to a group of local villages that don't have shops. They're brilliant but still rather limited in their range and can be expensive if you're on a limited income which is why I had to do a bit of research. However, I think a lot of local people, myself included, will be using the local shop more and be a lot less reliant on supermarkets in future.

I really hope you get deliveries sorted soon and are able to keep yourself well. Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to TytoAlba]

Your local shop sounds as though they are really on the ball - even yeast!!

I'm very impressed with your range of knowledge on where and how to get supplies. I've been hiding away for 5 weeks too but haven't heard from anyone in NHS, not a dicky bird, but I realise it'll be all hands to the deck.

Tesco confirmed to me today that, although I might be vulnerable, I'm not sufficiently so to be allocated a priority slot, so I need to find out what's on offer locally and, who knows, I might even change my shopping habits permanently.

There's good news today that the lockdown has been successful and the phased return to "the old normal" could kick in at the end of April, so hopefully this might ease the strain on supermarkets in May - but who knows.

Many thanks again for all the useful info.

Take care.

L

[TytoAlba in reply to Hidden]

I've also discovered that Morrisons, M & S and now Aldi are offering food boxes for a reasonable price. The Morrisons ones look interesting as they're not set contents like the others. morrisons.com/food-boxes/

[Potatos in reply to Hidden]

I can't help with Tesco but until we received the ASDA slot we opened an account with the local cash and carry. They had lots of stock that normally seved the hotels and schools locally. They started to take on personal accounts. You ordered on line and drove to their depot where they put it in your boot. You might find similar locally. We also have some local shops delivering if you ring them and explain.

[medway-lady]

It's happened to a friend of mine and she said she'd tried and no she could not stop so she gave to local family she knew in need. As nearest food bank is in town its away away and no public transport so some like here are finding it hard.

[Bandido]

I'd use the phone

[Hidden]

Thanks for this tip and it's good to know it's actually possible.

So far there's been nothing available every time I've looked, but I'll keep trying.

My fingers are crossed.

L

[beauty96]

Only those who received the letter get these parcels. I have rheumatoid, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis and have no one to shop for me hence not on the priority list etc etc so why not share what you have with someone like me who could do with it, I have written out a form etc and hoping someone reads it.

[Hidden in reply to beauty96]

Please let me know if you get anywhere with this.

At the moment nobody seems interested unless you are on the priority list, and I fully understand why, but this is having a knock on effect.

Good luck.

L

[beauty96 in reply to Hidden]

You are right, people who may be on DLA at the highest rate for mobility and care, Attendance allowance etc are left out. I am 78 and can't get out. Lost of team of carers as they are all self isolating etc. Lost to the system.

[Hidden in reply to beauty96]

Hi,

I suppose it's understandable as all the old systems are being set aside and the new systems are still evolving, leaving certain groups of people falling through the cracks.

So sorry to hear the support you are used to isn't now available. Are you coping okay?

We are all advised to look after our wellbeing but when our basic needs are at risk, it's bound to have an impact.

At least my bins have just been emptied!

Take care.

L

[Hidden]

Good idea. Not sure how this works but it'll be worth a call.

Thanks

L

[Hidden]

Wow, that's sounds lovely!

I've not received anything through the post, not even from my RA Department (I only found out about their letters via this support group).

I live out in the sticks a bit but, given what you've said, there should be something available.

Thanks

L

[lornaisobel]

How did you manage to get all that - Ive signed up 3 times - Ive had a letter telling me not to go out for 12 weeks I live on my own and cant get a delivery slot for love nor money - Im slowly starving to death !!! Please tell me how you did it

[KittyJ in reply to lornaisobel]

That’s awful Lornaisobel, was there not any advice in the letter you received on how to get shopping help? Ageuk have advice too ( I don’t know how old you are but it’s relevant for anyone shielding 😊)

ageuk.org.uk/information-ad...

Are you anywhere near Cambridgeshire? I’ll bring you food, no-one should be left without food or the help to get it. PM me if you would like me to help you x

[lornaisobel in reply to KittyJ]

Thank you for your kind offer to shop for me but I live in cumbria - perhaps something will materialise soon but until then I will plod on - I am really ok for the time being but just peeved that there hasn't been any reply from the government who are making all these grand gestures of help thank you again do take care and enjoy this wonderful weather xx

[Potatos in reply to lornaisobel]

If you are in north Cumbria, Caterite are doing an excellent click and collect service from Embleton, near Cockermouth. Open a personal account. You then order and pay online. You pick a slot to collect, there are lots. Then you drive in and they load it into your boot without you needing to leave your car. Minimum order is £50.

[KittyJ in reply to lornaisobel]

Ah that’s a bit far 😁 I hope you get sorted soon. Have a look on your council website there should be info on there too about where to get help. X

[Potatos in reply to lornaisobel]

Make sure you have an online account with all the local supermarkets. Also ensure the email you use on the Government database is the same as on your online accounts. Finally, on the question about whether you have anyone to shop for you, ensure you answer no. It was when I changed my answer from yes to no I received priority shopping slots.

Hope this helps.

[lornaisobel]

done all that but still nothing but thanks for youe reply