Question about an ethical dilemma at my volunteer job

I volunteer at a local food bank, and last week, I saw a regular visitor take more than the allowed amount of groceries. They said they have a large family, but rules are rules. I didn't report it because I felt sorry for them, but now I'm wondering if I did the right thing. What would you do in this situation?

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3 Comments

dylananderson6mo ago

Soup kitchen work made me rethink strict food bank rules.

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umaharris6mo ago

Did I tell you about when I tried to donate homemade cookies and got turned away?

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derekmason6mo ago

That two-item limit rule always seemed kinda arbitrary to me. Like if the food is there to help people, and someone says they have more mouths to feed, who are we to play grocery cops? I get why rules exist, but dylananderson has a point about how working in those places makes you question the strictness. Maybe the real harm is turning someone in when they're just trying to get by. Unless someone's clearing out the whole shelf, is it really that big a deal?

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