Dear Editor,

Your correspondent, who was incensed at seeing folk take food away in taxis, may not appreciate the full story.

If they have ever carried a full bag of tins for 1-1/2 miles, they would need transport!

Most poor folk help one another and are likely to share taxis.

I have come into contact with many drug addicts and homeless in my work, and found them to be mainly friendly, helpful and gregarious, but often pathetic, disorganised and not eating properly.

I have also seen children leaving the food bank with packets of cereal, which will be their breakfast for a week.

Often, decent plain food is a treatment for alcohol problems, and will reduce the need to steal. So, even though a few may be appearing to abuse the system, let us continue to help those who seem in need.

Dr Angela M Meeke

Ross-on-Wye