Has made me question my stance on food banks

First of all I just want to say that as someone who has been through the process of applying for ESA, appealing my rejection, and eventually taking them to court for my benefits, this movie is incredibly accurate. For any doubters out there, this is exactly what the system is like, and in some ways it's even worse than this film portrays, with forms often 'lost' and huge waiting times for decisions often taking months.

The most accurate line in this film by far comes from Dan's neighbour, when he states that they make it frustrating deliberately to make people give up. This is true of people I know, and I often felt like giving up myself. It's also fairly well established that ALL claims are initially rejected, and it's policy to require an appeal, though naturally they would deny that vehemently.

One thing I don't have any experience of, however, is food banks. I've heard about them, but I've always taken quite an unsympathetic view on them and the people who use them. I've always believed that the vast majority of users take the food so that they can use what little money they have on vices, alcohol or cigarettes. However given how accurate the rest of the film is, I find myself wondering now how accurate this portrayal of food banks is.

I wonder if anyone here can shed some light on food banks if they have experience, and more importantly how genuine is the need of the people who use them. I am curious.