You can't just turn up at a food bank, it's not a free supermarket, you need a referral from social services, and their capacity is limited.

(anyone blaming poor people for badly managing their finances can be dismissed out of hand; this is a multi-century-old excuse that is simple ignorance)

Free school meals don’t happen everywhere at all times. Food banks are incredibly stretched. Many people are not “reasonable” but have alcohol/ drug dependencies or mental health issues and so their children suffer. Even if they manage to give their kids enough food the rest of their life can be incredibly difficult.

"can't afford" is not "failing to". If you have no money and because of that get donated food to give to your kid, you still couldn't afford it.

Food banks don’t help much if you can’t afford to cook the food you are given.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/may/09/more-than-2m...

Notice I said 'can't afford to' which your comment appears to support. I am being pedantic because there is an important distinction. If people can't spend money on feeding their own children they are certainly not spending money on things that usually support a healthy economy.