This is something that happened in Britain in 2015:
"A woman who stole the cheapest food in a store because she was hungry and had no money was told by a magistrate it was not acceptable she stole 'just for being hungry'.
Louisa Sewell was the latest victim of benefit sanctions to appear before magistrates when she stole a four pack of Mars bars, worth just 75p, from Heron Foods in the Swan Centre, Kidderminster, on June 22, because she had not eaten in days.
Adrian Jones, prosecuting, said the 32-year-old was seen on CCTV picking the confectionary and putting it in her body warmer before leaving the store without paying.
In mitigation, her solicitor Susie Duncan said Sewell's benefits had been sanctioned and she had no money or anyone to turn to for help so had not eaten for days when she stole the cheapest food from the store.
She said: 'She fully accepts this offence of theft. She said she was really hungry. She had no money. She took the lowest value item she could find.'"
(Full report here: http://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/1358...)
In fines and charges, the woman was penalised £328.75 for stealing food worth 75p - over 438 times the value of the theft. It seems likely that she'll be unable to pay and may end up in prison.
In the same week, the newspapers reported a wealthy and privileged young City investment banker who escaped jail after angrily glassing two people in a nightclub because the judge feared a prison sentence would damage his career.
(Story: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/banker-wee...)
We can't fix every injustice in the hideous, heartless society the UK has become. We're a Scottish website and the woman in question doesn't even live in Scotland. But there are no borders on solidarity, and for some reason this case hit us as a particularly sickening one. We can do something, even if it's only a gesture.
£500 is the lowest target Indiegogo allow, but it'll pay the woman's fine and court costs, and a little more to help her out.
We'll donate any further excess to Scottish foodbank/poverty charities, including First Base in Dumfries which is run by occasional Wings contributor Mark Frankland and is currently facing a funding crisis.
(http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/fo...)
Just this once, let's not tut and turn away.