In a few weeks many of us will have the opportunity to ask our prospective MPs a range of questions as they attempt to persuade us to vote for them. Statistics and previous experience suggest that in some constituencies, the outcome is depressingly familiar. Blue, Red or Yellow will get elected irrespective of the real qualities of some of the candidates for the  other parties or the MP elect. However in other areas, possibly as many as 130 of the 650 constituencies there is a lot to play for. Even in the areas where the result is a foregone conclusion, many of the candidates have enough integrity to want to do the right thing, even if they are certain of a seat. If one of the questions asked at each local hustings was “How much contact have you had with our local foodbank, and what have you learnt from the experience?” one can assume that we would get a range of responses. Indeed a response to this question might be sufficient for some of us to decide who to vote for. However imagine if all candidates knew now, that this was a question likely to be asked. Instead of just spending the next 4 months kissing babies and attending public events, some of them will seriously consider visiting a local foodbank or FareShare scheme and finding out for themselves what happens and why so many people in our nation have visited a foodbank to collect a bag of food in order to feed their family. If all of the MPs in constituencies that are contestable and a proportion of those in ‘safe seats’ came into the Commons in May 2015 having already have visited foodbanks and with some understanding of what they do and who they help there is a real prospect that the new Government will act very differently to the way in which the coalition has responded to this social challenge.