The Best Items to Donate to Food Banks
The most helpful items this holiday season, plus ideas for your pantry.
With the Advent season being upon us, it’s a prime opportunity to consider the less fortunate. The weather is growing colder and the Christmas season is approaching. It’s also an opportunity cycle out aging food stores that we can’t eat before they expire.
The following list was blatantly stolen from the admin of a local charity group on Facebook. It’s a private group, and someone asked if he could make the post shareable. He said he couldn’t and to just copy and paste it to share. So I’m taking full advantage of that.
On a less altruistic level, it also gives us considerations for our own food stores. What items will actually be useful or welcome? What dependencies do we not consider in our dry food stores, like butter and milk?
This list offers some insight into actual needs and things to consider before taking a trip to the food bank. I also add some commentary below.
If you are donating food to food banks, the homeless or just anywhere this is a good list to think about when doing so! ❤️
1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks. (Editor’s note: You can make it without butter or milk. Reserve a cup of the starchy pasta water and use that to mix in the powdered cheese.)
2. Boxed/Powdered milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of.
3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.
4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops. (Editor’s note: You can get the GI-style P-51 can openers in bulk for about a dollar a piece.)
5. Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice a-Roni which they also get a lot of. (Editor’s note: If you stocked up on canola oil only to get on the anti-seed oil bandwagon, here’s a great opportunity to get rid of it.)
6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Christmas gift. (Editor’s Note: These multi-spice cans for campers were great when I was a poor college student.)
7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care. (Editor’s note: Opt for instant coffee that you can mix with hot water without needing extra gear. I like to keep some of these Mount Hagen packets in my go-bags.)
8. Sugar and flour are treats.
9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores. (Editor’s Note: If you garden, you probably end up with more greens than you can eat. Here’s a good way to get rid of them.)
10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some.
11. They rarely get fresh meat.
12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.
13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.
14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread.
15. Butter or margarine is nice too.
16. Eggs are a real commodity.
17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake.
18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated.
19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that.
20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing. (Editor’s note: The instructions call for butter or margarine, but you can make do without it.)
If you're anything like me, I've always donated what I thought would be good or a treat for someone to have. We don't always know what's need and/or wanted, but this information is great! I found this list somewhere online and thought it was well worth sharing.
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Local food bank pleased but puzzled by donation of 34 giant zucchinis 😜