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Old 11-10-2011, 06:42 AM
 
Location: NJ
23,394 posts, read 17,072,575 times
Reputation: 17436

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Each state has a Hunters for the Hungry program.

processing is performed by special state certified butchers, hunters make a small cash donation to pay the butcher.

Here for insatance is WI's program which lists the tonnage of wild game donated just in that state.

Hunt for the Hungry > Home Page

Amazing that the animal rights folks stopped the program temporarily in NJ because they insisted on using on processors that were certified for this program even though the shops were under state and local regulatory control.

Animal rights folks motivation certainly wasn't the health of the poor.

I'd rather give to a person in need directly or thru a local religious org than via government of national organizations.

In fact I donate plateletts rather than money as blood does not go into administrative costs.
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Old 11-10-2011, 10:34 PM
 
372 posts, read 707,960 times
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I volunteered with my teen a couple years back in a food pantry putting together Thanksgiving meals to anyone who was in need. There was many things that were donated but we started to run out and the lady in charge went to the grocery store to get the things they were running out of. That church put together about 600 boxes for families in need. I honestly think that how you donate is up to the person and where the person who is donating feels it is best served. If you don't have the time, trust me, a donation of money can help. I think too, that sometimes if people don't have the time to pick up items at the market, they might not know they can donate money. It is important that the pantry or group putting together the boxes for thanksgiving let the community know they can donate money too. It can go a long ways in getting the things they needed specifically. Also a huge thank you for putting your money into feeding your community. That is really wonderful, and I encourage you to get out too and put the boxes together, or attend a no strings attached meal. You might actually love meeting new people and making new friends.
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Old 11-18-2011, 07:51 PM
 
344 posts, read 991,748 times
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I've repeatedly seen churches' generosity being taken advantage of. It seems like churches are targets for those who claim they need food, school supplies, and rent money. I give cash to an area food bank, which is rated low on administrative costs. Food is a necessity and expensive, so I hope most of the people my donation helps are those who really need help.

I gave a small contribution to Habitat for Humanity a few years ago, and they've been stalking me ever since. Its marketing costs targeted to me far exceeded the money I donated. I was repulsed by its wasteful marketing, and chose to donate my money elsewhere.
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Old 11-19-2011, 07:00 AM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,228 posts, read 84,159,421 times
Reputation: 114540
Quote:
Originally Posted by FW transplant View Post
I've repeatedly seen churches' generosity being taken advantage of. It seems like churches are targets for those who claim they need food, school supplies, and rent money. I give cash to an area food bank, which is rated low on administrative costs. Food is a necessity and expensive, so I hope most of the people my donation helps are those who really need help.

I gave a small contribution to Habitat for Humanity a few years ago, and they've been stalking me ever since. Its marketing costs targeted to me far exceeded the money I donated. I was repulsed by its wasteful marketing, and chose to donate my money elsewhere.
There are people who work the churches, and when they've tapped out their welcome at one, they move on to another. I knew a family like that. One church allowed them to get fresh produce at a local produce shop for nearly two years while they were going through some supposed difficulties. The real difficulty was that the family had no clue as to how to manage their money. The church finally cut off the free food supply, and they moved on to my mother's church. Meanwhile, the husband worked at a deli section of a local supermarket, never brought any food home, and stopped off for a nice dinner for himself with a glass of wine several nights a week at a local restaurant. Eventually my mother's church got fed up with supporting them and they've moved on to another with their tales of woe.
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Old 11-19-2011, 07:07 PM
 
19,198 posts, read 31,408,870 times
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It's the information age. There are lots of aid networks that food pantries can join who will do client screening and referrals. Basically, food pantry income limits are above the limits of major federal programs (TANF, SNAP, WIC, SSI, Medicaid), so anyone with an ID for any of those is in. For those above federal levels, a little due diligence is all that's necessary. House calls. Pay stubs. Tax returns. Bank statements. Nobody has nothing at all. If you're going to take on the responsibility of feeding someone, you take on the responsibility of picking your people wisely as well. It isn't Queen for a Day. And the reason you provide help to someone who needs it is to bridge him to a time when he won't need it anymore. You want your current clients to be up and on their way back into the economy to the point where they can feed themselves again so that you can start helping the next wave of the hungry. If that's not hapeening, some sort of intervention is called for. Sitting around and being snookered by somenody for two years would be an example of simply abysmal performance.
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Old 11-19-2011, 11:30 PM
 
4,042 posts, read 3,520,728 times
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I refuse to donate cash. I enjoy buying the canned fish and quality, chunky soups to donate. I think food should be given to the needy or sold to them at a very, low price like I hear some foodbanks do. It gives them a bit more feeling of independence, and gives me direct control over how my money is spent.
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Old 11-19-2011, 11:35 PM
 
Location: New York
1,338 posts, read 2,560,469 times
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Donating money makes sense because it enables the charity / church to go shopping to fill in the holes in the items donated... If the church has Turkey and veg but no gravy then they appreciate cash donations to enable them to buy it. Also one would hope the church can take advantage of buying in bulk at wholesalers....
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Old 11-20-2011, 07:45 AM
 
19,198 posts, read 31,408,870 times
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There are basically two models for a food pantry. In one, you ask supporters to go buy and donate a range of specific goods and staples, and you then use those as your base from which to assemble a fairly standardized and nutritionally balanced box of groceries that should feed a client family of whatever size for four days. You use what cash you receive to buy things that you are short of as the result of donor supply not exactly matching up with local client demand. This is the sort of high school cafeteria approach.

The second approach is to use the supermarket model. You hook up with an area food bank and then tell your pantry clients to come in when they can, take whatever they think they need, and then come back again when they need more. Local donors can still bring in the usual canned and dry goods, but because of their size, food banks give a pantry access to large streams of food that they can't get to in any other way, such as fresh produce, dairy products, and baked goods. Pantries in this group use cash donations to help defray their share of transportation and storage costs.

Basically, every food pantry today should either be on the supermarket model, or be in the process of graduating to it. It is far more efficient, puttting five to ten times as much nutrition per donor dollar into the pipeline than the cafeteria model. The latter is better than nothing, and it may be an easier target to reach for a start-up enterprise. But once established, any serious food pantry should begin the process of conversion as soon as possible.

What happens to that standard jar of peanut butter when it goes to a family where someone has peanut allergies. What about the pork-and-beans that goes to families with religious objection to pork? What about the giant can of peas that goes to a family in which the childiren run screaming away from peas? Follow-up studies show that as much of 40% of the food provided under cafeteria plans ends up going uneaten because it isn't suitable to the diets of the families that receive it. Food does no good unless someone eats it.

It's important also to remember to stretch your food assistance budget where you can. Donations of any kind are tax deductible if you itemize. Cash donations via check, credit card, or payroll deduction are easy to add up. For the direct part of donating in kind, ring food drive grocery purchases up as a separate order at the supermarket, then keep that receipt with your tax records and deduct the amount next April. What about coupon-clipping? See a nice coupon for something you don't use at your house? Cut it out anyway and use it to cut the cost of donating.

And perhaps most importantly, go visit the food pantry or food bank that you are trying to support. They WANT you to come! You are likely to be amazed. See how it works. Find out what they need along with what they don't need or want. If they are on the supermarket model, next time there is a food drive, lay off the giant cans of corn and go over to the international aisle and get some refried beans or water chestnuts. Not everybody's face lights up when they see a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, you know.

In any case, food emergencies have become common occurrences among about 60% of the population. not just as the result of recent economics, but over the past several decades. When done right, providing help can be both cheap and easy, and you can help with either cash or in-kind dionations. Keep in mind that we aren't dealing with food shortages. There is plenty of food. We just need ways of getting food to people who can't get enough of it anymore by trying to do it the way they used to and the way the other 40% still does.
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Old 11-21-2011, 07:06 AM
 
Location: Northern Wisconsin
10,379 posts, read 10,865,875 times
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I always wonder if these food banks use any kind of criteria for deciding who gets food or who doesn't. I get the feeling that there is no criteria, that is, if people show up they get food. It wouldn't be hard to have them fill out an application, and detail income, job, home address, what kind of vehicle they drive. They might eliminate a lot of money going to people who don't need it.
Eg. If their car is less than five years old. Nothing. If they live in a nice 3 bedroom home, nothing.
There are far too many people scamming the system. My sister works with a fellow RN that also gets welfare benefits for her kids. These RN's are making 50,000 plus a year.
A pastor fried of mine lives in a hispanic community. One day, a lady comes over with a story that her husband has brain cancer, can't work. He gives her all the food they had in their small pantry. Next day, another hispanic lady comes over with the exact same sob story, asking for food.
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Old 11-21-2011, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,805 posts, read 74,847,567 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BuffaloTransplant View Post
The generosity of local people was replenishing it well with basic foods when people from the food pantry asked for cash donations -- not to buy fresh produce or milk or such, but to buy prepared food because people "didn't want" to cook from scratch.

I have no problem giving, but that rankled me.
What's the point in giving people food that they cannot or will not use? Some people don't like to or cannot cook. Should they be punished for that?

Quote:
Originally Posted by FW transplant View Post
I gave a small contribution to Habitat for Humanity a few years ago, and they've been stalking me ever since. Its marketing costs targeted to me far exceeded the money I donated. I was repulsed by its wasteful marketing, and chose to donate my money elsewhere.
If you believe in Habitat for Humanity's mission, donate to the local chapter instead of the international parent organization. Your money will go toward buying nails and drywall in your neighborhood.

Quote:
Originally Posted by saganista View Post
Basically, every food pantry today should either be on the supermarket model, or be in the process of graduating to it. It is far more efficient, puttting five to ten times as much nutrition per donor dollar into the pipeline than the cafeteria model. The latter is better than nothing
Agreed. Giving people foods that they will not eat is just a waste; insisting that they take foods they do not like is an insult.

Quote:
Food does no good unless someone eats it.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Prairieparson View Post
I always wonder if these food banks use any kind of criteria for deciding who gets food or who doesn't. I get the feeling that there is no criteria, that is, if people show up they get food. It wouldn't be hard to have them fill out an application, and detail income, job, home address, what kind of vehicle they drive. They might eliminate a lot of money going to people who don't need it.
Eg. If their car is less than five years old. Nothing. If they live in a nice 3 bedroom home, nothing.
There are far too many people scamming the system. My sister works with a fellow RN that also gets welfare benefits for her kids. These RN's are making 50,000 plus a year.
Try not to mix apples and oranges when you make your arguments; they'll seem more plausible. Public welfare benefits and food from private, non-profit food pantries are two separate issues.

That being said, many food pantries do require an application process; typical data collected includes family size, employment, income, and basic expenses (rent, utilities). Employment and income, coupled with family size, are the largest determinants in a family's eligibility for services.

So ... if the adults in a family of four are unemployed, the family may be allotted x bags of food each month. That family may have a three-year-old car and live in a three-bedroom home.

Should the family be required to sell those assets to receive benefits from a private nonprofit organization? Where would they live, considering it's nearly impossible to rent a home or apartment if you're unemployed?

What if their eight-year-old Mercedes is worth more than another family's two-year-old Kia?

Food pantries in many cities also may participate in a coalition of sorts, making sure that people don't collect a month's worth of groceries from multiple organizations. Rather than refuse services based on ridiculous and arbitrary criteria like the size of one's home or the age of one's car, food pantries instead help the largest amount of people possible by reducing the likelihood that one (or more) families receives more food than they need.
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