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It's that time of year again; the community center is asking for donations for their annual Thanksgiving basket program, the city is sponsoring a canned food drive at all the polling places on Election Day, and the food pantries are handing it out faster than it's coming in. With the economy in the state that it is these days, I suspect that there'll be a lot of folks who have never used food pantries before turning to that to keep food on the table this winter.
So I'm curious. What do you do for food drives in your community? Do you participate, and why or why not? Or, conversely, if you've ever utilized a food pantry's services yourself, what did you find particularly helpful, or what would you have liked to have been able to find there but did not?
Good question. I usually do some canned goods, cereal and some side pasta type boxes. Sometimes I give $$ if there's a drive.
By the grace of God, I've never found myself in the situation to use their services.
We, too, have been fortunate and haven't needed to use a food pantry, but a surprising number of people we know have been in that position at one time or another. One thing that I was surprised to learn is that personal hygiene products (soap, shampoo, deodorant, feminine products) are often provided by pantries as well, though when you think about it, it does make sense. Those can be pretty pricey, and for a family that's struggling to buy rice and beans, the non-food stuff can be hard to manage. We usually try to include at least a few hygiene items along with the food we donate.
I put two large jars of peanut butter (one crunchy, one smooth) in the basket for the local food bank each week at church (there but for the grace...) The jars are plastic and break resistant and the product does not require refrigeration. PB is on their regular wish list (plus it is something I like ) Sometimes it's a couple of large boxes of cereal, hot or cold, which they also ask for.
I put two large jars of peanut butter (one crunchy, one smooth) in the basket for the local food bank each week at church (there but for the grace...) The jars are plastic and break resistant and the product does not require refrigeration. PB is on their regular wish list (plus it is something I like ) Sometimes it's a couple of large boxes of cereal, hot or cold, which they also ask for.
Smart, wise, and a heart of gold? QW, I'm impressed!!!!
Non-perishables
Last edited by CrouchTigerHiddenDog; 10-26-2008 at 02:45 PM..
I tend to donate staples and items in break resistant containers with a fairly long shelf life. The usuall canned good are always welcome, as well as things like rice, beans, flour, etc. Canned meats and dried meats (Armour dried beef) are usually in demand. I also donate seasonings, spices, and herbs, because those can go a long way in providing variety to more mundane products. Pet food, driy and canned, is a good donation because many folks need that stuff, too, and it is a good savings for them not to have to divert regular food money for pet food. To the food bank, the local battered women's shelter, and similar groups, I donate things like soap, shampoo, cosmetics, and paper goods. Especially to the battered women's shelter these things can be useful since their clients often show up with nothing except the clothes on their backs.
I use coupons to get many items at extreme discounts of free, and in combination with sales, BOGOF offers, etc., many items that are welcome at food banks can end up being acquired at little real cost. I use some, but the majority I offer to family and the food banks because it is more than I can ever use myself. I buy this stuff with the main idea of donating the bulk of it. Of course you can use a resource like www.couponmom.com to help you maximize your savings and potential donations...I end up with multiple coupon sections (you can ask neighbors and family to save them for you if you wish) so I oftentimes have many things to donate as a result.
Well, we do the pantry clean out when it comes time to do the Community Food Pantry Can Drive... Usually to Boy Scouts come around... sometimes we do it through church... but we do it several times a year... I do a good clean out of the pantry.... My kids get sick of certain foods quick so those go- the FAD FOODS I call them... ya know- the Pasta in a Can/Ramen Noodles/Mac N Cheese/Cheese and Cracker Sandwiches/ Soups they get hooked on and then drop for no reason... Fad foods... then there are the random cans of veg we just don't eat... Beats... why do I buy them? I don't know... but they are there and they just collect dust... Someone I am sure somewhere will eat them... So I donate them... RICE we have a ton of it... I donate some... Instant Mashed Potatoes.... Oatmeat... Cereal....Hamburger Helper and the like....That kind of stuff... And anything else sitting in the pantry at the time that I feel like throwing in there... cake mixes and things... especially since I don't bake and the random Brownie mix always finds its way into the house LOL....
I've had to use a food pantry before, when my children were small and DH was jobless.
Rice and pasta were aways affordable so I was always happy to find that I had received items I could use to turn those into meals. Things like canned tuna or chicken, spaghetti sauce, broth, cream soups, gravies. Also good were chili, soups, canned fruits and veggies (especially potatos), Hamburger Helper or similar, velveeta, canned or powdered milk for cooking, peanut butter, instant oatmeal, pudding or jello cups for the kiddos. Maybe Spam, although I never cared for it personally.
The things I never understood were the random gourmet or specailty foods that found their way in. Sh*taake mushrooms or jalepeno peppers anyone? What am I going to do with those?
I've had to use a food pantry before, when my children were small and DH was jobless.
Rice and pasta were aways affordable so I was always happy to find that I had received items I could use to turn those into meals. Things like canned tuna or chicken, spaghetti sauce, broth, cream soups, gravies. Also good were chili, soups, canned fruits and veggies (especially potatos), Hamburger Helper or similar, velveeta, canned or powdered milk for cooking, peanut butter, instant oatmeal, pudding or jello cups for the kiddos. Maybe Spam, although I never cared for it personally.
The things I never understood were the random gourmet or specailty foods that found their way in. Sh*taake mushrooms or jalepeno peppers anyone? What am I going to do with those?
Thanks for the input. Hope you are in a better position now.
We keep a pantry at the church. This in a middle class community. It is rather disturbing to think we are having such a difficult time keeping it filled. Not that people aren't donating, but rather that demand is so great. People are really hurting out there. If i see a good sale on something at the store I buy a few extra canned goods or cereal. One thing I like to do is to bag everything for a meal together: box of seashells, mushroom soup, tuna, an onion, can of peas and someone can make tuna casserole.
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) Sometimes it's a couple of large boxes of cereal, hot or cold, which they also ask for.
