What food banks need donated the most right now....

[Redraidernurse]

I have donated to a food bank once - a few boxes of cereal. To be honest, I don't know much about what kind of people use food banks. I was always under the impression that if you were in poverty you get food stamps. Any insight on this? I read this article today and it made me think that I'll pick up some peanut butter for the food bank next time I'm at the store.
Food banks worry about peanut butter - USATODAY.com

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Cool in that article: a Houston food pantry works with the LDS church cannery to process and can 19,000 big jars of peanut butter.

[disneysteve]

Our synagogue is the single biggest donor to the local food bank. One thing they can ALWAYS use is supermarket gift cards. Ours prefers smaller denominations like $10 cards. That way, they can get exactly what they are in need of and aren't stuck with a zillion boxes of pasta or a boatload of canned corn. I'd suggest checking with your local food bank and asking them what they would most prefer.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Here's something else to consider from a program on National Public Radio a few days ago.

A Case For Cash Donations, Instead Of Cans : NPR

[Redraidernurse]

Here's something else to consider from a program on National Public Radio a few days ago.

A Case For Cash Donations, Instead Of Cans : NPR

Thanks for sharing that. I read the article entirely. I have to wonder one thing though - food banks may be able to purchase certain things in bulk and get a discount but there is something to be said for variety. We all like variety in our diets (and it's healthy) and I wonder if food banks are only able to purchase certain items in bulk (rice, beans, pasta, etc) and perhaps items that are really in demand now (like peanut butter, referenced in the article in my first post) are less likely to have some great bulk deal.

[jpg7n16]

About the cans vs cash...

I honestly think that there is a mistrust in this country of giving people your cash. We see some non-profit leaders get paid large salaries. People see televangelists and mega churches and don't always like what the money is being used for.

And then there's the homeless theory: if I give a homeless person food, I know where the money went, if I give them cash - they'll use it for drugs/alcohol (which frequently isn't even true, but we expect it to be).

If you give the food banks food, at least you know where the money went; but if you give them cash...

What did your mind finish that sentence with?


The fact that people have reservations about donating cash to an institution whose sole purpose is to give food to the poor and hungry says alot about society's views of cash donations.

<On a related note, I really like DSs gift card idea for some reason. It's like the perfect combo of giving them useful cash, but knowing they can't misspend it. But why in the world do I think they would misspend it?? I don't know. Hmm. Interesting.>

[disneysteve]

I believe the theory with the gift cards is not that the food bank uses them to buy food. Instead, they distribute the cards to needy families and let them buy their own food. That's why they prefer small denominations so they can help more families. If someone comes in looking for help and all they have is a shelf full of peanut butter, the help is pretty limited but if they have a stack of $10 supermarket gift cards, they can hand out one or two of those.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

What can I say? I think a mix of approaches is grand. And different pantries may know that they have somewhat different needs for people in their area, as well as different abilities to handle different donations.

My city is one of those that has "food deserts" and a so-so public transportation system. A needy person being able to directly pick up a bag of rice, a bottle of oil, some canned goods, and a bag of apples at the church six blocks away may be twice as do-able as getting to the same church for a grocery gift card then finding away to the distant store and back home. Just depends on the person's situation, of course.

Here is a novel idea for the mix. Once, I went door to door in a high poverty neighborhood handing out tomato seedlings to those who were interested. They'd been donated by a local commercial greenhouse. But I don't know how many pantries or food banks could have coped with living plants. The grower who donated them made arrangements beforehand, so that he knew the plants would not go to waste. Also, for best results, it required someone distributing them who could teach newbies how to plant them and take care of them. That was my forte.

Use your best judgment, but ask for input from the places in are interested in donating to. Read their websites or pamphlets. Call and talk to their volunteers.

[disneysteve]

And different pantries may know that they have somewhat different needs for people in their area, as well as different abilities to handle different donations.

ask for input from the places in are interested in donating to. Read their websites or pamphlets. Call and talk to their volunteers.

This is the best advice. Before donating, call and ask what they need most.

[97guns]

all food banks/soup kitchens in my area are in dire need of food. this economy has alot of people in need. once a year i take turkeys down to my local soup kitchen every thanksgiving, i used to give money but you really dont know who's getting their hands on it.. i found turkeys for .48/lb so i took 8 birds and a bunch of sweet potatoes down last week.

[petersuang]

I think Disneysteve is saying right and do agree with him that we need to call and ask what actually they need the most . i would say it is the good option too .