Giving to food banks effectively
October 6, 2023 11:09 PM Subscribe
Rick Beetham on Mastodon asked a local food bank for the best items to donate to them, and came up with a list of 20 tips. The comments also has useful info, including that it's better to donate directly to the food bank instead of through the grocery store (and that way you might even get a receipt for writing it off on your taxes), and that giving money is usually best, because food banks often can get discounts that are unavailable to donators.
I just now noticed that the post heads off with "from another source," so maybe Rick didn't actually write these himself. Still, maybe this information will be useful, and I think it definite fits under the "best of the web."
posted by JHarris at 11:16 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 11:16 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Almost always, the best thing to donate to any charity is going to be cold, hard cash - because money allows the charity to address its needs as it sees fit (and in the cases where the charity is wanting something else, it's usually because it's a cases where they can't get the needed item or service easily with money, like manpower.) Furthermore, the aversion I see with people giving money tends to come from less than noble places, oftentimes with people feeling that they need to "make sure" that their donation isn't "misused".
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:28 PM on October 6, 2023 [36 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:28 PM on October 6, 2023 [36 favorites]
If your food bank works with Feeding America, that is a way to get a big discount and make money go further. Food banks put in bids on rescued food that would otherwise be wasted and get it for pennies on the dollar, or Feeding America negotiates the contracts for such connections as leftover grocery donations to the food bank. They also need the money for logistics-- drivers and forklifts and warehouse space and staff and boxes and so on. Food donations are fine, especially if it's perfectly good and would otherwise be wasted. If you can give money, do that.
I am also a fan of the community fridge.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:34 PM on October 6, 2023 [12 favorites]
I am also a fan of the community fridge.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:34 PM on October 6, 2023 [12 favorites]
Food donations are fine, especially if it's perfectly good and would otherwise be wasted.
Not really, as Adam Conover explained a while back.
Short version - food donations actually cost food banks resources to process, oftentimes don't meet the actual needs of the food bank, and by their nature focus overly on heavily processed shelf-stable goods that are full of preservatives and salt. Food donations are "useful" in that they can get donations from people who weren't going to donate otherwise, but again - money is much better for them in the long run.
That said, if you must donate actual goods, ask the food bank what goods they can use, as they are often happy to tell people their needs! Or look out for programs where food banks partner with local supermarkets to set up bundles that you can buy for the food banks - these are often set up to help meet needs.
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:50 PM on October 6, 2023 [5 favorites]
Not really, as Adam Conover explained a while back.
Short version - food donations actually cost food banks resources to process, oftentimes don't meet the actual needs of the food bank, and by their nature focus overly on heavily processed shelf-stable goods that are full of preservatives and salt. Food donations are "useful" in that they can get donations from people who weren't going to donate otherwise, but again - money is much better for them in the long run.
That said, if you must donate actual goods, ask the food bank what goods they can use, as they are often happy to tell people their needs! Or look out for programs where food banks partner with local supermarkets to set up bundles that you can buy for the food banks - these are often set up to help meet needs.
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:50 PM on October 6, 2023 [5 favorites]
Better still, engage with your local food bank. See if they have a website, a facebook page, a twitter account, whatever. If they do, they will likely say what they need specifically. If you do donate anything in person, talk to the people taking your donation, ask them what they need most. You'll be surprised how much this varies from place to place, town to town. Lists like these go around, and suddenly for a few weeks or months the local place is overrun with bottles of squash and cartons of UHT milk or whatever, and they're low on regular staples like baked beans or whatever, because That Article That Went Viral said that food banks get too much of that, it's not what they need.
posted by Dysk at 12:09 AM on October 7, 2023 [17 favorites]
posted by Dysk at 12:09 AM on October 7, 2023 [17 favorites]
Apart from Adams and Jif, it is impossible to buy peanut butter not made with palm oil.
posted by y2karl at 12:28 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by y2karl at 12:28 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
I’d like to piggyback on this post- I work for a domestic violence/sexual assault agency/shelter, and our victims frequently come to us with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Some of them have been sleeping in the streets or in their cars for a while before the get to us. In addition to the food items mentioned above, the things we need are:
1. Socks
2. Deodorant/antiperspirant
3. Full size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. People donate lots of the the little hotel-size bottles, and they’re greatly appreciated, but they only last a day or two. Hairbrushes.
4. Feminine hygiene products
5. Sports bras
6. Underwear (NEW, please)
7. Sweatsuits - can be worn during the day or as pajamas
8. Pajamas
9. Children’s clothes
10. Diapers
11. Formula
12. Bedding. We try to give each resident fresh bedding when they arrive and they get to take it with them when they transition into their own place.
13. Towels
Things our clients don’t “need” (but which often make them cry):
1. Nice smelling lotion, bath bombs, sugar scrubs, etc. At Christmas time, stores sell gift sets that have body wash and lotion in a set, and our clients are always thrilled to get these. They love lotions so much! As one client said “It’s been so, so long since I could feel like a girl!” Bath bombs and scrubs often make them cry, because “I was never allowed to spend money on things like that! But then he’d yell at me for not being feminine enough!”, (followed by more crying.) After Christmas, these sets are often sold at clearance prices, but we can give them out all year.
2. Purses/bags
3. Athletic clothing - leggings, tank tops, etc. Being able to go running or do yoga again are forms of self care that they often haven’t been allowed to do. A lot of them believe they don’t *deserve* to be able to do self care.
4. “Niche” clothing, for women who like to dress a little outside the norm. Tshirts with anime characters. Motorcycle-style jackets. Cottage core dresses and skirts. Band tshirts. 80’s clothing. Goth clothing. If you’ve outgrown a thing you were into, chances are there’s someone at the shelter who would be thrilled to get that clothing.
5. Things that are LGBQT+ friendly are also very welcome, as are items traditionally aimed at men/teenage boys. We help more men than you’d expect. Not all agencies help men, so it’s best to call before you donate.
6. Used toys for younger children: not all clients stay in our shelter; some have a place to stay but come to us for legal help, or counseling. We have a play area for their children while the parent is being helped. Kids often get attached to the toys they were playing with, so we let them keep them. The younger the child, the more likely they are to get attached to the toys.
7. Mascara (new, please)
8. Lip balm.
Our shelter also has an Amazon wishlist, it might be worth seeing if whatever agency you’re planning on donating to also has one.
posted by MexicanYenta at 1:06 AM on October 7, 2023 [53 favorites]
1. Socks
2. Deodorant/antiperspirant
3. Full size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. People donate lots of the the little hotel-size bottles, and they’re greatly appreciated, but they only last a day or two. Hairbrushes.
4. Feminine hygiene products
5. Sports bras
6. Underwear (NEW, please)
7. Sweatsuits - can be worn during the day or as pajamas
8. Pajamas
9. Children’s clothes
10. Diapers
11. Formula
12. Bedding. We try to give each resident fresh bedding when they arrive and they get to take it with them when they transition into their own place.
13. Towels
Things our clients don’t “need” (but which often make them cry):
1. Nice smelling lotion, bath bombs, sugar scrubs, etc. At Christmas time, stores sell gift sets that have body wash and lotion in a set, and our clients are always thrilled to get these. They love lotions so much! As one client said “It’s been so, so long since I could feel like a girl!” Bath bombs and scrubs often make them cry, because “I was never allowed to spend money on things like that! But then he’d yell at me for not being feminine enough!”, (followed by more crying.) After Christmas, these sets are often sold at clearance prices, but we can give them out all year.
2. Purses/bags
3. Athletic clothing - leggings, tank tops, etc. Being able to go running or do yoga again are forms of self care that they often haven’t been allowed to do. A lot of them believe they don’t *deserve* to be able to do self care.
4. “Niche” clothing, for women who like to dress a little outside the norm. Tshirts with anime characters. Motorcycle-style jackets. Cottage core dresses and skirts. Band tshirts. 80’s clothing. Goth clothing. If you’ve outgrown a thing you were into, chances are there’s someone at the shelter who would be thrilled to get that clothing.
5. Things that are LGBQT+ friendly are also very welcome, as are items traditionally aimed at men/teenage boys. We help more men than you’d expect. Not all agencies help men, so it’s best to call before you donate.
6. Used toys for younger children: not all clients stay in our shelter; some have a place to stay but come to us for legal help, or counseling. We have a play area for their children while the parent is being helped. Kids often get attached to the toys they were playing with, so we let them keep them. The younger the child, the more likely they are to get attached to the toys.
7. Mascara (new, please)
8. Lip balm.
Our shelter also has an Amazon wishlist, it might be worth seeing if whatever agency you’re planning on donating to also has one.
posted by MexicanYenta at 1:06 AM on October 7, 2023 [53 favorites]
Absolutely seconding Dysk's suggesting that you follow your local food bank on social media if you can. Food banks can make tailored callouts these days making it really, really efficient for them to hit what they need when they need it. Mine always needs rice, oil and tinned coconut milk, because they serve refugee and migrant communities that use use those commodities as staple. But they also tend to develop specific needs seasonally too, around holidays and at the start of the school year when family funds get stretched.
posted by Jilder at 1:46 AM on October 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Jilder at 1:46 AM on October 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
I help run our campus farm, and we regularly donate all the produce our students grow to the local food pantry. Our neighbors are so happy to receive fresh tomatoes and collard greens rather than another can of mushy veggies. Many food pantries would be glad to take the extras from your community garden or even your backyard garden. You can just call your local food pantry and ask, but Ample Harvest is a place that food pantries in the US can register their interest, and then you can just search by location and find out who would love some fresh produce.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:45 AM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by hydropsyche at 3:45 AM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
I've never come across a food bank where it's been ok for an individual to donate perishable goods like ground beef, butter, or fresh vegetables. Maybe the lesson is that you should ask around locally. I always wonder if food banks immediately throw out things past the expiration date that I would normally eat, like chips, protein bars, or condiments.
posted by Gable Oak at 4:09 AM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Gable Oak at 4:09 AM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
In response to MexicanYenta asking to piggyback on this post: of course! Thank you for doing so!
posted by JHarris at 4:37 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 4:37 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Gable Oak--if the location in your profile is correct, several food banks near you have already registered with Ample Harvest.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:52 AM on October 7, 2023
posted by hydropsyche at 4:52 AM on October 7, 2023
I've never come across a food bank where it's been ok for an individual to donate perishable goods like ground beef, butter, or fresh vegetables. Maybe the lesson is that you should ask around locally.
Going to be a lot of YFBMV here. My foodbank sometimes coordinates volunteers to come to your place and pick fruit from your backyard trees. And home grown vegetables are welcome.
Apart from Adams and Jif, it is impossible to buy peanut butter not made with palm oil.
Maybe in mass market big box food stores? But there are a very wide variety of peanut butters available that are either just ground peanuts or peanuts with some salt as a preservative. Smuckers (who also make Jif) has a version and Whole Foods has a house brand. At least two of the supermarkets I shop at have a pure peanut option(s) on the shelf though one only in 5kg buckets. And I believe the local bulk food store still has a machine that will grind peanut butter from shelled peanuts while you wait. Search for "unadulterated peanut butter" rather than natural or organic.
posted by Mitheral at 5:24 AM on October 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Going to be a lot of YFBMV here. My foodbank sometimes coordinates volunteers to come to your place and pick fruit from your backyard trees. And home grown vegetables are welcome.
Apart from Adams and Jif, it is impossible to buy peanut butter not made with palm oil.
Maybe in mass market big box food stores? But there are a very wide variety of peanut butters available that are either just ground peanuts or peanuts with some salt as a preservative. Smuckers (who also make Jif) has a version and Whole Foods has a house brand. At least two of the supermarkets I shop at have a pure peanut option(s) on the shelf though one only in 5kg buckets. And I believe the local bulk food store still has a machine that will grind peanut butter from shelled peanuts while you wait. Search for "unadulterated peanut butter" rather than natural or organic.
posted by Mitheral at 5:24 AM on October 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Oh that's neat! We don't have land (and a very small freezer) so I was thinking of accidental over-purchases... like when grocery store pickup misinterprets 6 bagels for 6 bags of bagels or 1 piece of ginger for 1 lb of ginger. We occasionally get misdeliveries of things like three party trays of hot wings or other people's full grocery orders that they won't take back... it's surprisingly hard to find ways to divert things from the trash, especially when you work from home. Food banks have good reason for that, but it's still sad.
posted by Gable Oak at 5:28 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Gable Oak at 5:28 AM on October 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Apart from Adams and Jif, it is impossible to buy peanut butter not made with palm oil.
Doesn't every brand and the store brands too now have peanut butter made from just peanuts? You can also just buy it from the peanut grinding machine, but I don't imagine the foodbank will take self-packaged food.
Anyway, I know cash is best, but for the purposed of explaining the whole thing to my kid, I do take him to the supermarket to buy food to donate. We go to the cheap-o supermarket with the list of most-needed items provided by the food bank and then my son picks out a couple of other things that are more treats. We can use this list, minus perishables, to think about what treats might be good.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:44 AM on October 7, 2023
Doesn't every brand and the store brands too now have peanut butter made from just peanuts? You can also just buy it from the peanut grinding machine, but I don't imagine the foodbank will take self-packaged food.
Anyway, I know cash is best, but for the purposed of explaining the whole thing to my kid, I do take him to the supermarket to buy food to donate. We go to the cheap-o supermarket with the list of most-needed items provided by the food bank and then my son picks out a couple of other things that are more treats. We can use this list, minus perishables, to think about what treats might be good.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:44 AM on October 7, 2023
I'm still involved with my local food bank, and, yes, generally speaking, the best individual donations and support are cash. (And, warning, this comment is going to be disordered and all over the place because I'm not even supposed to be awake this early.)
One major reason why is because for many food banks there are "markets" where they can order food in bulk and stretch any given dollar into a lot more than a dollar, and amplify that with USDA purchases and more. In my state one of those "markets" is Northwest Harvest that pools and aggregates bulk donations and USDA purchases.
Another reason cash is good (at least locally) is almost all of it goes directly to clients. My local foodbank has a couple of paid employees but it's for very specific needs like having a couple of drivers who have valid CDLs for driving large trucks. As far as I know no admins or clerical workers are paid, not even the director.
When you see those "buy a bag" promotions at grocery stores and chains generally speaking they don't get actual bags of food from the store, they either get a cash donation, or a running budget and balance to spend with the store. Which is fine and good and all, but this also usually means the store/chain gets a tax write off and you're footing the bill for it. If you can afford one of those bags? Maybe just give your local foodbank the cash.
But cash is definitely not the only way to support a food bank, and it varies widely and wildly from food bank to food bank and their local needs. Ask. There are no firm and fast rules.
One way is to get involved and volunteer. My local FB has something like almost 200 volunteers and is open twice a week, and it is so popular for volunteering there's usually a waiting list to join. But we often need people who can drive trucks or do back line distribution center work, or even basic chores like cleaning and sweeping after each open day. There's probably also administrative and clerical roles that need help. It's not all dealing with clients on the lines or processing donations.
My food bank has something like a dozen or so decent sized gardens and small farms that directly support it with planned donations and volunteer gardeners and teams of gleaners that will harvest fresh food and produce from almost anywhere, so if you like growing things or visiting gardens and harvesting things, see if your local FB needs gardeners or gleaners.
Random fruit tree in your back yard dropping too many apples or pears? Your kale went crazy and you have bushels of kale? At my food bank they'll definitely come get it, and they regularly accept even small-ish direct donations of easily processed and stored produce of leafy greens and kale. I've seen people walk in with as little as just a few armfuls of chard and kale and it's generally right out on the line and gone the same day or week.
What produce, bread and other perishable foods that my food bank doesn't (or can't) give away or spoils all ends up as pig food and compost for the local farms, and the person with the small farm with the pigs donates some amount of the butchered and processed meat back to the food bank, ad the compost supports the gardens.
But I'm constantly surprised at the wide variety of things my local food bank does or doesn't take.
A friend ended up with a random wheelchair in good condition for use as a prop for something, and when they were done with it I said we should take it to the food bank. I barely got it in the door before the director of my food bank caught me and said something like "Oh no, get that thing out of here! We don't have room for that and we get way too many of those!" in a panicked tone that suggested things I didn't even want to ask about.
Something my food bank almost always needs is diapers, both for adults and children and in all sizes.
Another thing we love is unused travel sized toiletries. We get huge bags of those single serve items from hotels and stuff and these get distributed to unhoused people, but we have a whole separate section for underhoused people, campers and people without kitchens. And, for better and/or worse these single use plastic containers are being phased out, so I don't know what we're going to do when that happens.
This area for the underhoused is one of my specialties because of my direct experiences with being homeless. We keep it stocked with more ready to eat and non-perishable food like MREs, canned goods with pop tops, dried meats, nuts and crackers, powdered milk, energy bars and more. Also clothes and shoes, clean socks, stove fuel, flashlights and even sleeping bags, tarps, tents and camping gear.
And the clothing side of things is wildly feast or famine. In the fall and winter we definitely need more jackets and warm clothes, and in the spring and summer we often have to halt donations because we don't have room to store it. We also take good, clean bedding, pillows and sheets and more, but also have limited storage for it.
As for direct donations of shelf-stable food? Yes, we take those, and lots of them. We have fairly liberal rules about expiration dates, and for canned goods we will use and put out anything that's within about 3 years of the printed expiration date as long as the can isn't dented or rusty, but have more strict rules about packaged foods like, say, crackers or pasta because it goes rancid and stale.
And we'd vastly prefer it if we didn't get expired donations like this at all.
If you want to donate pantry items it's super helpful to make sure it's not expired and filter that stuff out yourself. Pre-sorting your donations helps a lot, too. Like all the beans in one bag, all of the canned veggies or fruit in another, soups and meals in another and so on.
And please avoid just dumping random/opened things into bags and boxes. People get crazy about this kind of thing and treat their donation pile like they're dumping a bunch of old clothes at Goodwill and we end up with a really disordered and jumbled mess when someone cleans out their pantry and maybe they have hoarding tendencies or something, and it often takes significant volunteer time and trash costs to manage it.
Like we've had some donations where all of the canned stuff was 10 years past printed expiration and then some poor volunteer gets to open all the cans and either dump them into the pig/compost buckets or pour it right down the drain so at least the cans can be recycled and they're not hogging valuable space in the trash bins.
We have a bit of an informal, unspoken contest about "most expired product you've ever seen" and my current record is something like 1998 for a box of Jiffy baking mix, and I've seen 2000s era cans so often it's alarming.
Something that's always popular at mine is spices, sauces, condiments, anything organic, ethnic or exotic that adds variety over the usual canned beans and veggies. I've seen people straight up cry over a favorite sauce or jar of preserves or something that they can't afford or find easily. I've personally been able to try a lot of things I never would have bought or tried myself.
Another thing we process a lot of is donations from restaurants, and this includes bulk foods and condiments as well as prepared or left over food. For the bulk foods - for, say, a 5 gallon bucket of mayo or something - they collect and reuse containers and break it down into individual portions. For prepared foods we have gleaners and volunteers that will go to pick it up from the restaurants or hotels.
And, yes, treats are always good. Baking mixes and kits are very popular, but so are shelf-stable treats and desserts, or savory treats like tinned fish or meats.
Oh, another donation that's often missing is pet food, mainly dog and cat food and treats. Dry kibble in bulk, dog biscuits or cat treats, canned food... we're often in short supply of these things and have a whole pet section going.
Anyway, yeah, this all varies wildly from food bank to food bank. Ask. Cash is good, but sometimes they have shopping lists.
Donating time and energy is also often super valuable, but, again, ask.
Lately I haven't had the energy to volunteer as much as I used to due to long covid, but my routine lately is to get a ride in with one of my housemates, and they go get in the main line, and I go over to my alternate side where we focus on non-perishables and the unhoused, and while my housemate is in the main line for 30-60 minutes I basically start shopping on my own and start doing restocking at the same time as I'm shopping and orienting myself with what is missing or needed. And then I move on to breaking down boxes for recycling, or helping clients directly or whatever I can do with the time and energy I have, or maybe my team lead needs a some heavy stuff pulled from the walk-ins.
I'm given a lot of trust and leeway and so sometimes I'm helping a client shop while I'm also still shopping for myself, and I often even know the clients from my relatively small community so it often turns into a more friendly social thing like I'm just grocery shopping with a friend and it's uplifting and normalizing for both of us and we'll talk about food or recipes or what they want to cook with some unusual new thing on the line. Like "hey, cool, we have canned bamboo shoots, and there's frozen chicken breast in the freezer, and fresh green onions and broccoli in the produce, and here's some chili sauce or fish sauce, you could make a killer stir fry or fried rice with all that!" kind of thing.
Anyway, I'm going to try to get back to sleep, but I'm sure I'll have more to say later.
posted by loquacious at 7:37 AM on October 7, 2023 [32 favorites]
One major reason why is because for many food banks there are "markets" where they can order food in bulk and stretch any given dollar into a lot more than a dollar, and amplify that with USDA purchases and more. In my state one of those "markets" is Northwest Harvest that pools and aggregates bulk donations and USDA purchases.
Another reason cash is good (at least locally) is almost all of it goes directly to clients. My local foodbank has a couple of paid employees but it's for very specific needs like having a couple of drivers who have valid CDLs for driving large trucks. As far as I know no admins or clerical workers are paid, not even the director.
When you see those "buy a bag" promotions at grocery stores and chains generally speaking they don't get actual bags of food from the store, they either get a cash donation, or a running budget and balance to spend with the store. Which is fine and good and all, but this also usually means the store/chain gets a tax write off and you're footing the bill for it. If you can afford one of those bags? Maybe just give your local foodbank the cash.
But cash is definitely not the only way to support a food bank, and it varies widely and wildly from food bank to food bank and their local needs. Ask. There are no firm and fast rules.
One way is to get involved and volunteer. My local FB has something like almost 200 volunteers and is open twice a week, and it is so popular for volunteering there's usually a waiting list to join. But we often need people who can drive trucks or do back line distribution center work, or even basic chores like cleaning and sweeping after each open day. There's probably also administrative and clerical roles that need help. It's not all dealing with clients on the lines or processing donations.
My food bank has something like a dozen or so decent sized gardens and small farms that directly support it with planned donations and volunteer gardeners and teams of gleaners that will harvest fresh food and produce from almost anywhere, so if you like growing things or visiting gardens and harvesting things, see if your local FB needs gardeners or gleaners.
Random fruit tree in your back yard dropping too many apples or pears? Your kale went crazy and you have bushels of kale? At my food bank they'll definitely come get it, and they regularly accept even small-ish direct donations of easily processed and stored produce of leafy greens and kale. I've seen people walk in with as little as just a few armfuls of chard and kale and it's generally right out on the line and gone the same day or week.
What produce, bread and other perishable foods that my food bank doesn't (or can't) give away or spoils all ends up as pig food and compost for the local farms, and the person with the small farm with the pigs donates some amount of the butchered and processed meat back to the food bank, ad the compost supports the gardens.
But I'm constantly surprised at the wide variety of things my local food bank does or doesn't take.
A friend ended up with a random wheelchair in good condition for use as a prop for something, and when they were done with it I said we should take it to the food bank. I barely got it in the door before the director of my food bank caught me and said something like "Oh no, get that thing out of here! We don't have room for that and we get way too many of those!" in a panicked tone that suggested things I didn't even want to ask about.
Something my food bank almost always needs is diapers, both for adults and children and in all sizes.
Another thing we love is unused travel sized toiletries. We get huge bags of those single serve items from hotels and stuff and these get distributed to unhoused people, but we have a whole separate section for underhoused people, campers and people without kitchens. And, for better and/or worse these single use plastic containers are being phased out, so I don't know what we're going to do when that happens.
This area for the underhoused is one of my specialties because of my direct experiences with being homeless. We keep it stocked with more ready to eat and non-perishable food like MREs, canned goods with pop tops, dried meats, nuts and crackers, powdered milk, energy bars and more. Also clothes and shoes, clean socks, stove fuel, flashlights and even sleeping bags, tarps, tents and camping gear.
And the clothing side of things is wildly feast or famine. In the fall and winter we definitely need more jackets and warm clothes, and in the spring and summer we often have to halt donations because we don't have room to store it. We also take good, clean bedding, pillows and sheets and more, but also have limited storage for it.
As for direct donations of shelf-stable food? Yes, we take those, and lots of them. We have fairly liberal rules about expiration dates, and for canned goods we will use and put out anything that's within about 3 years of the printed expiration date as long as the can isn't dented or rusty, but have more strict rules about packaged foods like, say, crackers or pasta because it goes rancid and stale.
And we'd vastly prefer it if we didn't get expired donations like this at all.
If you want to donate pantry items it's super helpful to make sure it's not expired and filter that stuff out yourself. Pre-sorting your donations helps a lot, too. Like all the beans in one bag, all of the canned veggies or fruit in another, soups and meals in another and so on.
And please avoid just dumping random/opened things into bags and boxes. People get crazy about this kind of thing and treat their donation pile like they're dumping a bunch of old clothes at Goodwill and we end up with a really disordered and jumbled mess when someone cleans out their pantry and maybe they have hoarding tendencies or something, and it often takes significant volunteer time and trash costs to manage it.
Like we've had some donations where all of the canned stuff was 10 years past printed expiration and then some poor volunteer gets to open all the cans and either dump them into the pig/compost buckets or pour it right down the drain so at least the cans can be recycled and they're not hogging valuable space in the trash bins.
We have a bit of an informal, unspoken contest about "most expired product you've ever seen" and my current record is something like 1998 for a box of Jiffy baking mix, and I've seen 2000s era cans so often it's alarming.
Something that's always popular at mine is spices, sauces, condiments, anything organic, ethnic or exotic that adds variety over the usual canned beans and veggies. I've seen people straight up cry over a favorite sauce or jar of preserves or something that they can't afford or find easily. I've personally been able to try a lot of things I never would have bought or tried myself.
Another thing we process a lot of is donations from restaurants, and this includes bulk foods and condiments as well as prepared or left over food. For the bulk foods - for, say, a 5 gallon bucket of mayo or something - they collect and reuse containers and break it down into individual portions. For prepared foods we have gleaners and volunteers that will go to pick it up from the restaurants or hotels.
And, yes, treats are always good. Baking mixes and kits are very popular, but so are shelf-stable treats and desserts, or savory treats like tinned fish or meats.
Oh, another donation that's often missing is pet food, mainly dog and cat food and treats. Dry kibble in bulk, dog biscuits or cat treats, canned food... we're often in short supply of these things and have a whole pet section going.
Anyway, yeah, this all varies wildly from food bank to food bank. Ask. Cash is good, but sometimes they have shopping lists.
Donating time and energy is also often super valuable, but, again, ask.
Lately I haven't had the energy to volunteer as much as I used to due to long covid, but my routine lately is to get a ride in with one of my housemates, and they go get in the main line, and I go over to my alternate side where we focus on non-perishables and the unhoused, and while my housemate is in the main line for 30-60 minutes I basically start shopping on my own and start doing restocking at the same time as I'm shopping and orienting myself with what is missing or needed. And then I move on to breaking down boxes for recycling, or helping clients directly or whatever I can do with the time and energy I have, or maybe my team lead needs a some heavy stuff pulled from the walk-ins.
I'm given a lot of trust and leeway and so sometimes I'm helping a client shop while I'm also still shopping for myself, and I often even know the clients from my relatively small community so it often turns into a more friendly social thing like I'm just grocery shopping with a friend and it's uplifting and normalizing for both of us and we'll talk about food or recipes or what they want to cook with some unusual new thing on the line. Like "hey, cool, we have canned bamboo shoots, and there's frozen chicken breast in the freezer, and fresh green onions and broccoli in the produce, and here's some chili sauce or fish sauce, you could make a killer stir fry or fried rice with all that!" kind of thing.
Anyway, I'm going to try to get back to sleep, but I'm sure I'll have more to say later.
posted by loquacious at 7:37 AM on October 7, 2023 [32 favorites]
. I always wonder if food banks immediately throw out things past the expiration date that I would normally eat, like chips, protein bars, or condiments.
I've volunteered at our local, very large food bank and the answer is no. They have a list they use to determine if something can be used after its sell by/use before date and only throw it out if they have too. I've sorted frozen, meat, dairy and produce and only if the meat is totally grey or black will it be tossed.
One thing I didn't realize until I did this sorting gig is that this food bank (Oregon Food Bank) serves smaller food banks and organizations so the 20# of frozen ground turkey I just sorted might be going to a local Hispanic organization for their soup kitchen (where they might literally be serving soup).
posted by fiercekitten at 7:46 AM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
I've volunteered at our local, very large food bank and the answer is no. They have a list they use to determine if something can be used after its sell by/use before date and only throw it out if they have too. I've sorted frozen, meat, dairy and produce and only if the meat is totally grey or black will it be tossed.
One thing I didn't realize until I did this sorting gig is that this food bank (Oregon Food Bank) serves smaller food banks and organizations so the 20# of frozen ground turkey I just sorted might be going to a local Hispanic organization for their soup kitchen (where they might literally be serving soup).
posted by fiercekitten at 7:46 AM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
In addition to the food items mentioned above, the things we need are:
1. Socks
2. Deodorant/antiperspirant
...
Where we used to live, my partner put in a lot of volunteer hours at the nearby foodbank. To me, as someone who has never been in the position of needing to use a foodbank, the extent to which people relied on it for non-food items surprised me. (It shouldn't be a surprise, but I had just never thought about it before.) Hygiene and beauty items (plus they had specially sorted bags specifically for people who were unhoused), pet food and other pet supplies, etc. Frankly it was eye opening to see how much need there was in a community that from the outside looked reasonably well off.
I have a close relative who relies on foodbanks (especially now after the massive cuts in food stamp assistance) and it takes a lot of their time each week, since there is more than one foodbank and most weeks it takes going to two or three, all on different days, to piece together what they need.
I guess what I'm saying is that foodbanks and the kinds of shelters like Mexican Yenta describes do amazing work with limited resources and deserve more support than they usually get.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:48 AM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
1. Socks
2. Deodorant/antiperspirant
...
Where we used to live, my partner put in a lot of volunteer hours at the nearby foodbank. To me, as someone who has never been in the position of needing to use a foodbank, the extent to which people relied on it for non-food items surprised me. (It shouldn't be a surprise, but I had just never thought about it before.) Hygiene and beauty items (plus they had specially sorted bags specifically for people who were unhoused), pet food and other pet supplies, etc. Frankly it was eye opening to see how much need there was in a community that from the outside looked reasonably well off.
I have a close relative who relies on foodbanks (especially now after the massive cuts in food stamp assistance) and it takes a lot of their time each week, since there is more than one foodbank and most weeks it takes going to two or three, all on different days, to piece together what they need.
I guess what I'm saying is that foodbanks and the kinds of shelters like Mexican Yenta describes do amazing work with limited resources and deserve more support than they usually get.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:48 AM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
I worked at a food bank for many years and the most prized item was canned chilli with meat in it. And yes, we kept a supply of can openers for indigent people. Real peanut butter a close second.
I don't know what this person is saying about bread because all the foodbanks I know get tons of day old bread donated from grocery stores. Usually close to getting mold but not yet. Our local foodbank has a shelf of breads that anyone can stop in and grab without having to sign in.
posted by cda at 8:20 AM on October 7, 2023
I don't know what this person is saying about bread because all the foodbanks I know get tons of day old bread donated from grocery stores. Usually close to getting mold but not yet. Our local foodbank has a shelf of breads that anyone can stop in and grab without having to sign in.
posted by cda at 8:20 AM on October 7, 2023
I help run our campus farm, and we regularly donate all the produce our students grow to the local food pantry. Our neighbors are so happy to receive fresh tomatoes and collard greens rather than another can of mushy veggies. Many food pantries would be glad to take the extras from your community garden or even your backyard garden. You can just call your local food pantry and ask, but Ample Harvest is a place that food pantries in the US can register their interest, and then you can just search by location and find out who would love some fresh produce.
Here in Colorado, Denver Urban Gardens and Denver Food Rescue and some other folks put their heads together a few years ago about how they could engage local gardeners in hunger relief efforts. And so we have this incredible model that's been spun up since 2020(ish?), where gardeners can download this app called Fresh Food Connect and get put in touch with local food pantries to schedule donation of surplus produce. During the main harvest seasons Denver Food Rescue will actually schedule door to door pick up two days a week, because users can also use the app to volunteer to run pickups on Denver Food Rescue's cargo e-bikes.
Last year garden surplus only made up 2% of their total donations, but I've donated over 100 lbs of tomatoes and zucchini and chard this season and it's so cool to have it be this easy to plug into existing systems for addressing hunger locally.
posted by deludingmyself at 8:52 AM on October 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Here in Colorado, Denver Urban Gardens and Denver Food Rescue and some other folks put their heads together a few years ago about how they could engage local gardeners in hunger relief efforts. And so we have this incredible model that's been spun up since 2020(ish?), where gardeners can download this app called Fresh Food Connect and get put in touch with local food pantries to schedule donation of surplus produce. During the main harvest seasons Denver Food Rescue will actually schedule door to door pick up two days a week, because users can also use the app to volunteer to run pickups on Denver Food Rescue's cargo e-bikes.
Last year garden surplus only made up 2% of their total donations, but I've donated over 100 lbs of tomatoes and zucchini and chard this season and it's so cool to have it be this easy to plug into existing systems for addressing hunger locally.
posted by deludingmyself at 8:52 AM on October 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Don't forget, if you do have otherwise suitable food items that for whatever reason your local food bank doesn't need, there are always the community fridges. Just understand the model: you are putting it in there for anyone to take; you are not judging who takes it, how much they take, or what use they make of it (except in cases that genuinely imperil access for others). If your local food bank won't take the produce of your garden, your community fridge will. Cash to food banks is surely the most efficient way of helping people get fed, but fridges help people who have trouble interacting with the system or don't find their needs well met by it.
posted by praemunire at 9:36 AM on October 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 9:36 AM on October 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Apart from Adams and Jif, it is impossible to buy peanut butter not made with palm oil.
Is this specific to a particular geographic market? I’ve got two peanut butter in my kitchen right now with no palm oil, and neither is Adams or Jif.
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 12:57 PM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Is this specific to a particular geographic market? I’ve got two peanut butter in my kitchen right now with no palm oil, and neither is Adams or Jif.
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 12:57 PM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Last year garden surplus only made up 2% of their total donations, but I've donated over 100 lbs of tomatoes and zucchini and chard this season and it's so cool to have it be this easy to plug into existing systems for addressing hunger locally.
I get why you are saying "only made up 2%," but from where I am sitting, that is an amazing level of contribution to attain.
posted by Dip Flash at 1:50 PM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
I get why you are saying "only made up 2%," but from where I am sitting, that is an amazing level of contribution to attain.
posted by Dip Flash at 1:50 PM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
I always give cash to food banks, but some of these lists highlighting “unusual” items make me wonder if I should vary my giving. Do food banks directly purchase less common items like spices, or non-food items like diapers or socks? Or do they only purchase bulk food items, and less common items only show up if a donor thinks to include them?
posted by learning from frequent failure at 2:29 PM on October 7, 2023
posted by learning from frequent failure at 2:29 PM on October 7, 2023
Which is fine and good and all, but this also usually means the store/chain gets a tax write off and you're footing the bill for it.
This is not true in most cases in the US. If a retailer collects donations and passes them on, they cannot claim that as tax write off. You can claim it if you itemize.
posted by soelo at 3:58 PM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
This is not true in most cases in the US. If a retailer collects donations and passes them on, they cannot claim that as tax write off. You can claim it if you itemize.
posted by soelo at 3:58 PM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Re donating hygiene products: FYI, you can use FSA money to pay for menstrual products like pads and tampons, so if you've got extra money in your FSA that will otherwise go to waste, buy a bunch of pads and tampons, and donate some to your local food bank.
posted by yasaman at 8:22 PM on October 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by yasaman at 8:22 PM on October 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
RE peanut butter: I help make sandwiches for folks in need every week, and 90% of the time the donated peanut butter is the palm oil/sugar stuff. But we have gotten 35 pound buckets of real peanut butter and it was a pleasure (after we worked out a way to blend it from its separated state).
The organization gives out a lunch bag with a sandwich, apple, chips, water, etc. and I really appreciate that we can give folks a little bit of protein and fat with all those carbs. We have been lucky to get donations of good hearty multigrain bread, and that feels good too.
posted by bink at 11:17 PM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
The organization gives out a lunch bag with a sandwich, apple, chips, water, etc. and I really appreciate that we can give folks a little bit of protein and fat with all those carbs. We have been lucky to get donations of good hearty multigrain bread, and that feels good too.
posted by bink at 11:17 PM on October 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Would probably be a good idea to think about the population in your area that might be using the foodbank that is a pretty white American list. I bet there are number of cultures that would appreciate rice, chilis/chili powders, curry powders, rice noodles, soy sauce, fish sauce, tahini, you get the picture.
Money is also highly appreciated as the food bank staff knows what their customers want and can buy it.
posted by brookeb at 9:20 PM on October 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Money is also highly appreciated as the food bank staff knows what their customers want and can buy it.
posted by brookeb at 9:20 PM on October 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Mod note: Thank you for making this post, it's been added to the Best Of blog!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 6:51 AM on October 27, 2023
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 6:51 AM on October 27, 2023
I worked at a food bank until earlier this year, some info and insight below.
1. Generally, food pantries are where you go to get food and they're more local. Food banks are regional or state level and do the financial assistance/buying/distributing/logistics backboning for food pantries. Most food pantries are supported by a food bank, and most food banks are supported by Feeding America. Most food banks do special distributions, like for holidays, and/or large distribution events.
2. money is best; routine volunteering is second best.
3. because food sorting consumes a LOT of time and organization.
4. Food comes in through a bunch of different methods, and we need to track them all.
-- transfers from Feeding America or other food banks
-- direct purchase in bulk (highly discounted)
-- direct purchases, one off (somewhat discounted)
-- indirect purchases, where an institution either buys for us or gives us funds for a specific thing. An example here is holiday turkeys and ingredients; the local NFL team does this every year.
-- direct donations from food stores. Fresh goods like bakery items, produce, frozen meat, but typically not dairy and excess shelf-stable stuff are picked up by our staff - three cheers for food bank drivers, it is a hard and invisible job - and brought back to the FB, where they're stored for later sorting. Sometimes these come in pallets or original bulk packaging, and sometimes it's ye old hodgepodge of frozen meats. We had volunteers who sorted this into like items into groups so that they could then be put on box build lines.
-- direct donations from restaurants/caterers etc. We tried to turn this around quickly. I'm not sure if pantries accept foods like these; there's time pressure, and the donors are sometimes less worried about utility and more worried about getting food off their hands.
-- direct donations from individuals. Some of this was great, but it all requires sorting, so much sorting, it's so manual, it's so tiring. And some people, very few, give things that are awful; the worst thing I saw was a cinnamon-scented miniature decorative broom.
-- unique food bank initiatives. My food bank has a farm it runs in conjunction with the agriculture department of a college nearby, and we route those goods directly into
Something that food banks and pantries try to do is have consistent goods - it's not helpful to have a bunch of one-offs, really. Food drives are important to keep food banks/pantries at top of mind, and keep people feeling like they're helping, but we would rather have the cash. Food banks are SO GOOD at turning cash into food. We are less good at turning food into food.
5. My food bank distributed food by:
-- regular large distributions, typically of produce and meat. These were walk-up before the pandemic and drive-up during; I think they might be transitioning somewhat back to walk-up, but drive up was super efficient and helped to protect our neighbors in need. However, it does require a car, and does not allow as much choice as the walk-ups.
-- food deliveries, general boxes. Started this during the pandemic, kept it up for people with mobility/access issues.
-- food deliveries, canned goods. This is a program for seniors where they get producers' excess canned/shelf-stable goods. It's wildly effective.
-- on-site grocery. This was a really new thing for us but has been really popular. It's a regular grocery store at our headquarters, and people get to come in and choose what they want. Goods are regularly available and consistent in brand/size/supply.
-- mobile grocery. This was a partial pay model, it had very discounted prices for milk, bread, produce, and meat.
6. Pantries get food by:
-- standing orders at the Food Bank for veg and/or produce (I think this is food bank specific; mine did it. Many food banks are trying to get into a push model for produce and meat. This allows them to buy goods that they know pantries will want in the correct amounts, and it makes ordering by the pantries so much easier.)
-- manual ordering at the Food Bank. They know best what their users want or need.
-- ordering directly what they need from retail stores. We can't supply everything, unfortunately, but we give them funds to spend with us or with whoever has what they need.
And distribute by:
-- having walk-in stores
-- creating boxes for drop-off or pick up
There are also soup kitchens, meals on wheels, shelters, and other sites, but I'm not as familiar with those.
7. Food banks get money from:
-- Feeding America, which is a great org and is very good at routing funds to the places that need it the most.
-- institutional donors. Highly significant source of funds
-- estate bequests
-- individuals, either recurring or one-off
-- virtual food drives
8. Every food banker wishes that their job wasn't necessary.
9. Every food banker I met railed against all the rules and regulations imposed on us, and is pretty sure that the most effective way to help our neighbors in need is to give them cash directly.
10. SNAP is being defanged. SNAP is highly, highly effective; it's a brilliant program and underused, and it is perpetually being subject to more rules and less budget. One of the best things you can do to help people who are food-insecure is to advocate for SNAP and similar programs. Call your congress people, sign petitions, etc. If you follow your regional food bank on the socials, they'll post calls to action. Heed those calls! Please!
Now, some food bank fun facts!
One of our best sources of volunteers is recipients. Every distribution I went to had at least one volunteer who would go through the line at the end of it. People want to help and express their gratitude.
Some people make donations and stipulate that they're for staff, and the staff is profoundly grateful for that. Your average food banker is completely burnt out (typical non-profit, and we're very visible.) The staff donations were things like technology, or a holiday party that we absolutely wouldn't have if it weren't for one particular donor in our area. Early in the pandemic, a retailer near us sent regular pallets of toilet paper and masks for us. Someone else dropped off a bunch of bouquets and that made me cry a little. The response early in the pandemic was one of the most heartening things I've ever experienced.
Volunteering isn't just sorting food, packing boxes, or going to distributions (although those things are great, and I still do them.) Many food banks need clerical help, some of which might be able to be done from home. Every food bank has a team who would LOVE to talk with you to figure out a way for you to help. Our volunteers supplied the work of 26 full time staff, and that's HUGE. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who volunteers for a food bank.
Lastly, if you're facing food insecurity:
- you are not alone. Many, many people are in the same position - 1 in 11 adults in my area, and 1 in 7 children.
- your food bank wants to help. Many can help you with food today. Many can help you with SNAP applications, which are so needlessly complicated. Please call; our call center people are so good at connecting you with the resources you need, food or otherwise.
- you are helping us by getting food! We get more aid if we can show the need in our area.
- you don't need to demonstrate your need for some food distributions. TEFAP is The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and you can get TEFAP goods anonymously. My food bank never needed to see proof of income; you only had to indicate you needed food.
- you don't need to justify your presence at a distribution. Food bankers are a pretty kind group of people, and we've seen a lot. Some food bankers are food bank recipients (which is its own goddamn thing) and we know that the only shame here is shame for our society in allowing this to happen.
- get food sooner rather than later! Spend your money on utilities and shoes and a birthday cake. We can cover the basics. Save your money for less negotiable things and for things that help to create a happier life.
posted by punchtothehead at 7:44 AM on October 27, 2023 [9 favorites]
1. Generally, food pantries are where you go to get food and they're more local. Food banks are regional or state level and do the financial assistance/buying/distributing/logistics backboning for food pantries. Most food pantries are supported by a food bank, and most food banks are supported by Feeding America. Most food banks do special distributions, like for holidays, and/or large distribution events.
2. money is best; routine volunteering is second best.
3. because food sorting consumes a LOT of time and organization.
4. Food comes in through a bunch of different methods, and we need to track them all.
-- transfers from Feeding America or other food banks
-- direct purchase in bulk (highly discounted)
-- direct purchases, one off (somewhat discounted)
-- indirect purchases, where an institution either buys for us or gives us funds for a specific thing. An example here is holiday turkeys and ingredients; the local NFL team does this every year.
-- direct donations from food stores. Fresh goods like bakery items, produce, frozen meat, but typically not dairy and excess shelf-stable stuff are picked up by our staff - three cheers for food bank drivers, it is a hard and invisible job - and brought back to the FB, where they're stored for later sorting. Sometimes these come in pallets or original bulk packaging, and sometimes it's ye old hodgepodge of frozen meats. We had volunteers who sorted this into like items into groups so that they could then be put on box build lines.
-- direct donations from restaurants/caterers etc. We tried to turn this around quickly. I'm not sure if pantries accept foods like these; there's time pressure, and the donors are sometimes less worried about utility and more worried about getting food off their hands.
-- direct donations from individuals. Some of this was great, but it all requires sorting, so much sorting, it's so manual, it's so tiring. And some people, very few, give things that are awful; the worst thing I saw was a cinnamon-scented miniature decorative broom.
-- unique food bank initiatives. My food bank has a farm it runs in conjunction with the agriculture department of a college nearby, and we route those goods directly into
Something that food banks and pantries try to do is have consistent goods - it's not helpful to have a bunch of one-offs, really. Food drives are important to keep food banks/pantries at top of mind, and keep people feeling like they're helping, but we would rather have the cash. Food banks are SO GOOD at turning cash into food. We are less good at turning food into food.
5. My food bank distributed food by:
-- regular large distributions, typically of produce and meat. These were walk-up before the pandemic and drive-up during; I think they might be transitioning somewhat back to walk-up, but drive up was super efficient and helped to protect our neighbors in need. However, it does require a car, and does not allow as much choice as the walk-ups.
-- food deliveries, general boxes. Started this during the pandemic, kept it up for people with mobility/access issues.
-- food deliveries, canned goods. This is a program for seniors where they get producers' excess canned/shelf-stable goods. It's wildly effective.
-- on-site grocery. This was a really new thing for us but has been really popular. It's a regular grocery store at our headquarters, and people get to come in and choose what they want. Goods are regularly available and consistent in brand/size/supply.
-- mobile grocery. This was a partial pay model, it had very discounted prices for milk, bread, produce, and meat.
6. Pantries get food by:
-- standing orders at the Food Bank for veg and/or produce (I think this is food bank specific; mine did it. Many food banks are trying to get into a push model for produce and meat. This allows them to buy goods that they know pantries will want in the correct amounts, and it makes ordering by the pantries so much easier.)
-- manual ordering at the Food Bank. They know best what their users want or need.
-- ordering directly what they need from retail stores. We can't supply everything, unfortunately, but we give them funds to spend with us or with whoever has what they need.
And distribute by:
-- having walk-in stores
-- creating boxes for drop-off or pick up
There are also soup kitchens, meals on wheels, shelters, and other sites, but I'm not as familiar with those.
7. Food banks get money from:
-- Feeding America, which is a great org and is very good at routing funds to the places that need it the most.
-- institutional donors. Highly significant source of funds
-- estate bequests
-- individuals, either recurring or one-off
-- virtual food drives
8. Every food banker wishes that their job wasn't necessary.
9. Every food banker I met railed against all the rules and regulations imposed on us, and is pretty sure that the most effective way to help our neighbors in need is to give them cash directly.
10. SNAP is being defanged. SNAP is highly, highly effective; it's a brilliant program and underused, and it is perpetually being subject to more rules and less budget. One of the best things you can do to help people who are food-insecure is to advocate for SNAP and similar programs. Call your congress people, sign petitions, etc. If you follow your regional food bank on the socials, they'll post calls to action. Heed those calls! Please!
Now, some food bank fun facts!
One of our best sources of volunteers is recipients. Every distribution I went to had at least one volunteer who would go through the line at the end of it. People want to help and express their gratitude.
Some people make donations and stipulate that they're for staff, and the staff is profoundly grateful for that. Your average food banker is completely burnt out (typical non-profit, and we're very visible.) The staff donations were things like technology, or a holiday party that we absolutely wouldn't have if it weren't for one particular donor in our area. Early in the pandemic, a retailer near us sent regular pallets of toilet paper and masks for us. Someone else dropped off a bunch of bouquets and that made me cry a little. The response early in the pandemic was one of the most heartening things I've ever experienced.
Volunteering isn't just sorting food, packing boxes, or going to distributions (although those things are great, and I still do them.) Many food banks need clerical help, some of which might be able to be done from home. Every food bank has a team who would LOVE to talk with you to figure out a way for you to help. Our volunteers supplied the work of 26 full time staff, and that's HUGE. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who volunteers for a food bank.
Lastly, if you're facing food insecurity:
- you are not alone. Many, many people are in the same position - 1 in 11 adults in my area, and 1 in 7 children.
- your food bank wants to help. Many can help you with food today. Many can help you with SNAP applications, which are so needlessly complicated. Please call; our call center people are so good at connecting you with the resources you need, food or otherwise.
- you are helping us by getting food! We get more aid if we can show the need in our area.
- you don't need to demonstrate your need for some food distributions. TEFAP is The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and you can get TEFAP goods anonymously. My food bank never needed to see proof of income; you only had to indicate you needed food.
- you don't need to justify your presence at a distribution. Food bankers are a pretty kind group of people, and we've seen a lot. Some food bankers are food bank recipients (which is its own goddamn thing) and we know that the only shame here is shame for our society in allowing this to happen.
- get food sooner rather than later! Spend your money on utilities and shoes and a birthday cake. We can cover the basics. Save your money for less negotiable things and for things that help to create a happier life.
posted by punchtothehead at 7:44 AM on October 27, 2023 [9 favorites]
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posted by Chuffy at 11:16 PM on October 6, 2023