Food Bank Donation Tips

Empty shelf image from coastguard.ca

I thought I would share with you today my suggestions on what someone should donate to a food bank. I know that times are tough, and not everyone has the means. But for those who can, I offer my list of priority donations, based on my continued work with our local chapter of St. Vincent de Paul.

1. The first item to donate, regardless of the food bank organization, is cash. It doesn't matter how much, money is always helpful, since the organizers of the food bank can buy whatever staple might be missing from their shelves.
2. If your local food bank has a list, then donate items on the list. That, too, is the most helpful. Food banks know their clients. For example, our food bank do not give out raw meat, other than tuna, salmon, or canned beef, but some other food banks do give out meat to their clients.
3. If there is no list, and you'd rather give food items instead of cash, then go small. As generous as it is to give a huge tub of peanut butter (and I know that this is indeed a very generous act) go small when donating items. Why? Simply because the food banks can serve more clients that way. It is better to hand out small containers of peanut butter than for the food bank to keep a huge jar around until a very large family can use it. In our community, we serve singles, couples and families, but the majority of our clients are single. Given that, it is easier for us to double up on single items for couples, than to give a large item to a single individual.
4. How small is too small? There is no such thing. I have handed out to our clients individual packets of sugar donated from hotels. There is no amount too small to donate. When we have to, we break open a box of crackers and put a sleeve of crackers in each food bag. Sometimes we can give out a whole box, usually however, we can't. We always break open containers of tea bags and re-package them into smaller amounts. The same goes for 10 pound bags of potatoes, 5 pound bags of carrots, etc.
5. Put pasta way down on your list. Yes, it is cheap and a big bag goes a long way, but unless your local food bank asks for pasta, they are probably inundated with it. The same goes for Mac and Cheese. Not to say they can't use these products, just that there are other items that are usually in shorter supply.
6. Our food bank is always short of the following items: canned fruit, pasta sauce, tuna, salmon, canned beef, laundry and soap detergents.
7. Our clients are generally not vegetarian/vegan, and so they do not generally like fava beans, chick peas, lima beans, lentils, etc. They do, however like red kidney beans for making chili.
8. Think outside the box, but not too far. A food bank donation doesn't always have to be food. Paper products are always needed. Check first with your local food bank before buying or donating diapers, but they can always use paper towels, toilet paper and tissues.
9. Rice is another staple that is always good to donate, in small amounts if possible, as are Sidekicks, Hamburger Helper, etc.
10. Baby food, including formula. All kinds. All the time.
11. Tea bags and coffee are in constant short supply.
12. Cookies, puddings and other snack items for children to eat during school recess. 
13. Although our food bank mostly hands out canned goods, we also take donations of bulk fresh carrots, potatoes, fruits (from local farms). These get handed out first, before the canned goods. But check with your local food bank before donating ten pounds of potatoes.  

Other things to check for, when donating food items:

1. Pet food is not people food. When people clean out their pantries, sometimes pet food cans get mixed in with people food. It is best that pet food does not get shelved at the food bank and mistakenly given out to clients.
2. Expiration dates. It the food is past the best by date and you won't eat it, neither will we give it out to our clients.
3. Our clients can always use a new toothbrush and toothpaste. The same goes for paper towels and toilet paper. We break the larger packages open and hand out a roll of paper towels and 2-4 rolls of TP to our clients, along with their monthly food allowance. This might not seem like much, but it is one less thing that they need to buy on a very limited income. 
4. Basically, if you use a product in your apartment or house, then the food bank clients could also use it. And so can your local food bank.

This was just a (hopefully) helpful list of things to consider when donating food. Remember, when in doubt, check with your local food bank for specific items. They will gladly tell you what they need.

As a volunteer, nothing feels worse than seeing empty shelves at a local food bank. So please be generous with your donations. And volunteer at a local food bank, if you have the time. I have yet to meet a single food bank client who enjoyed asking for food. And I have found everyone to be very grateful for the help they received.

~JT~