This time of year, many schools, churches, and businesses are hosting holiday food drives. While most donations are useful, thoughtful donations will have the most impact.
Thoughts before you go shopping
As I was thinking over this post, I realized that there is not a "one size fits all" list that covers the range of pantries out there. Hopefully, the agency you are collecting food for has provided a list.
If not, try to check the agency website to see if they have particular needs. This can vary based on the physical set up of the food pantry and the population being served. It also may depend upon how the food drive is being run. A school based food drive that may hold food for several weeks may not be the best way to donate fresh bread, for instance.
A good rule of thumb is to donate what your family eats. Chances are, other families in your area eat in similar ways. Those who come to pantries for food are no more different from you than anyone else in the community. They may have picky kids. They may live alone or have a large family. They may have diabetes or high blood pressure. They may or may not be good in the kitchen. They may have religious or moral objections to eating certain foods. They may be well educated about nutrition. They may have food allergies. They may have food preferences based on their culture and what they grew up eating.
At this point, I realize some of you are thinking that someone who is hungry should eat anything. Pantries such as ours are dealing with food insecurity, rather than hunger.
Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. ' So while there may be some food in the home, it may not be enough for the days or weeks until the next paycheck, or it may have consistent nutritional gaps (which are often protein and produce). Donating another pack of ramen doesn't really help someone who needs fruits, vegetables, and meat in their diet.
Thoughtful food donations are essential to combating food insecurity in your neighborhood.
Below is just a guideline that will work for most pantries and food banks.
Whenever possible, donate items that are whole grain, low/no sodium, low sugar, organic, natural, and/or minimally processed.
What should I donate?
- Fresh produce if your pantry accepts it. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, apples, and citrus are all long lasting and do not require refrigeration. Check with your pantry before donating more perishable items.
- Whole grain bread if your pantry is equipped to accept it.
- Pasta and sauce
- Peanut butter
- Canned meats (tuna, chicken, salmon, crab, ham)
- Canned fruits and applesauce
- Cereal and oatmeal
- Soups, stews, and chili
- Baking mixes like Bisquik, cornbread mix, bread mix, etc. - preferably those that require few additional ingredients other than water.
- Evaporated, dry, and shelf stable milk
- Canned vegetables other than just green beans. While people do like green beans, many pantries get these more often than any other vegetable. Donate a wide range of vegetables including carrots, asparagus, spinach, corn, peas, cabbage, etc.
- Rice
- Canned and dried beans
- Healthy snack items such as whole grain crackers, boxes of granola bars, nuts, and dried fruits.
- Holiday items such as stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie filling and pie crust mix, sweet potatoes, canned hams, hot roll mix, etc.
Please do not donate:
- Opened packages where food is exposed. (An opened box that has individually wrapped items inside is fine.)
- Ramen. Seriously. This is the cheapest food on the shelf, so someone with limited means could buy it if they wanted it. It is high in sodium and low in nutritional value. Food banks and pantries are flooded with ramen donations. Schools that award classes for bringing the most items are often the biggest offenders. If possible, encourage your school to award prizes based on most peanut butter, tuna, or vegetables donated to avoid this.
- Junk (soda, chips, candy, etc.). Sugary foods, in particular, have no place in a charitable food pantry. Sugar actually makes you hungrier, which is the opposite of what we are hoping to achieve. There are countless articles easy to find online about the detrimental affects of sugar on your brain and body. In general, any food that has no value to nourish a body should be avoided.
- Food in badly damaged packaging. This includes: boxes or bags that have openings; water damaged boxes when the food is not enclosed in plastic inside, and cans with "bad" dents. Not all dents are created equal. Check out this handy guide to learn more.
- Extremely expired food. Most food past date by a year or less is fine. On pages 6-8 of this document is a great list. In our pantry, I tend to not stock anything over a year past date, though some canned items are good for 2 or more years past date. What I'm talking about here are those items you find in the deep recesses of your pantry that are many years old. One time, I had a teen volunteer find a can that expired before she was born. Eww.
- Commercial sized cans of food, unless it is going to directly to an agency that prepares and serves the food. Most families and individuals are not going to be able to make the best use of industrial sized packaging.
- Food you received as a joke. We've probably all been a white elephant exchange where someone received that food item that makes everyone gag. Yes, you can buy squid, brains, and many other disgusting things in a can. I know, because I've seen it donated to my pantry. It goes in the gross canned food hall of fame along with the aforementioned teenage can of food and a vintage box of Royal brand pudding mix that is so old it predates when packages had dates on them. Unless the items is considered a delicacy in your area, it is best to keep it and pass it along at the next gift exchange.
This is by no means comprehensive, but I hope it is a good place to start as you shop for your next holiday food drive.
Any other ideas or suggestions? Feel free to leave a comment.
