What do you give to the food shelf?

[cata5]

I have read a couple of articles in the paper recently regarding food shelf donations. It seems they have an overabundance of weird things that people wanted to get rid of...like artichokes.

I tend to get rid of things we haven't used or items I bought really cheap. Is that bad? lol
My standard selection is tuna, canned veggies, mac and cheese, and ramen. I think I will have to improve on that.


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Kim Ode: Area food shelves need what you eat, and more
Kim Ode, Star Tribune

Published November 16, 2003 ODE16

If past experience holds, bins for food shelf donations soon will contain a disproportionate amount of canned cranberry sauce. Fa la la la la. Not long ago, a news story noted a profusion of artichoke hearts at one food shelf, presumably donated by all the hostesses who keep a can handy for party dip, but never actually make it.

Confession time: When one of the kids needed to bring a donation to school, I grabbed the can of creamed corn that I'd once bought for who knows what reason. When it was time to give, it didn't hurt.

Area food shelves take it all, from the beans -- many beans, always beans, lotsa beans -- to cans of black olives, apricot halves, sauerkraut, crab and spaghetti sauce. The need is great, and there's always a way to use what comes in, even if a client might need some recipe-storming to figure out what to do with beets.

In the back room of St. Louis Park Emergency Services, hundreds of bags of donated groceries await sorting by volunteers. Steve Kessler, the operations coordinator, remembers when some high school kids did a food drive. "Suddenly, we had tons of ramen coming in and I'd never seen it before. So I asked them, 'Do you like this?' and they were like, 'Oh, yeah, ramen rocks!' "

Hold up on the canned peas, though.

For years, those assembling the bags of food followed a familiar script -- can of peas, can of beans, box of spaghetti, etc. A few years ago, Kessler began surveying clients "and we found out that not everyone likes canned peas," he said. "I mean, hardly anybody likes canned peas."

In fact, given a say in the matter, 98 percent of families prefer corn and green beans. Choice may seem like a little thing, given the far larger reason that brings someone to a food shelf in the first place. But it's the sort of thing that can take a bit of the edge off being on the edge.

Now is the time of year when malls sprout bins for food shelf donations, when we're encouraged to bring a canned good to the chorus concert, or bolster our grocery bill with a donation. Summer is when food shelves field the greatest demand because kids are home from school. But the holidays encourage beneficence. And canned goods have a long shelf life. The food will be used.

A glimpse at a couple of food shelves provides a glimpse into what is, in many instances, a singularly bad week in a family's life. A food shelf is not meant to be a steady source of food, but a handhold to get someone from bad to better -- or at least to not so bad, said Lisa Buck, development coordinator for the Emergency Foodshelf Network.

More than 60 percent of families who use food shelves in the Twin Cities have jobs. Maybe someone's hours were cut that week, or one of the kids got sick and needed some medicine, or gas prices took another inexplicable jump. It doesn't take much to make a bag of groceries look like a miracle.

Or here's an increasingly familiar scenario: A family comes in from one of those big houses in Eden Prairie, an empty house if you looked inside because there was no money left to buy furniture. And now even the refrigerator is empty because Dad just got laid off. "The idea that people in the suburbs don't use food shelves is a myth," Buck said.

What do food shelves need? Everything, but there are some popular items in perpetually low supply: whole grain cereals, raisins and dried fruit, coffee, tea, canned tuna and canned chicken. Think about the ethnic needs of a certain food shelf. (EFN can help: call 952-925-6265 or contact its Web site at [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now].)

And when in doubt, send money. Food shelves use it to buy bulk foods and hard-to-find commodities.

For example, Community Emergency Services in Minneapolis' Phillips neighborhood has a need for goat to serve its Somali families, and a determined search by EFN resulted in finding a steady source. While the average household might not have goat to give, there's a need for other, less exotic foods -- such as dates.

"Our ancestors tell us dates give you energy," said Mohamed Haji-Husein, executive director of the Somali Benadiri Community of Minnesota, who translates for those who use the food shelf.

Food can provide energy, but it takes opportunity to maintain it. The prospect might dim, but it might be just a meal away.

[freesurfer]

The schools here do a thing for kids to bring canned foods and so my kids each took 3 things for the pantry.

[bradedit]

I buy a case of soup(usually chicken noodle) and a case of green beans(my daughters favorite) and instant oatmeal. It always cost less than $10 and the kids pick out the stuff and we take it to our church who gets it together for the food pantry.

[secrettreasure]

I give at the my dd school, the college I go at,,and to the area stores that have boxes for food closets. Usually I give can veggies, soups, and cake mixes, bisquik,,etc.

[beffie]

DS's school is currently doing a canned food only drive... as long as it's in a can they want it.

I would think that canned goods that would be "good" would be:
Baby formula
Soups, any variety
Raviolli
Beefaroni
Tuna
Beef stew
"Popular" veggies, corn, green beans
Evaporated milk
Spagehetti sauce

Non-canned goods:
Mac & cheese
Ramen noodles
Boxes of instant mashed potatoes
Cake/brownie/cookie mixes
Plain noodles, spagehetti, egg noodles
Spagehetti sauce in jars?
Salad dressings?
BBQ, or other "flavoring" sauces???
Cereal/oatmeal/hot cereal
Baby food/baby cereal

If the particular food pantry accepts it:
Bags of sugar
Bags of flour
Canisters of salt
Containers of pepper

Laundry soap
Diapers/Pull ups (if your kid doesn't need them anymore, donate your left overs )
Toilet paper
Shampoo/conditioner
Bath soaps/body washes

Did I get a bit off topic??? lol

Sometimes people go to local charities when they need help with a medicine prescription, or a service... so if you have a local charity that helps local families... check and see what kinds of donations they will/can accept... You might be surprised at what you could help with!!! Not to mention the "warm fuzzy feeling" that you get from knowing that you helped someone!

[verwon]

When we first moved to Ridgway there was a food pantry we had to use for awhile and then I started doing my coupon thing and Andy got his disability approved so we decided to give back.

I asked the ladies what they needed and believe it or not, it was children's toothbrushes. They always had people who needed them and no means to provide them so off I went with coupons to Dollar General and walked in with a laden bag for them. Of course I also took tons of Rice Mixes and stuff I had gotten free with coupons since I can't afford to spend the money but they really didn't care how I had gotten it. And I figured I had better throw in some toothpaste, too.

At my docs office I recently found out that they are keeping small trial sizes of soaps to give out. They said people who can't afford food can't usually buy soap either or laundry detergent.

Any of these items might be good ideas to drop off at your local food pantry or church collection to help those in need.

[GR8GIRLS]

I usually give canned soups or veggies. I never thought of soap products or deodorant or hygiene items. I'm gonna have to start stockpiling for the next drive!

[flash3992]

Last year Beffie volunteered for awhile at a local charity organization. She helped with accepting and giving out stuff to people that came in. I'm gonna tell her to get in here and give ya all some more input on this!

[cata5]

LOL Looks like she beat you to it! LOL

[3tbear]

Thanx for the reminder, that's such a nice thing to do for your community. I haven't seen any food drives here yet, but that's not to say they don't have them. We do have soup kitchens and I think that everyone should do their part to help out, donate food. There are so many needy people, even in your own communities.

[eldo]

When I was grocery shopping yesterday, there were 2 large bins full of donated canned goods. It reminded me that I'll have to bring mine in next time.

Originally Posted by cata5

I tend to get rid of things we haven't used or items I bought really cheap. Is that bad? lol

Not at all! As long as it's not expired, who cares if you got a bargain on it? I always search my cupboards for things I bought but won't be using, or something I have too much of, to contribute to the needy.

Today I was cleaning in the pantry and found all sorts of canned goods I know I will never eat such as green and wax beans, tuna, canned ravioli, chili, spaghetti-o's, beef stew, chicken stew, and lots of soup. That will go in the bag along with extra toothbrushes, soap, and many samples of shampoo and conditioners I have received. I'll probably add some hot cereal because I won't eat that either. There are many things I bought for my DH and Mom, and now they're both gone.

[verwon]

Daiquiri, I think it is admirable that you can turn your own pain into assistance for someone else. HUGE HUGS!!

[kat]

My older son's school just did a food drive last week. We sent in:

8 boxes of sugar free Jello
2 boxes of instant oatmeal
2 canned whole chickens
12 boxes mac & cheese
12 cans assorted veggies (corn, carrots & beans)
4 containers of Crystal Light powder (4 tubs in each)

The total for us to buy everything was under $20 and I figured the extras like Crystal Light & jello would be a welcome change from the usual. The entire class also donated a total of $187 to the food bank for buying things like diapers & formula.

[LocaChica]

Originally Posted by cata5

What do food shelves need? Everything, but there are some popular items in perpetually low supply: whole grain cereals, raisins and dried fruit, coffee, tea, canned tuna and canned chicken.
.

That's good to know. Now I have a better idea of what to donate this year.