Reply to Food Bank donations in lieu of gifts

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Just an FYI at the food pantry I volunteer at nobody wants the canned goods. They specifically ask us to not give them and if we do they leave them outside. So if you're going to do this at least ask for something useful like cereal, fruit cups, juice, rice and dry beans. Hispanics are a big portion of the customer base and they do not like peanut butter or boxes Mac and cheese so stay away from that too. [/quote]

My local food bank's current list is:
pasta (I was told they have enough sauce)
cereal
spam

Staples that they never can have enough:
peanut butter
mac and cheese
canned corn
canned green beans
canned chicken
canned/pouch tuna
soup, both canned and mix
formula
baby food (not toddler, baby)

Taxable (big items they would prefer to know about ahead of time):
toilet paper
2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner
deodorant
bar soap
diapers

Our local food bank serves people who are older or who don't have time to cook, so they don't want dry beans.  Many of the people don't know HOW to cook, so rice isn't wanted.  Anything with all the ingredients included and directions on the back will be taken... eventually.

The food bank is run out of a local church, and there's no refrigeration and very little freezer space, so anything perishable must come in as donations start coming out, and anything left at the end of the day must go.

Our food bank may have a list for staples and current needs, but they have NEVER told someone not to bring something in (as long as it was usable).  We thought it was somewhat strange when someone brought in 100 cans of sardines, but I was working two days later when the old guy came in and saw them.  Because we knew that most people in our area wouldn't want them, we put them on the table with items close to expiration or with unknown expiration dates (from which everyone may take up to 5 things without counting them towards their weekly total).  He took 5 from the table, and then asked if he could substitute cans of sardines for each item he was allotted for the week, so we let him take them all (much more than his allotment, but we didn't care).  It turns out that sardines have been his once a month splurge for the last 15 years, something that reminded him of sitting and talking with his grandfather while fishing.  Nobody else is our area had ever expressed an interest in sardines, but we made his day.

It sounds like your food bank doesn't allow any choice if people ask you not to give them certain items and then they leave them?  If so, it sounds like the way you distribute needs to change.[/quote]

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