Some suggestions:

Capital area food bank
Feeding America
So Others Might Eat

I’m a fed with two kids, husbands salary is half of mine. Money would help specifically money for food. Or if someone could pay for grocery pickup and I pick it up. (Just a dream but this is probably what helps most). We’re eating beans and frozen ground beef I got on sale. But for my kiddos I still get fresh berries, fresh veggies, and the food they like (and some of it is organic sigh).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are donating a ton of spices to a food bank near us.

what kind? where did you get a ton of it?

We just went to a grocery store and bought them. There’s no magic to this.

Most Feds should have the brains and ability to figure it all out for themselves. It's the poor who need help right now.
They don't know what keeps them poor or how to get out. I was that poor and 2008-2009 was horrific. I had two job during that time that cost me more to go to work that to stay home. Most people don't even know this is possible.

I have helped people personally. Cash to food bank seems second best.

Anonymous wrote:We are donating a ton of spices to a food bank near us.

Are you serious?

Donating money to a food bank, food to a food bank, buying gift cards, etc.

If you know someone personally struggling, send them a Target or Walmart gift card. This can help them get food, toiletries, clothing, whatever they need at the moment.

Look for a community fridge in your area. Food banks are great but not always convenient for working people. I also volunteer with a larger food bank in my city sometimes but more often with a community fridge because I think it helps the people who falls through the cracks of the bigger organizations. You can generally drop off food any time of day as they’re always open. I can’t tell you the number of conversations I’ve had with people there as I’m dropping off and how grateful they are. I’ve had grandparents thank me because they’ve gotten custody of a grandchild now and have a hard time feeding them. I once had an older couple thank me profusely as I was loading the fridge and then when I got back in my car, the woman knocked on my window to thank me again and said, “God bless you. You don’t know how badly we needed this food”. Sometimes no one is there when I’m dropping off but more often there is and you can see the need. And the food goes fast so the fridges are often empty when I arrive and often empty again before I leave.

It’s a good way to give directly. Many have Instagram accounts with requests/needs. I tend to drop off milk, eggs, cereal, yogurt tubes for kids, and often just what I find a good deal on at the grocery store while I’m there.

And for the spices mentioned above, you would be surprised. The fridge organizers I work with are always asking for spices because it’s considered an “extra” that people with very limited budgets feel like they can’t splurge on and they’re always requested to help them make their meals taste better.

Anonymous wrote:
We are donating a ton of spices to a food bank near us.


I’m sure that’s what everyone needs.

+1 Just donate money.

Anonymous wrote:We are donating a ton of spices to a food bank near us.

I’m sure that’s what everyone needs.

Calling legislators will do nothing. They are too entrenched in partisan politics to actually govern.
Best course of action is to simply donate, volunteer, etc.
Or maybe just be a listening ear for those of us who are stressed out. I'm in government contracting and like many it has been a very bad year. I was feeling more optimistic before the shutdown. Now my company is furloughing people or worse each week this carries on.

Anonymous wrote:We are donating a ton of spices to a food bank near us.

what kind? where did you get a ton of it?

We are donating a ton of spices to a food bank near us.

For those who are furloughed or are affected by the SNAP uncertainty, how can the DCUM community help? Donations to food banks? Writing to our legislators?