A lot of people make donations to food pantries this time of year.

I just came back from helping inventory at the one nearest me.
They are in trouble. The one closest to you probably is as well.
Ours has a lot lot of boxed cereal, dried pasta, juice drinks (the ones in little boxes or pouches that are mostly colored sugar water with just enough juice to include it in the description), a surprising amount of junk food, and boxes and boxes of
jello, macaroni and cheese, and hamburger helper.
They are terribly short of actual real food.

So please if you are going to give pasta give sauce as well. If you are going to give boxed meals, give whatever it takes to make them as well.
There are some meals and mixes out there that are of the just add water sort, though they vary tremendously in in quality and are not always available everywhere.

Please do not give box foods that don't work without added meat, unless your local pantry has refrigeration and can take meat, and in that case give the meat needed to make the meal as well.

Please remember that the person it is given to probably has no more idea of what to do with a can of jack mackerel than you do.

Here are some things that food pantries always are short of:

Cooking oils and shortenings, particularly healthy ones
Shelf stable milk, canned or dried are best.
Canned fruit, especially canned in it's own juice, canned or bottled juice that is actual juice is good too.
Shelf stable protein, canned or dried beans, canned tuna, and such like.
Grains such as oatmeal and rice, whole grains if you can
Canned vegetables, 90% of the canned veg that come in locally are green beans, a big percentage of the rest is mixed in the can. Just saying so you think beyond those.

It is always tempting to give flour, but even if you include leavenings not everyone knows how to cook well enough to use it.

Please remember that the people going to food pantries want healthy food just as much as you do.

NightMist

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Thanks for this reminder. I like to take over things I'd like on my table. Yesterday the gym where I go to, a small mostly women-only, set out their foodshare collection bin. I will be taking things in tomorrow morning.

Ginger in CA
[email to respond is gaw93031@msn.com]

On Wednesday, 29 November 2017 08:49:22 UTC-8, Night Mist wrote:

A lot of people make donations to food pantries this time of year.

I just came back from helping inventory at the one nearest me.
They are in trouble. The one closest to you probably is as well.
Ours has a lot lot of boxed cereal, dried pasta, juice drinks (the ones in little boxes or pouches that are mostly colored sugar water with just enough juice to include it in the description), a surprising amount of junk food, and boxes and boxes of

jello, macaroni and cheese, and hamburger helper.

They are terribly short of actual real food.

So please if you are going to give pasta give sauce as well. If you are going to give boxed meals, give whatever it takes to make them as well.
There are some meals and mixes out there that are of the just add water sort, though they vary tremendously in in quality and are not always available everywhere.

Please do not give box foods that don't work without added meat, unless your local pantry has refrigeration and can take meat, and in that case give the meat needed to make the meal as well.

Please remember that the person it is given to probably has no more idea of what to do with a can of jack mackerel than you do.

Here are some things that food pantries always are short of:

Cooking oils and shortenings, particularly healthy ones
Shelf stable milk, canned or dried are best.
Canned fruit, especially canned in it's own juice, canned or bottled juice that is actual juice is good too.
Shelf stable protein, canned or dried beans, canned tuna, and such like. Grains such as oatmeal and rice, whole grains if you can
Canned vegetables, 90% of the canned veg that come in locally are green beans, a big percentage of the rest is mixed in the can. Just saying so you think beyond those.

It is always tempting to give flour, but even if you include leavenings not everyone knows how to cook well enough to use it.

Please remember that the people going to food pantries want healthy food just as much as you do.

NightMist

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Consider giving cash, too. The food pantry can often get more for the
money than you can.

Julia in MN

On 11/29/2017 10:49 AM, Night Mist wrote:

A lot of people make donations to food pantries this time of year.

I just came back from helping inventory at the one nearest me.
They are in trouble. The one closest to you probably is as well.
Ours has a lot lot of boxed cereal, dried pasta, juice drinks (the ones in little boxes or pouches that are mostly colored sugar water with just enough juice to include it in the description), a surprising amount of junk food, and boxes and boxes of

jello, macaroni and cheese, and hamburger helper.

They are terribly short of actual real food.

So please if you are going to give pasta give sauce as well. If you are going to give boxed meals, give whatever it takes to make them as well.
There are some meals and mixes out there that are of the just add water sort, though they vary tremendously in in quality and are not always available everywhere.

Please do not give box foods that don't work without added meat, unless your local pantry has refrigeration and can take meat, and in that case give the meat needed to make the meal as well.

Please remember that the person it is given to probably has no more idea of what to do with a can of jack mackerel than you do.

Here are some things that food pantries always are short of:

Cooking oils and shortenings, particularly healthy ones
Shelf stable milk, canned or dried are best.
Canned fruit, especially canned in it's own juice, canned or bottled juice that is actual juice is good too.
Shelf stable protein, canned or dried beans, canned tuna, and such like. Grains such as oatmeal and rice, whole grains if you can
Canned vegetables, 90% of the canned veg that come in locally are green beans, a big percentage of the rest is mixed in the can. Just saying so you think beyond those.

It is always tempting to give flour, but even if you include leavenings not everyone knows how to cook well enough to use it.

Please remember that the people going to food pantries want healthy food just as much as you do.

NightMist

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)