09/06/2024
I’ve seen this post and I wanted to add some things to it. Most people buy what they think food pantry users want, but have never asked them. If you help families, single people, foster youth and the homeless, this list can help better tailor your donations! Some tips and guidance if you donate to food pantries derived from feedback by those who use them:
1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks. There are some mac and cheese boxes that come with everything and all you have to do is add water. Look for sales and coupons and get store brand items vs name brand.
2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of. Also, if you’re donating cereal is everything and breakfast foods are hard to get a hold of. Check for sales on this too and also check for the weight of the cereal. Some deals look great but recently some boxes of cereal are like 8 ounces. Also check for complete pancakes, again just adding water finishes them and you don’t need to add a lot of extras. That said, donate some syrup. The amount of pancake mix without syrup is wild.
3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles. Actually everyone donates pasta but not a lot of sauce. The amount of times I wish we had sauce to give out with noodles.
4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops. This. It’s so real. Also when getting veggies or soup mix it up a bit. The best sales I have found are some random flavors and those easy open tops are everything.
5. Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice a-Roni which they also get a lot of. Again, we don’t see a lot of rice a Roni. A lot of great options are micro bags or easy steam bags.
6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Christmas gift. To be honest try salad dressings too. The joy to get some ranch, hot sauce, ketchup, bbq sauce, changes someone’s whole day.
7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care.
8. Sugar and flour are treats. Honestly, anything that helps someone make a meal and make it taste good help. I don’t know if they are treats but they are a real need.
9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores. I’m not sure if it’s fawned over but fresh is the best for everyone.
10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growng can be easy for some. You can make little garden kits to hand out too. Those are game changing.
11. They rarely get fresh meat. Yes, we get fresh meat. It would be awesome to get more canned meats and a bit more shelf stable meats. We don’t see much meat alternatives and also kid friendly proteins. Meaning while it’s awesome to get a steak donated having some nuggets or lunch meats or something smaller is also nice for kids.
12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch. They do!
13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef. Actually it does but beef does make a huge difference!
14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread. Actually peanut butter and jelly we hardly see. Jelly is like big foot. Bread comes and goes but what would be awesome would be like tortillas, or hotdog buns and hamburger buns.
15. Butter or margarine is nice too. This hardly ever appears but when it does it’s a whole joy.
16. Eggs are a real commodity. They really are, we see them a lot more than we used to.
17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake. Also there’s some recipes out there so you don’t need milk or eggs. We love birthday cakes! They have complete mixes now too!
18. Dish Soap / Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated.
19. hygiene products are a luxury and people will cry over that. Yes, I removed a couple words on the op. Honestly anything to take care of one’s self is a gift and is one of the kindest things
20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing. But do they really? But it’s an affordable filler and is great around holidays too.
Also, please consider donating dog and cat food. Some people have hit a temporary low point and don’t want to give up their pets but find they have to choose to feed themselves or their pets. While that is great also donate bunny food and fish food and any other kinds of pet friendly foods.
A few other notes from experience:
Not mentioned, baby items.. diapers, formula.. and cases of water and drinks. I forgot to mention drinks are good, oh and snacks that might be healthy too, new sheets, blankets and towels are on everyone’s list. The thing is no matter what you donate it makes a difference. You know what makes a huge difference to food pantries, volunteers. Volunteers to drive around and pick up food before it spoils from groceries and markets. Volunteers to help bag food and hand it out. I love this post but as someone running a food pantry I wanted to add a little bit.
I forgot one thing, add a couple of the collapsible carts. If you can donate one or two of those. People walking to pantries almost never have these and it makes such a huge impact.
gluten free items. 🤗
soft foods
little to no prep
The biggest give to remember is $ …I know we can purchase in bulk and get deals. Some pantries order together and buy the pallet or skid. At the end of the day again, it’s all meaningful.
Last note: check with the pantry you want to donate to. Every pantry is different and has different needs.
Feel free to add more to the post
