What Never to Give to a Food Bank
By Sara Butler
This is the time of year people are all about giving – it’s fantastic. You’re probably scouring your cabinets to see what kinds of things you have laying around to donate to your local food pantry in order to help out those in need. Food banks certainly appreciate donations, but save the time and give them things that they actually can use. Here are some things it’s smart to avoid giving if you really want to help.
Homemade Items
Sure, in your pantry you have roughly 4,281 jars of green beans you canned last summer and they need a home. Give them out as gifts to friends and family rather than donating them because a food pantry can’t use homemade items. They need items with an ingredients label in order to make sure that they don’t run into allergy problems. And you could be some crazy serial killer that poisons people – they don’t know you’re not. So, save the homemade stuff for something else.
Items in Glass
Food pantries have to transport stuff, and things in glass containers are a huge hazard. Plus, they’re heavier than metal cans or boxes. So, save the backs of the food pantry workers and volunteers and keep everyone’s safety in mind by moving past anything packaged in glass for donation.
Expired Food
This should go without saying, but some people find expired food in their pantry and think “I can donate this!” No, you can’t and you shouldn’t. Food pantries won’t serve expired food items, and if it goes unnoticed at the time of donation, then the expired food is taking up precious space on shelves. So, check out the expiration dates of items you donate and make sure they’re good.
Alcohol
You may just be trying to spread some holiday cheer with a bottle of booze, but be practical. Food pantries are seeking to nourish people, and alcohol is not nourishment. If you want to give something a bit more festive, consider some fruit juice instead of that bottle of wine.
Open Food
Again, this one should go without saying, but people do actually donate open packages of food to food pantries. It may just be an accidental rip, but even then a food pantry can’t take it. So, check out your donations thoroughly.
If you’re looking to donate to your local food bank, consider calling and asking what they are most in need of. And make sure you think about healthy foods for those in need, too!
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