Since the popularity of the ice bucket challenge has been such a huge success, I’m sure every charity under the sun has started trying to figure out ways to generate some revenue. And being someone who doesn’t do a lot of social media, for all I know, what I’m about to pass on to you guys may be plastered all over Facebook, twitter and Instagram. Regardless, I’m gonna do it anyway and if you’re already participating, just send some of Skald’s henchmen my way to punish me for being repetitive and terribly behind technology.
So, here’s the dealio…
[It’s sooooo simple!]
Between now and the first couple weeks of December, once a week, you add a can (or box, whatever) to a pile of what you’ll eventually gather up for your local food bank. The theory is, by just buying one a week, you won’t really feel the financial crunch, but the final contribution will be more substantial and incredibly helpful. What I’m doing is a tweak to that; I simply pick up one additional item any time I’m in the grocery store. I started about two weeks ago and, thus far, the costs have been so negligible (even though I’m trying to not skimp on just generic items too), that sometimes I splurge on multiples. It’s been awesome so far.
Therefore, Straight Dope Message Board Denizens, I challenge you all. Please give this a shot if you can. I’ve enjoyed this so much already, that I’m making plans to do it year round. Also, as someone who has benefited from the kindness of strangers, I can assure you that your recipients will forever be grateful.
Happy and fruitful shopping!
Sounds pretty good. We’ve got a nice local assistance center that I like to donate to. Sounds like a good way for me to get them stuff without feeling the crunch.
You are such a good and kind person. Do remember that many of the people who receive the food don’t have a way to cook it. Also…think about buying some pet food. Yeah, I know…poor people shouldn’t have pets, but sometimes the pet is what it takes to get an elderly person out of the bed in the morning.
Oh my goodness, this is awesome! And I suppose basics like socks or other toiletries would be good as well. I’ll add these to my list, too. This is such an incredibly cool way to do it. We could be putting in all sorts of things folks need and it won’t ever really crimp our budgets.
This is not my idea, I stole it from someone else. You know those little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo in motels? Grab all of them that you can get your hands on. They are always very well received at St. Vincent’s.
If you stay in the same room for a couple of days, tip the housekeeper and she will give you extras. Its a win-win situation, you make a housekeeper happy and have small, handy bottles to take to the shelter/foodbank.
My cousin (whose son was hospitalized for a brain tumor when he was 4) saves all those bottles from hotels and makes care packages for the moms and dads living in the pediatric wards. Also very well received.
My local food bank has a drive where once a year they stand outside supermarkets and ask for donations. I’ve seen people with a full cart refuse and mothers with children and one bag give something.
My local foodbank has had people give back food because they don’t know how to use it. The food they hand out is simple fare, pasta, tinned tomato, sugar, etc. Some of their clients have never learned to cook anything from scratch, so when they are presented with tomatoes and pasta, they don’t know how to combine that into a filling meal. The only food they have ever known is pre made and cooked in a microwave. I will be honest, but until recently, I wouldn’t have known what to do either, and I’m fast approaching 40.
The foodbank has now started giving out recipe suggestions that are very basic, ie not just cut an onion, but tells them how to cut an onion. This has helped clients out considerably. They are now starting to do cooking classes to help people cook as cheaply and efficiently as possible. And alongside this, there are drop-in sessions to teach people how to budget and to help them stay out of debt
So if you can help your foodbank with donations of food, please do. If you can also help teach people how to cook on a budget, please also help them by donating some of your time as well.
(begin rant) And wherever you live, let your elected representatives know how disgusting it is that there is a need for foodbanks in society, and demand they bring about change. (end rant)
The few food banks I’ve interacted with (so YMMV) prefer monetary donations over food donations. The money you spend paying retail price for foods that the banks don’t necessarily want will go much farther (10-20x) if they spend it on bulk purchases themselves. Never mind the manpower needed to handle random food donations. And your wasted time in moving it around.
Instead, you can maximize your impact by setting up monthly monetary transfers to many food banks. It may not feel as good though, so it depends on your priorities.
A couple of things you can check on in your area that will provide immediate help:
Meals on Wheels: the people who receive these are elderly or disabled. Check with your local chapter to see if they need route drivers (I’m betting yes).
Backpack/weekend lunch programs: the number of young children who participate in subsidized breakfast and lunch programs at school is larger than you may think. At the elementary school in my neighborhood, which is far from poverty level, the number is 25% of the enrollment. Of that 25%, there are 10-12 children who are in dire straits at home, having little to eat on the weekends, which means homework suffers.
The number is much higher in poorer areas of the city. There is a woman who heads up a donation-based weekend backpack lunch program that feeds nearly 200 kids. It’s all prepared food, so heating in a pan is all that’s needed.
I’ve been doing this for quite some time through my church. I usually do include some non-food items such as napkins and toiletries. The donations go to a local service called Neighbors In Need which runs a soup kitchen in addition to distributing food, clothing and other needed items to people in need.
faithfool this is not to say that this is not a great idea. Thank you for bringing it up. Also, thanks to others for the other suggestions of items to include. Chefguy the weekend backpack/weekend lunch program is awesome. I believe that’s done here, but I’m going to check into it to be sure.
These suggestions about hotel leftover freebies is the bomb. In my own case, since we’re too broke for that, I wouldn’t be able to take advantage of it. However, I’ll certainly pass it along to anyone else who does, especially friends who travel a lot. Thanks!
This is such an astute observation. Since I volunteer at the retail shop that benefits the food bank, we get tons of cookbooks to resale. I wonder if finding really simple recipes in them, photocopying them, and adding them to your donation would be a good idea? Or even downloading them off the computer? I’m not the greatest cool in the world, nor do I have much spare time these days in between doctor’s visits, but surely there’s some other way for me to be able to do something on this end. I’ll have to think on it and ask for specifics about it at the food bank come Tuesday. Gracias!
Sadly, though, my actual donation budget is only about $10 a month. If I try to save an equal amount of what I’m spending at the store to donate in one lump sum, the money would end up instead going to pay a little extra on a bill. This way, I don’t even miss .69¢ (or whatever) somewhere. Also, we’re out in the boonies and all of the area food banks (there’s four or five of various sizes all within about a 75 mile radius) are constantly having drives in area grocery stores, etc. They beg for food, just like the one did that was in partnership with the Meals on Wheels I used to run. So, I dunno. Maybe it’s where you’re at? Regardless, I just hope people give in whatever way they can, but this is a good reminder to always check on what’s most needed and how it’s best for you to help with that.
Oh goodness yes. I did Meals on Wheels for three years. I loved it beyond belief because the people you served were just incredible, but the need for drivers never ceased. Unfortunately, it’s so bad out here (I suppose that’s due to all the distance involved, since we’re I’m a rural area versus a metroplex), they pay an employee to do it, so that they can ensure a reliable delivery. So, if this appeals to you, please consider doing it. It will repay you in heart hugs a million times over.
Also, a weekend geared charity is probably one of the best things one ever heard. I always worried tons about my people when it wasn’t Monday through Friday, and it broke my heart to think that some of them pretty much went without anytime after that. Therefore, if this is doable for anyone who has gotten this far, I implore you to consider. The need is so great and I know that everyone involved would appreciate any help you can give in that area. Thank you, Chefguy, so much for bringing it up. What an excellent thing to do.
I can’t thank everyone enough in this thread for what you’re already doing. To see so many Dopers helping however they can makes my heart sing. I’ve always known, and experienced first hand, how generous you all can be, but it’s just wonderful to have it confirmed once again. Thank you all sooooooo much!
Also if you have more time than money lots of places need help sorting and preparing food pantry boxes.
I work once a month or so at a homeless shelter that serves 3 hot meals a day to those who would otherwise not eat. On a busy day like the last week of the month in cold weather they serve upwards of 2,000 meals a day. That’s a lot of work.
We were inspired by the woman I mentioned, who grew up hungry, and with few resources for food (she’s now in her 80s). Through the kindness of strangers, she was able to get by, and she went from being a hungry child to a child who could concentrate on her schooling, went on to get a PhD, and when she retired she decided to pay it back. She organizes food drives through the PTA and gets donations from various people, and uses volunteers to pick up food from Costco.
But here’s the kicker: instead of just having adult volunteers pack the lunches, she has doubled down on her effort by having schools and teachers agree to use the packing as part of their community service segment. Part of her presentation is to ask if any of the kids have ever been really hungry, and what did it feel like. Then she asks what they were able to do about it. The usual answer is “I got something from the cupboard”. Of course her next question is “How would you feel if when you went to the cupboard, there was nothing there?” The woman is a real heroine in my eyes.
We have disposable income in our retirement, so taking a cue from Marilyn, we went to the local elementary school and asked about children in crisis at home. They identified five right away, as kids who were not getting enough to eat, whose parents were out of work or disabled, etc. That number has climbed to 12, and we anonymously provide weekend lunches for them, and through any holiday period during the school year. The disturbing part of this is that we can’t seem to get the principal to get off his ass and approach the PTA about making this a non-profit effort and perhaps helping out financially, especially since 12 is our limit. He expresses his gratitude, and makes noises about helping out, but we’re going on to our 3rd school year now without relief.
Anyway, my point is this: if you’re retired and you’ve got money enough in the bank to where you’re in no danger of running out, this is a good way to do some good for kids who can’t help themselves. If you’re hungry, it’s all you can think of, to the exclusion of pretty much all else.
faithfool its people like you and Chefguy and his friend who make a big difference in the world. Talking about the hunger problem is very helpful, because a lot of people don’t think about it. Once they are reminded, they do things.
About 10 years back, I had a neighbor who was a Meals on Wheels driver and she told me about one of her clients who had a little old dog. She was worried that the lady was giving her food to the dog because the dog food bowl was always empty. That’s when I got in the habit of buying pet food for them. I would have never thought to do it without that random conversation.
You live out in the sticks, do you ever drive past a tractor or feed and grain store? If so go in and see if they have free samples of pet food. Most of the time, the store employees don’t care how much you take…its not costing the store anything. I hand them out to people with dogs begging on the side of the road. They are usually very well received.
This is food bank season for me. My birthday is coming up in about a month, and I throw a big party at the house. I ask my guests to bring some non-perishables that I can donate to my favorite local food bank. This also helps people feel like they are bringing something to the party - I have beer on tap, and don’t want gifts. And many of my friends are well paid engineers, and have enough money to spend on some extras. I think we’re going to do a drive at my (small) office as well.
It’s easy to collect canned goods at just about any gathering. I make it my trademark.
I’ll do a second donation at the end of hurricane season.
When my dad was still gardening, there were many years after retirement that he had an overabundance of garden produce. He got in the habit of donating the excess to a local food pantry and to a soup kitchen.
Although they are perishable, fresh produce is appreciated by organizations. Especially the stuff that is commonly eaten raw.
