# NY Dopers: where to donate pantry items? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-dopers-where-to-donate-pantry-items/986387 "2023-07-01T00:40:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-dopers-where-to-donate-pantry-items/986387/1 "2023-07-01T00:40:17Z")
Hi folks, Long story short, I am going to Forest Hills, Queens on Sunday to pack up my recently deceased father’s apartment because the real estate agent apparently thinks it should be shown empty, and my brother (the executor) wants to sell it ASAP. We will have a very limited amount of time; there are movers coming Wednesday morning, 7/5 to take one load to my sister and me in Chicago, and another load to storage near my brother’s house in DC. But there will be quite a bit of stuff that a) my sister-in-law will be posting on Facebook Marketplace in hopes that someone will come buy it during the short window while we are there; or b) some other company will come clear out the remainder after the movers leave, and will donate or trash the rest of it. One item is pantry groceries; I am not going to haul it home, and I don’t think most food pantries accept anything opened. (I will probably bring home the spices, because that shit is expensive and I gave Dad some nice stuff, but the rest needs to go away.) Does anyone know of a good destination for anything opened or partially used? My brother could bring stuff home, but I am 99 and 44/100% sure that he won’t, and I hate to see perfectly good food end up in a dumpster. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-dopers-where-to-donate-pantry-items/986387/2 "2023-07-01T21:57:52Z")
Just put all the unwanted stuff (food and goods) out in the yard and put up signs “free stuff”? ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-dopers-where-to-donate-pantry-items/986387/3 "2023-07-02T01:59:51Z")
Yard? It’s a giant apartment building in New York. There is no yard. Maybe one of Dad’s friends in the building? Or the doormen? I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-dopers-where-to-donate-pantry-items/986387/4 "2023-07-02T22:01:43Z")
I live in a Chicago high rise, we have an internal bulletin board on the building app that has postings for people giving or selling things as they move out or don’t need any longer. Is something like that an option? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-dopers-where-to-donate-pantry-items/986387/5 "2023-07-04T22:16:56Z")
I second a bulletin board, or a “FREE STUFF” sign. Food pantries, etc. almost never take opened packages, and if they do, they have to discard them. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-dopers-where-to-donate-pantry-items/986387/6 "2023-07-04T22:51:10Z")
ETA: If they do RECEIVE THEM, they have to discard them.