I support this one in Ottawa, in addition to the food bank:
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This is the most frustrating for food banks, I’m sure. People using it as a “dumping ground” for expired items vs. just throwing it away themselves.
In the past, I’d go to a place like the Christmas Tree Shop (no longer in existence) because they had a full aisle of travel-sized items: toothpaste and toothbrushes (separate and in combination packages), mouthwash, deodorant, shampoos and conditioners, soap, hand lotion, razors, Q-tips, etc. I’d buy 2 dozen of things I thought were needed (and were often listed on my town’s food pantry’s website) and donate them along with food items. Unloading my car trunk with boxes of stuff, the volunteers were always glad to see the toiletries.
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I’m guessing people really dislike the idea of throwing out their unwanted food items. Dunno. Let’s just say that I saw plenty of donated bags of unappetizing holiday candy go past me on the conveyor belt the day I was sorting at the food bank.
But seeing the pallets of staple foods ready for distribution is what truly opened my eyes. Food banks need to be able to buy what they need to provide for their clients at scale, so monetary donations are really important.
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Poor & food insecure people still deserve a little sweet treat now and again, and still have birthdays.
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Agree with you 100%.
Unfortunately, what got donated generally fit the category of “didn’t eat it because we didn’t want it, and now it’s old.”
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We supported a local country food bank’s “special shelf” program. We were supplied dedicated carrier bags in which we deposited non-essential foodstuffs that we bought weekly while doing our personal shopping. Chocolate chips, nuts, condensed milk, coconut, maple syrup, EVOO, real vanilla, anything that might add some joy to a subsistence pantry. (This, of course, to supporting their regular pantry donation program.)
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My son was trying to sign up to do some volunteering in the past couple of years and the local food bank was one of the places he tried for. Strangely, it was only open from 11am-1pm on 3 weekdays and completely closed the other days of the week, including the entire weekend. Because he goes to school and his school lunch break started at 1pm, when the food bank closed for the day (on the 3 days it was open), he was never able to get there. He emailed them and they were like, sorry, we can only have volunteers during our opening hours. So that was that.
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It’s great to hear of young folk wanting to volunteer. Apart from the obvious satisfaction from doing it, it’s valuable work experience and, often, experience of being in a multi-generational environment,
After I retired, I volunteered at our local hospital as a “meet and greeter”. There were usually two regular volunteers on the shift, but we regularly had young people helping out for several weeks at a time. It was usually as work experience for their CV. I enjoyed having them alongside us - they brought a different perspective to us “old gits”.
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Yes, he ended up volunteering at the local hospital, funnily enough. It was very limited because the rules and regulations around under-18s volunteering are immense.
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I donate money because I was told it would be more helpful.
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Same.
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