Best Food Bank Donations

[Melody]

We're all very aware of the Food Banks this time of year. Seems everyone from party organizers to schools are collecting items for the food banks. Here are the top Food Bank requests:

Pasta products & Rice
Canned meats and fish
Dry and canned soups & stews
Canned fruit & vegetables
Flour
Breakfast cereal
Peanut butter
Canned/Powdered milk
Fruit Juices
Pasta Sauce
Beans & Legumes
Infant formula & Baby FoodList of Food Banks across Canada (http://www.cafb-acba.ca/main2.cfm?id=107184A2-B6A7-8AA0-6E9C8A6A9610C72B)

I have fun trying to find the most nutrionally complete items to donate and/or those that may be a bit more pricey so not as commonly donated. One of my fave donations is Chunky Soup. Oh and here's a tip for ya - no matter what week it is, there's almost always some kind of baby food on sale at your fave store. You can feed a baby for a day for under $5 easily.

Sharing what I have gives me perspective. I hope you'll be able to share this year too.

If you need a hand this Christmas, please lean on the organizations and resources available to you. That's what they're there for. :)

[ChrissyFishy]

:Dinner: You are right there are food drives everywhere!!! I am going to post this list at work if that is ok.:ChristmasTree8:

[Melody]

Thanks for bumping this up Chris, its that time of year again (already).

By all means post it where you like, its a list from their site and public domain.:smile:

[Canadian]

:thumbup::Applaud::ShakeHands: nice job!


this will make christmas a lot brighter for them and its always nice :Emoticon_Christmas: (giving)

[James]

This xmas as in several past ones, every member of our family gives a set amount of money to a fund. That fund is then spent on a basket for a family that is local. Always its a single mother with kids. This idea was started by my neice and now its a tradition for us.

It also makes it so we don't have to try and shop for something one of us wants, which to me is great. I hate shopping!

James

[Melody]

So you do it in lieu of exchanging gifts? Fantastic idea, either way.:yes:

The receptionist and I were talking about it and we are going to do a 'Christmas in July' type thing for the food bank. They need more donations this time of year and a lot of people/businesses/schools/etc help them out, but then in the Summer people often get busy and forget to support them.

[ChrissyFishy]

::D:melody a lot of people said thank you for that list and some even photocopied it for other drives. It was a big help thank you. :notworthy:

[Melody]

My pleasure :smile:

[KnaveTO]

Please also remember your local HIV/AIDS organization for food bank drives. A lot of HIV+ people don't go into food banks due to issues of privacy and discrimination (ues it still percists in todays society) and they are in need of healthy food to maintain their current health or improve it. These organizations are overlooked at this time of the year as most people don't realize that they have a small internal food bank that is quite often very much in need of donations.

[baycitybettas]

Personally I think philanthropy should be a part of every ones life. I think the biggest problem is the "campaigns" that overwhelm people. i.e. "what does my $20 bucks do for a nation wiped out by a tsunami"? If we take a step back and "finance" our giving, we can do much more quite easily... For example- I made a pact many years ago to spend $1 on a food bank item every time I went to the grocery store. The odd time I forgot, so I spent $2 the next time I went in. I shop 4-6 times a week, so we are talking upwards of 24 items a month donated times 12 months... I never miss that dollar and I know I make a decent contribution over the year.

Foster Parents Plan has been a great joy in my life and I encourage anyone with a little more then a dollar a day burning a hole in your pocket to sponsor a child. I sponsor 2 children and I cannot even begin to describe the feeling I get knowing that I am helping a child in such dire need. The letters I receive are mearly the icing on the cake! I receive regular updates, letters written by the family and photos. Give up a nasty cup of that Timmys crap every day and spend a buck where it really matters.

Another one of my favorite charities is www.kiva.org (http://www.kiva.org)
It is a microfinance opportunity that changes the lives of marginalized citizens everywhere. The best part is that every loan that is repaid to you, you get to loan to another struggling entrpreneur. It is the epitome of "teach a man to fish".

I hope this info inspires you to persue a charitable path.....