Food banks are always in need of healthy food options. With so many people facing food insecurity, our local food banks need our help now more than ever. Below, you’ll find a list of food pantry needs and tips that will help you know what to buy support your local food bank.
Our Experience with Needing a Food Bank
There was a point in our lives when we needed food banks to get by. We had unexpected expenses, were in college, and I was between jobs. We didn’t qualify for SNAP benefits. It was a rough, mortifying place to be. One thing that stood out to me even then was that there were few options for healthy food at the food bank: low-quality meats (cheaper than the 73% lean and chicken legs we needed to clean growing up), no fresh or frozen vegetables, fruits canned in heavy syrup, and high-sodium boxed meals.
It didn’t exactly create the healthiest meal, but at least we didn’t starve. It was food on our plates and in our stomachs. We were grateful to have food, but it opened my eyes to the need to donate healthier staples when I donate to my local food bank.
“It’s easy to feel helpless with so much need. Poverty, brokenness, hunger…It seems daunting… but here’s how we can help.”
How can we make a difference in our community?
It’s easy to feel helpless when we see so much need around us – poverty, brokenness, hunger, homelessness. The problems seem daunting and insurmountable. They are if we try to solve them alone. Together we can make a difference. All it takes is action.
There are so many things we can do to help make a difference. If we stop leaving it to the government to fix and step up to be the difference in our communities, we can change the world one person at a time.
Don’t miss the handy printable of healthier food items to donate to the food pantry at the end of this post. Print it and take it to the grocery store for an easy buying guide.
Practical ways to support local food banks.
A practical way we can help is by donating to our local food banks. A simple search for ‘food banks in ________’ will give you the information you need.
Give money.
Donating money to your local food bank goes a long way. They often have access to purchase food at wholesale/discount rates through buying programs, etc.. Donating money allows them to stretch the dollar even farther. Per Feeding America, they can distribute 10 meals for $1. I certainly can’t stretch one dollar into 10 meals.
Donate food.
If you want to donate food rather than money, you don’t need to spend a lot to make a difference. Even if you have limited resources, a packet of tuna fish can help someone. What if each time you grocery shop, you bought 1 extra can of tuna fish, pasta sauce, or a box of pasta? Or what if you took $5 of your grocery money and purchased items for your local food bank instead?
Tips for finding money in your budget to donate to the local food bank
- Take $5 of your grocery money and buy staples for a local food bank.
- Cut the coffee. If you buy drinks or lunch out, cut one a week and use that money to buy food for the food bank.
- “Buy an extra.” Buy an extra box of pasta, peanut butter, tuna fish, cereal, etc. and donate it.
- Set aside $1 each week for a local food bank.
- Host a Food Drive. Ask each person to donate a few cans or boxes. Share the printable list at the bottom of this post for an easy guide. Here’s how to host a food drive in New Hampshire.
People have told me they would love to donate but never know what to give and they don’t want to donate heavily processed or unhealthy foods. Honestly, the answer is simple. Look in your cabinets. What do you eat that is shelf stable?
Yes, there are food banks than accept refrigerated, frozen, and fresh products but you need to speak with your individual food bank about what they accept. They all have different guidelines or abilities for storing.
See below for practical dry food staples you can donate to your local food bank and a handy printable guide.
Here’s a handy guide to practical and/or healthy food staples you can donate to your local food bank.
Breakfast Foods to Donate
- Whole Grain Cereal
- Rolled Oats
- Pancake Mix
- Baby Cereal
- Syrup
Lunch and Dinner Foods to Donate
- Tuna Fish
- Canned Chicken
- Peanut Butter
- No-Nut Butter
- Jelly
- Whole grain pasta
- Brown Rice
- Canned Beans
- Dry Beans
- Canned Vegetables (low sodium/no salt)
- Canned Fruit (light syrup/in own juices)
- Pasta Sauce
- Condiments
- Dry Goods – Sugar, Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Spices
- Baby Food
Snack Foods to Donate
- Applesauce
- Raisins
- Dry Fruit
- Granola Bars
- Whole Grain Crackers
- Trail Mix
- Nuts
Fresh Foods to “Ask Before You Take”
- Fresh Vegetables
- Fresh Fruit
- Meats
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Eggs
- Bread
- Frozen Vegetables
Just a note: You can ‘clean out your cabinets’ and donate and some food banks are able to use food after it is expired but think Golden Rule. Would you want someone to give YOU their expired food? It’s better than wasting it, but be gracious and loving.
Click the image below to print this handy guide of healthy items to donate to your local food bank.
Do food expenses stress you out? Here is my series on ways you can cut the budget and live on $29/per person per week. In just a few weeks I am starting a new series with practical ways you can start reducing your grocery budget even more.
