Volunteering or Donating to a Food Bank

If you have some extra time, you might want to help out at your local food bank. Whether you just have a few hours to help serve a holiday meal or can commit to a regular shift, most food banks really need your help. If you prefer to spend your time helping pets rather than people, there are pet food banks that need help too.

Sites like https://www.volunteermatch.org/ can help you locate a volunteer opportunity near you.

If you are a little short on time, you can always donate cash or goods to your local food bank.

If you want to donate food, keep in mind that due to health codes, most food banks cannot accept home made goods or open packages of food. Most also prefer smaller family or individual size items. The large “Costco” size packages typically need to be repackaged and most food banks simply do not have the resources to handle this. Also, items that are packed in glass (glass containers break frequently) or containers that are easily crushed are not the best for food banks.

If you are wondering what to give, it seems that most want canned goods like tuna, fruit, soup, chili, and other ready to make items like mac & cheese, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, oatmeal, box juices and staples like flour and sugar. If you want to donate frozen items like a turkey, make sure that your local food bank has room in their freezer.

Volunteering is very rewarding. I think that the benefits you will reap from donating your time and/or money/goods will come back to you tenfold.