Do fire stations accept leftover goodies?

Evelyn_Gorfram
Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Yesterday was my birthday. My mom wanted to be sure I was happy, so she made me promise to buy myself a birthday cake - with candles! - and, the vagaries of Mom-management being what they are, I did. (Trust me, it's so much easier this way.)

I've bought the cake I most wanted, taken pictures for evidence, and eaten my birthday slice (within my calories goal, too). I'd planned to wrap and freeze the rest of the slices and dole them out for treats, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do that - I can hear them calling my name right now. My friends and neighbors mostly people don't need a big dose of high-fat sugary carbs anymore than I do, so I'm not sure what to do with the rest of the cake (I guess I could throw it out, but it's very good cake...)

It's been opened and sliced and a piece is missing, so the food bank is out. It occurred to me that there's a fire station near here, presumably chock-full of active athletic types who can burn a extra hundred grams of carbs or two without much adverse effect. Plus, they'd probably like it.

Does anyone have any experience with bringing food like this to fire stations? (Are they likely to be offended by it not being a whole cake?)

Or, what do you do with your extra goodies? Should I just look up the nearest "Weights-R-Us Gym & Testosterone Parlor," set the cake outside the door, yell "Free Carbs!," and try to avoid being trampled?

Replies

  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
    Our local hospice center takes all leftovers for the families of their patients. We also have a homeless shelter that takes them.

    I went to a potluck yesterday and have leftovers. I'm taking those to work today.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    We have a neighborhood fire station and when the kids were younger we would walk over and they would tour them around the station and let them sit in one of the trucks (they are on rotation, so they know which one goes next). Sometimes we would take treats, usually cookies. I would not have taken them a cake with a slice missing, but if I had sliced it and laid the pieces out in an overlapping circle on a plate, I am sure they would have been happy to get it. But they knew us; showing up with something for them wasn't first contact.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    If I have leftovers of anything I can't trust myself around, I either freeze them in individual servings or toss them. :)
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,610 Member
    Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
    It's been opened and sliced and a piece is missing, so the food bank is out. It occurred to me that there's a fire station near here, presumably chock-full of active athletic types who can burn a extra hundred grams of carbs or two without much adverse effect. Plus, they'd probably like it.

    Does anyone have any experience with bringing food like this to fire stations? (Are they likely to be offended by it not being a whole cake?)

    Or, what do you do with your extra goodies? Should I just look up the nearest "Weights-R-Us Gym & Testosterone Parlor," set the cake outside the door, yell "Free Carbs!," and try to avoid being trampled?

    If a complete stranger gave you a cake with a slice missing, would YOU eat it?


    As the others have mentioned, you could take it to work. Some of my coworkers do that. But even then, personally, I don't go for those cakes ... who knows where it's been.


    On a birthday a couple years ago, I made two single-serve lava cakes ... one for me and one for my husband. That solved the leftover cake problem.

    On my last birthday, we went out for dinner, and I ordered the nicest dessert on the menu. There were no leftovers there either.

  • TheIronsMan
    TheIronsMan Posts: 1,244 Member
    Yes they do
  • JennJ323
    JennJ323 Posts: 646 Member
    We have a large conference every year in January at work, always have leftovers at lunch and dinner (both are catered all week) and we always drop them off at the police/fire station. They love it! It's more than just cake though, it's an entire meal for the crew. I don't know if I'd bother with just a cake, but full meals I'm sure they'd appreciate.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I'd just freeze it or take it to work. I don't have this problem though living with 2 kids and my husband.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,739 Member
    I would cut it up so no one knows it's a used cake and just ask them.

    But mostly I leave food I've tried and not liked or couldn't control myself around on a bus stop bench for the homeless. I started doing this when I'd bought some grapes during one of my evening walks and knew I wouldn't be able to stop eating them so threw them away. The next morning I saw a homeless man eating them and thought it sucked he had to go through the trash can so made it a habit to leave any food more accessible.

    And it's up to anyone taking the food to trust they're not being poisoned. :)
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    Give it to people you know well (close neighbor, family, friends, co-workers) or toss it. Are there any neighbors who might have kids or grandkids around who would want some? Only ask if you know them well though. I find it strange to give someone a partially eaten cake if you aren't close with them.

    Another option- wrap it in foil and freeze it. Overnight ship it to your mother. Since she was adamant that you get it, she can deal with the leftovers.

    Or else, just throw it away. People don't need to be so concerned with saving food they don't want or need. It's that same "clear your plate mentality," that leads people to overeat. It's okay to throw it away.

    Next time, don't buy a whole cake. Buy a cupcake instead.
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member

    Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
    Yesterday was my birthday. My mom wanted to be sure I was happy, so she made me promise to buy myself a birthday cake - with candles! - and, the vagaries of Mom-management being what they are, I did. (Trust me, it's so much easier this way.)

    I've bought the cake I most wanted, taken pictures for evidence, and eaten my birthday slice (within my calories goal, too). I'd planned to wrap and freeze the rest of the slices and dole them out for treats, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do that - I can hear them calling my name right now. My friends and neighbors mostly people don't need a big dose of high-fat sugary carbs anymore than I do, so I'm not sure what to do with the rest of the cake (I guess I could throw it out, but it's very good cake...)

    It's been opened and sliced and a piece is missing, so the food bank is out. It occurred to me that there's a fire station near here, presumably chock-full of active athletic types who can burn a extra hundred grams of carbs or two without much adverse effect. Plus, they'd probably like it.

    Does anyone have any experience with bringing food like this to fire stations? (Are they likely to be offended by it not being a whole cake?)

    Or, what do you do with your extra goodies? Should I just look up the nearest "Weights-R-Us Gym & Testosterone Parlor," set the cake outside the door, yell "Free Carbs!," and try to avoid being trampled?

    I don’t think a half eaten cake should be gifted .. my 2 cents.
    Freeze it or give to friends. They would better understand getting leftovers.


  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,281 Member
    People at my work wouldnt feel that way - part of a cake would get left on table in staff room with Help Yourself on it and people would help themselves.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,610 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    People at my work wouldnt feel that way - part of a cake would get left on table in staff room with Help Yourself on it and people would help themselves.

    Yeah ... some people will eat anything. People have done just that where I work too ... and the cake disappears.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Not sure about partially eaten leftovers...Unless I already had a relationship/rapport with them and knew how they'd take it, I wouldn't do it.

    If it was a full cake specially meant for them, I'd say yes. Seems like a thoughtful gift rather than an afterthought.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Given the way the world is today would you eat something that some random person dropped off?
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Oh my, just slice and freeze it.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
    Happy Birthday!

    I think giving it to the fire station may depend on your community too. When we had a relative's memorial service recently, there was a church potluck afterwards and all the leftovers were packaged up and taken to the fire station. Apparently the firefighters would then return all the empty containers to the church. That was in a really small community though.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    So glad you are enjoying your cake.
    I think it looks pretty good and would have happily helped you eat it :disappointed:

    My mom is 91, and lives an ocean away, so totally understand silly things we do to please.

    Cheers, h.

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