Food bank?

TrailRunner61
TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I have a question for you all. I have been doing MFP since January. I am doing very well but,, I still have cake mixes, chocolate chips, pudding mixes, cookie mixes, etc., still sitting in my pantry. So far, I am not tempted at all to bake or eat any of these but it's at a point where some of this stuff will get old and have to be tossed if it's not used. I do have Easter dinner coming up and could use some of it then since I wouldn't be the only one eating this stuff but then again, Id rather have nearly all healthy things that day and perhaps one bad thing since I wont deprive myself 100%.
Finally, the question. Should I give all of this stuff to a food bank? Would you? One time I had a family food drive around the holidays and we donated a lot of baking goods and got 'yelled' at because we should have donated healthier stuff. My thought then was that people who cannot afford food probably don't ever buy choc chips, etc, because they have to buy basic stuff.
I know I should probably just drop it off and not care what they think but I do!
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Replies

  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
    I just sent all my chocolate chips and baking stuff of the sort to a friend of mine who is on mission in Ecuador. She very much appreciated it because they can't get those things down there. They can't buy those goodies in the store and they don't have the mixes or supplies to bake them at home. She's missed chocolate dearly.
  • Zichu
    Zichu Posts: 542 Member
    If you are that concerned with it and do feel you want to give it away, why not bake a ton of stuff from the ingredients and give the cakes, cookies, and such to the food bank instead of ingredients?

    I don't know how these things work, I've never donated food or anything sadly. If you aren't able to donate already prepared food then just give them the ingredients or something.

    You could find the nearest buildings which give out food to people and donate it to the kitchens or share it to everyone there?
  • rextcat
    rextcat Posts: 1,408 Member
    no i got kids and birthdays and relatives that are not dieting that would be crushed if i did that.
  • Samiwhereareyou
    Samiwhereareyou Posts: 277 Member
    The food bank will not except home baked goods so dont bake them first and yes always donate to your local food banks. they are happy for all donations and at least the food bank around where i live have farm shares where they get most of there produce is the spring summer. Its a really nice thought and i say do it.
  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
    Don't donate anything past it's expiration date but feel free with the rest. Someone might be angry that it isn't healthy food but you know what? It's free.

    Or you could donate it to your local homeless shelter so the people they feed can have a little extra treat.
  • Lorleee
    Lorleee Posts: 369 Member
    I've never had anyone sift through my donated food and comment on the items. Couldn't you just put it all in a big bag and drop it off at the food bank without anyone seeing that it's all treats? Or does your local supermarket have a bin for food bank donations? That's even more anonymous.

    I agree that food banks need healthy food, but who knows who will use the cake? Maybe it's someone who couldn't afford a birthday cake for their kid and now they can make one!:smile:
  • bjfrezell
    bjfrezell Posts: 241
    As long as they are not expired, I don't see why you can't donate them. Just think, you could help make someone's birthday a little brighter by donating the cake mixes so a family who's short on money can make a cake? :) It doesn't make you or them bad people.
  • wilberfamily
    wilberfamily Posts: 99 Member
    When my husband lost his job we ended up going to the food bank and while I appreciated everything we got it was a special bright point in my kids day to know we could make cookies or something fun. I say donate them and don't worry what they think. The people who get the food will love it.
  • tross0924
    tross0924 Posts: 909 Member
    Donate it. Screw the guy that yelled at you. Sounds like a pompous *kitten*. Not only are they nice treats to a family that can barely afford the basics they could be a hungry little boy or girls birthday cake.
  • muwchck
    muwchck Posts: 261 Member
    If you don't want them in the house, I say donate them to the food bank. We've had to go to the food bank a few times in the last 2 years when we got between jobs, and because we had a 5 year old in the house, we always got a little extra from the treat stuff. He loved it, because he knew we were only getting food that we really needed to get by at the time. Don't worry about what one person thinks. As others have said, people who need those donations have to spend what little they do on staple foods, and having a treat that they couldn't afford on their own is always a really nice surprise.
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