With the holidays around the corner, people get into a giving mood. Food banks and clothing drives are the go-to places to donate, but are we really giving these organizations what’s needed?
According to the website New Food Economy, with a network of "more than 61,000 food pantries and soup kitchens, food banks provide some 46 million people with free food each year.” That’s a whole lot of people. But these food pantries and kitchens don’t rely solely on food donations to feed these people—they need support through funding and volunteer time too. When in-kind donations are provided, they need to be sorted, checked, and then stored. This process alone can cost food banks a lot of money and labor.
While the intention may be good, sometimes donated items are dented or expired, meaning they are of no use. Think of it this way: Would you want a damaged or expired item? Donations essentially should be items we’d be willing to use ourselves.
When I worked as an advocate at a domestic violence organization, we frequently had people donate food items for our safe home. Once, we had a local farm come donate a truckload of packaged items. We were all so excited until we read the labels. All the items it had provided us were past the expiration date, meaning that the farm could no longer display or sell the items and therefore donated them. It was a pretty disappointing realization, because all of these items were of no use to us. Of course, it’s the thought that counts, so while we kindly addressed the situation with those who donated, we could not show any disappointment or reject future donations, which, to our surprise, continued with the same pattern.
This situation isn’t rare. Bustle reports that food banks often receive expired donations and don’t always tell donors about the fact that they’re unusable, because expired food items may not be safe to eat, and so “food bank workers typically throw expired items out in order to avoid any risk to community members' health.” That means that if you donate such items, you aren’t actually helping the community: Your donation is actually just making it to the trash via a longer path.
When you’re shopping for groceries, it's normal to scan the shelf for the best-looking can for yourself, so why would you give a damaged or expired one to someone else? Be mindful of what you are donating! Donate items that are sealed and labeled correctly and easily accessible. Donating items that may require tools such as a can opener restrict them to use by those who have access to one.
It’s also important to remember that not all food banks are the same. Perhaps you heard that a food bank is collecting a particular item; that doesn’t mean all food banks are. The easiest thing to do before donating is to ask. Ask your local food bank what it wants prior to donating. It could ultimately cost your food bank money to store unneeded items. “According to U.S. data up to 50 percent of food bank donations are wasted, and the primary reason is that donations do not always jibe with the food needs of a community,” Canada’s National Post reported.
To put this thought into perspective, think about your community and its needs. Each community has its own needs. When I worked at Manavi, an organization focused on the needs of women of South Asian background facing violence, we often received peanut butter as a donation. However, due to cultural preferences, the women in our safe home made no use of these donations. The items would sit on the shelves, while South Asian food ingredients such as rice and flour were preferred. Had anyone asked, they would have been aware of this.
Find out: What exactly does your food pantry need, and what donations work best?
Researchers and advocates say that monetary donations are best for food banks. It all comes down to the fact that food pantries can shop better than you can as an individual. According to Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the country, “Not all food banks have the capacity for large food donations,” and they are able to buy more with your donated dollar than make use of whatever canned goods you can donate because of their direct work with farmers and suppliers.
“Rather than paying retail prices, our network of food banks works with major manufacturers, retailers, and farmers to secure healthy food. This means that when you donate a dollar, you’re able to put more meals on the tables of families than if you donated food you'd purchased at the store,” Olivia Thoelke wrote in the organization’s hunger blog.
Thoelke notes that some perishable items such as fresh fruit, vegetables, protein, and dairy “can’t be directly donated through food drives but are vital for healthy lives.” These items can be purchased by food banks when money donations are made. “Over 72 billion pounds of perfectly good food is wasted every year. By working directly with farmers, we help ensure that healthy fruits and vegetables that don’t make it to the grocery store end up on the plates of families in need instead of a landfill,” Thoelke writes.
Read Related: Julián Castro releases plan to combat hunger, including universal free lunch and SNAP expansions
If you’re able, money is always the best thing to give a food bank. But if you cannot donate money, be sure to ask your pantry or food bank what items it needs to ensure that it can make use of what you give it. Giving your time is also an important way to give back to the community and those advocating against hunger. With the number of items coming in daily, food banks and local organizations need volunteers to work efficiently. Consider donating your time to your local pantry instead of canned goods.
Hunger is a universal issue faced by members of a variety of socioeconomic groups, one that ultimately affects sustainability in communities. Daily Kos previously reported on a study that found that students in New York City achieved higher test scores when provided with free lunch, regardless of their family income. This shows how food security provides benefits in a variety of fields in addition to health. Providing food banks with monetary donations not only allows us to become more sustainable as a society, but gives organizations the means to purchase the nutritious and healthy meals needed for communities to develop and succeed. Is the food you’re donating contributing to the health of your community?