Food banks: what isn't popular with users?

[PolkaDotMankini]

I'm just wondering whether certain items are more popular with good bank users than others. E.g. 500g bag of rice that you have yo boil on a hob vs sachets you put in the microwave? Do people take everything they're offered or decline some items because they're too hard to cook/they don't like them?

IME you need to ask the specific food bank you're planning on donating to. Mine will vary its advice; sometimes they want X, sometimes Y, depending on stock/demand/time of year/etc. And sometimes they'll say, 'we'd prefer money donations this month so we can buy what we need ourselves'.

When I volunteered we always had spam type meats hanging around. I imagine it’s a mixture of people not eating it for religious reasons and it just generally not being very popular.

I usually donate money rather than products as I shop online, but DD's school asked for things to be brought in for their harvest festival. It got me thinking. If I was living in temporary accommodation I wouldn't want anything that needed a hob. I wouldn't want spam unless it was that or starvation.

Microwaveable is best.

Check with your local food bank to what they need. Storage is a problem and much better to donate the items they are short of rather than more beans, rice and pasta which they may have loads of.

Our local one usually has a list on their website of what they need, and a reverse advent calendar that you donate one thing a day to in Nov.

I've seen it said elsewhere that it's best to avoid things that require a long time to cook or require further ingredients to make a meal. E.g. dried lentils

As others have said check the local websites to see what they're in need of and what they have an excess of, but they like a variety of stuff to cater for a variety of people, when I was a user of one I didn't have access to a microwave, so when I was asked what I like/dislike had access to etc I said no micromeals as didn't have one, others only had access to a microwave.

I'd recommend contacting your local food Bank and asking them directly.

If you look on mn you'll find that people will say there's no point giving chickpeas/lentils etc as they are uncommon in a British diet and people don't want them. However, my local food Bank is asking for them but given the ethnic make up in the deprived areas of town this makes sense.

Checking the local food bank website is a good idea, thanks.

Powdered mashed potato! Always goes straight back into a donation point, will rustle something up with tinned potatoes if needed but our foodbank does give us some fresh things too always included in potatoes.

Love getting chopped tomatoes and would prefer extra chopped tomatoes and pasta over pasta sauce.

I have been pleasantly surprised by tinned ham. Hate lunchon meat. Spam is okay but as far as tinned meat goes ham is our favourite. Mince meat next.

We don't have a microwave so anything that has to be cooked in a microwave as suggested above wouldn't be able to be used.

Would prefer tinned chickpeas etc over dry. Whilst I prefer homemade pasta sauce I prefer jar curry sauce - possibly due to the fact I've never made it though and I think fresh ingredients may be needed.

We have never received lentils though I would be delighted with some to bulk up say tinned mince meat with some tinned tomatoes.

We always get lots of tomato soup, only 1 of us likes it but I'm guessing it must be donated quite a bit. Would love to receive more vegetable soup but eat any other soup.

Would prefer not to have Chocolate and very sugary cereals, would prefer oats and honey etc but it gets eaten as no choice.

The small cartons of juice with a straw and things like penguin bars are a lovely treat to bring out that makes us a little more cheerful when we are trying to rustle things up with food bank donations.

Ours puts a weekly post on the local Facebook page saying what they would like and what they have plenty of.

This week they would like jam, marmalade, Marmite, Nutella etc. Also mens toiletries and cleaning sprays.

Oh yes cleaning spray and children's toothbrushes and toothpaste is something they lack round here too.

We got 4 jars of jam in the last one though, so it probably is worth checking locally. They must have really wanted to get rid of their jam supply. 😅

Tinned meat / pies I could never bring myself to eat
pasta and curry sauce is always good

Someone had put a bag of frozen Yorkshire puddings in the one in our Aldi yesterday 🤨. That’s definitely not a good idea!

My local food bank has a list as has been said already, also Morrisons has bags made up in the entrance according to what the food bank have requested that week , you just scan the contents and drop it back in the bag then deposit in the collection point as you go out the door.

I can’t afford much but I try to put in something that could be classed as a treat like chocolate biscuits because I couldn’t afford them when my kids were small and they loved coming home from grandparents with a pack of chocolate biscuits and a bottle of pop for Saturday night!.

Not the point I know but I really like Spam.

Thanks for this, @AHobbit 🙂
I rarely do actual shopping these days (shielding) so donate via Ocado’s You Give We Give instead, but when I did do food bank shops I always put in some little juice cartons & choc/biscuit bars (Aldi good for those!)
How do you feel about things like tinned fish? (ring pull tuna/sardines/mackerel)?

I always try and put the stuff in that gets forgotten
Laundry tablets (pack can be split)
Washing up liquid
Cleaning spray
Sponges/shower puff (for body and cleaning)
Men's toiletries
Toothpaste and brushes
Conditioner (I would hate to just have shampoo)

They've accepted samples of stuff before to give out as extras so I had mini shower gels, face mask sachets, face wash, moisturiser etc

Packet noodles/pasta are popular if you are unsure put in some cupa soups

I tend to donate toiletries, shampoo, shower gel, shaving gel, toothpaste etc

Yes I donate toiletries and things too because when I had to use them that stuff was a godsend.

They always seem to want tea bags/ instant coffee and uht milk at ours.

Apparently my local FB is running out of baked beans! I thought FBs were generally overflowing with the things, so definitely worth checking the latest info.

@GiantKitten sorry I forgot about fish in my post! Tinned tuna is a little more versatile so you have more options of things to make depending on what else you get.
Though we do eat other tinned fish, sometimes saved until after pay day to buy other ingredients or another tin or 2. I find it doesn't go as far compared to tuna. Salmon would be a nice one to receive though never have (understandable due to cost!).