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?

You can add soya chunks or soya mince to instant noodles or cuppa-soup.

I was sooo greatful to our food bank a few years ago.

things I didn’t use (and still have in the cupboard)
-tinned peaches…. Have about 20 of them
-spam
everything else I was super greatful for

things I loved
-soup
-condiments
-squash
-long life milk
-meat pies
-spaghetti hoops (my dd favourite)
-once we got take and bake rolls and it was amazing

Each food bank is different, I guess, and serves a unique population. My local food bank
used to put up a list every week of stuff they needed (e.g. they were always overrun with pasta but needed rice and couscous, toiletries like toothpaste and shower gel were always needed too), but they also encouraged cash donations so that they could shop for what the food bank needed.

(As an aside, this food bank has now adopted a “cash first” model, which means that clients are offered cash and/or vouchers so that they can do their own shopping at a supermarket. The traditional food bank is still there as a back up for more vulnerable clients or those who prefer it, but they are reporting that the cash/vouchers option has proved very popular - for reasons of both choice and dignity. I’m not sure how many food banks have this “cash first” model, and what people make of it, but would be interested to hear).

I volunteered in ours. Admittedly through lock down so maybe a different demographic. But we had lots of single men in bed sits and elderly singles or couples.

The single men often had no access to storage, fridges or ovens. So uncle Ben microwave rice. Pasta and noodle pots. Tuna. Snack bars were all in demand. Older users requested tinned puddings and long life jelly. Tinned fruit but not prunes which no one wanted lol. Decent biccies. Small packs sugar and tea.

When we had families it was things like ketchup. Nutella. Decent breakfast cereal. Cake bars Curry sauces that were popular.

Brown pasta. Uncooked rice. Pulses. Porridge oats. Plum tomatoes. Tinned chick peas were not really wanted.

One things I'll be doing for the next six weeks, in addition to my usual donations, is adding advent calendars. I appreciate it's not a full meal but it is 24 days of a treat for a child

After Christmas I grab any selection boxes I see marked down. They can take the packaging off and it gives you chocolate bars for cheap
They were something like 20p last year for a box with 10 bars in and long dates on them so I donated the lot

The Bank the Food app is good. I check it before I go so I know what my local one is asking for. They divide it into "urgently need / running low / good stocks"

They currently urgently need tinned anything : potatoes, veg, fruit, tomatoes, fish etc. also long life fruit juice and milk.

There's a long list of the second category including puddings, pet food, cereals, toiletries, lots of things mentioned on this thread.

The only 2 things on the "good stocks so don't need" list are beans and pasta. There used to be several more like teabags on this green list so I think donations are down.

I always put in some hefty (overnight/extra strong) san-pro and soap/shower gel as I cannot imagine having the kinds of heavy periods I used to get and not having basic supplies to deal with this. Just awful.

I know there's lots of free San-pro now available where I am in Scotland but I still think it's important in case they can't access it in those ways (via schools, council offices etc).

my eldest child was collecting some things for his school food bank donation. He decided he wanted to buy some of the Starbucks white mochas and caramel latte sacred for them because “everyone else puts boring things in”! Bless him. I let him spend more than I had wanted to because hopefully they were slotted in as extras and were a nice pick me up for someone.

it is a testament to the kindness of people even in tough times but i am also dismayed the food banks have become such a staple in this country.

Last month I bought flavoured cous cous including veg and microwave rice like egg fried rice/chicken/mushroom/something else I can’t remember. I’m trying to donate things that need very little cooking so next time I’ll donate tinned soup/veg/fruit/tuna etc.

I donate monthly to Trussle Trust and then buy things for the food bank box in the supermarkets when I can afford to.

I've been in a refuge where the items have been brought in and people choose items (all over seen by staff so no one takes the micky)

Things that typically go first are snacks, biscuits, chocolate, sweets, pasta, tuna, pasta sauces, microwave pasta/rice pouches, fruit juices, squash/diluting juice, chopped tomatoes, shampoos, body wash, soaps, beans, tinned fruit

Things that are usually left over are corned beef/spam, unusual soups, tinned stew, tinned chilli/curries, butter beans, black beans, most tinned meat.

But it really does depend on what people eat and like.

When I was in refuge someone donated loads of advent calenders and we were so grateful, there was enough that each child had one, and they were offered to the mums too. Seems silly but having an advent calender made me really happy!

It's not silly! Everyone needs a bit of cheer. Good to know.

All the lists I see always seem to include tinned veg, tinned fruit and fruit juice so I always get those. Also long life non dairy milk as there might be someone who doesn’t use dairy.

I appreciated things I could make a meal with like curry paste/chilli packet mix, tinned tomatoes, any tinned beans or chickpeas or dry red lentils (no other dried pulses as they take too long), rice/couscous. I could add cheap veg like onion and carrot to make a decent amount of food.

Porridge oats with raisins/honey/jam, can be made up the night before and then cooks in no time in the morning. Nice with water as well as milk, unlike cereal.

Coffee much appreciated!

I had a stovetop, basic cookware, and a fridge, just a lack of money issue. Others will have different needs of course!

It's so individual so please check with your local Food Bank as to exactly what they need, I've volunteered for over ten years and no one I serve would ever cook Dahl or want soya mince. We get overwhelmed with porridge oats, pasta, baked beans and toiletries. And, as kind as it is, we also get far too many Advent Calendars etc at Christmas... many of our users are street homeless or sofa surfers and really don't want a chocolate advent calendar.

Just checked my local one

Last year I did Christmas select boxes. I’ll look out for them this year but this month I can’t afford it.

Our local Tesco has a notice above the food cage saying what the food bank are short of. It's great but it's by the exit, so not helpful.

The local food bank doesn't tend to specify ( unless really short of something) so there's not much help there.

People round here just take pot luck.

I'll by a meal ... so a sachet of Potato mash, a tin of meat casserole etc... and a tin of peas and carrots. So , in theory , a meal for a family.

I tend to put some sanitary products, baby food, tinned meat, tinned veg , porridge, tea bags, pet food in the cage.

I put in soya milk. Most people think about religious issues re meat and meat products but not diary. Also good re allergies. I will also pop in some GF items, if they are in the middle aisle of Aldi, the amount of prescription products is v limited now. Dried fruit too, high energy no cooking and tasty.

My DD is on prescription milk. Obviously free, so I spend what we would have spent on formula on nappies and wipes for our local food bank.

So is there a popular tinned meat, generally? It's always on our foodbank list but people here seem a bit doubtful about it. I've given corned beef, chicken meatballs, M&S chili con carne, tinned mince and onions - are they likely to end up on the reject pile?

Tinned ham is popular not spam that always seems to be left till last any meatballs are popular as is tinned chicken in sauce . But honestly nothing gets rejected

Thank you!

I popped into sainsbury today to get a couple of items, and there was a local charity outside with huge signs with a list of what the food bank needed. I often pick up a few bits and pieces to put in the food bank when I do a "big" shop. I try to vary "essential" type food - tinned vegetables, UHT milk, soup, noodles etc with some treats (I look what biscuits or chocolate bars are on a club card deal) but today's sign was a really good visual reminder and I ended up buying twice as much as I intended with half of it being for the food bank.
We do have a hygeine bank locally as well although I do put stuff like toothpaste, baby wipes and shampoo in the foodbank too.

Thanks for this thread. Just made a small donation, topped up with Gift Aid, wanted to set up a Standing Order but no option.

Such a shame, would save me having to remember.

I always see donation bins on the way out of supermarkets, a bit late then.

Also just read that if you donate to a Tesco bin they top up, but only stuff bought in store. Every Little Helps.