Harvest festival

[mumbruh]

So as usual DC's school are asking for food donations of non perishable goods.

However I feel like I want to steer clear of pasta, rice, noodles, couscous, tinned beans, tinned veg or soup this year.

My question is, if you was/ are in need, what would YOU like to receive?

Jam? Marmite? Pancake mix? Stuffing mix? Gingerbread men? Biscuits?

Who do the goods go to afterwards? Breakfast cereals?

Local food banks will have a list on their website of items that they need most. I would go with something off that list.

Do you know who receives the parcels? Not literally obviously but does it go to the elderly or homeless for example.
My elderly grampy once got a box from the local primary. It contained a packet of spaghetti. He'd never eaten spaghetti in his life and was quiet baffled by it 😂
So if it's for older folks things like tinned rice pudding, custard and fruit are popular. Jam is another popular one for that age group.
(Source : my mother in law and my mother).

When I was in need of a food bank (in a refuge with literally the clothes on mine and the kids backs) the things I remember the most were a jar of chocolate spread, a box of chocolate cereal, and we all got new toothbrushes. From WA I also got bubble bath and a face mask.

The cereal and spread made me feel like I wasn't a crappy mum doing the minimum, mu kids actually had a treat.

The toothbrushes were a godsend as we literally had nothing and a pound would have been better spent on bread at that point.

The mask and bubble bath made me cry, a little something just for me.

Toiletry items are good.
Also washing up liquid is often given out by food banks.

The school should tell you what's most needed by whichever organisation/ individuals are receiving the stuff, so maybe give them a nudge to let everyone know before then end up with ten tonnes of pasta and baked beans.

Loo roll, bleach and deodorant are in constant demand at the place we donate to!

It's going to the local parish church for those in need so all ages

We took ours in today and school had shared with us what the food bank were specifically asking for. I'd drop an email to the school and ask them to communicate to all parents what the priority products are wanted. Just fyi our foodbank was asking for tinned soups, tinned meals, biscuits, jam and soap.

Tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits.
Porridge pots that you just need to add boiling water to.
Tinned meat.
Soap, deodorant and sanitary towels.

I think things like jam, marmalade, honey, tinned fruit, long life custard, would work for any age group, would be a little bit of a treat, and not need any cooking.
The school is sure to get plenty of the basics like pasta and beans.

Our school sent a list of what they needed most. We’re sending in pasta sauce and some instant porridge.

Food banks generally get far too many donations of treats from (very well meaning and thoughtful!) people, but really they just want the normal basic stuff so recipients can a chance at a healthy, well-balanced meal. They’re also often chosen to be easy to prepare for one, with limited energy needs.

Sanitary towels, tampons, nappies, wipes, shampoo, soap, shower gel, toothpaste and toothbrushes, loo rolls - all good.

Jam is good, small jars coffee, 80 bag boxes tea, meals in a can (curry, macaroni cheese etc), toiletries (basic ones), baby food jars. Don't think naice, think about things that will fill hungry bellies - soup, pasta, pasta sauce, 500g bags rice, but yes biscuits, bourbons are the most popular at our food bank.

Tinned meat is one that our local one is always short of. Not spam but things like tinned steak and kidney pie, or tuna goes down well.

Tinned fruit is also something they often say people don't think to buy.

Soup is never not needed.

They always have heaps of rice, pasta, baked beans and tinned tomatoes.

There is an app called Bank the Food where you can check what your local food bank is in urgent need of. Just as an example mine is saying:

Shower gel
Sanitary items
Tea bags
Jars of coffee
Pasta sauce
Longlife milk and fruit juice
Cooking oil
Soya milk
Toothpaste
Deodorant

While useful for the food bank remember it's for harvest festival so really it's foodstuffs they want.

Canned vegetables, canned potatoes and canned pie is an excellent gift as it's a full meal.

Our local food bank is currently extremely short of breakfast cereals and jam, both shelves were virtually empty.

Corned beef.decent tuna steak.

If the harvest festival is at a church it is likely the gifts will go to the Foodbank, and they are organised enough these days to say what they need.

I do have form though for put treat type stuff in. I've been hard up in my life, not enough to need the food bank, but I will never forget the joy and relief at getting an unasked for cheque one Christmas from a charity which was there to help kids in my particularly niche situation.

Can I just say though, that I think it's a disgrace that in a country as rich as the UK that there should be a need for a Foodbank.

Doh, I forgot that.

Can I just say though, that I think it's a disgrace that in a country as rich as the UK that there should be a need for a Foodbank. So do I. The rot set in when New Labour brought in tax credits to top up salaries instead of forcing employers to pay a living wage.

I work at a community hub and we have a food bank. Toiletries are always in demand, shower gel, shampoo and toothpaste. Also laundry tablets and fabric conditioner and toilet roll. For food, we always run out of tins of custard, tinned fruit etc which people often ask for.