Healthy food for the food bank

[Pimpleminds]

DD's school want donations for the food bank for their harvest festival. I asked my friend who works there what they were short of and she said hot chocolate. Spurred on by this I picked up some instant hot choc and a box of coco pops but DD was horrified: 'no mum Mrs X (head) said it must be healthy food for people that don't have the money to buy things that are good for them'.
AIBU to think that if you are using a food bank you might want the odd treat as well?

I think that it's a brilliant opportunity to discuss healthy eating with your DD and when you are shopping with her next she can help you decide how to best substitute your unhealthy buys with more healthy options.

blackberry people donate sweets and chocolate as extras. They're not intended to replace meals.
And yes, people with children do use food banks. Just because you used a food bank as a teenager doesn't make you the world's leading expert on them. You were just one 'client', not everyone is like you.

Most of the posters on here (myself included) organise their donations around meals blackberry, yet you still make nasty comments about people's intentions, so yes you have been vile and seem to have quite a big chip on your shoulder. You don't have to read this kind of thread you know.

My apologies blackberry, I read your comment in context of the thread and what should be donated to foodbanks. What context did you mean the comment in?

"I've just actually been there."

Right? And?
Loads have been there, some have the empathy to imagine how they would feel if they were there, some of us have been there and work there. If a parcel has a treat in addition to real food and meals what's the harm. No chocolate isn't a filling meal, but it's not meant to be, it's meant to be a wee treat.

Anyone putting something into a foodbank is a good person. Anyone who tries to help is a good person. Just because they didn't buy the brand soup or chocolate you like doesn't make them an unfeeling cunt who couldn't possibly understand you.

Actually you know what would really help? If they put signs up at the entrance of shops letting you know they're collecting and maybe suggestions of what they might need. If I know they are collecting I usually get something. Getting through the checkouts and only then seeing the collection trolley with no prior warning is bugger-all use.

Also I eat cereal without milk.

On a related question - I have a 7 month old baby boy and it took us ages to find nappies that fitted him well and didn't leak. Because we tried all sorts of brands, I have a big bag for life full of packets of nappies where we have used one or two but none of the rest. The packets are open, obviously, but in some cases have 20 or so untouched nappies in them. Would a food bank be able to take and distribute them?

My original point was that food banks are not urgently in need of chocolate and I stand by that statement.

Oh and I didn't call anyone an unfeeling cunt, because I'm not a disgusting person and don't use language like that.

Not that point Blackberry, the one I quoted, you said I took it out of context.
This one

blackberrypicking Tue 07-Oct-14 17:18:26
Donate value chocolate if you want to make people sick and give them the runs and pat your back about what an ace person you are

Nyborg Yes I think so, I gave some opened packs to the local (independent) foodbank, and they said they were fine.

Thanks for those insights... I'll make sure I give a mix in future. I hate value soup so I'd always give Heinz anyway! It does seem like it would be disappointing to get a bagful or value stuff only, but I worried that it would be better just to give lots since so many families are in need.

chocolate, yes, nice treat.

disgusting nutrition-free sugary 'cereals' which rot teeth and don't fill anyone up? No-one should eat that or have to eat that. Aldi muesli is great and cheap, and will last longer too. Or for those with only a kettle, even the instant porridge (it's the same as the big pack stuff BTW, just in a more expensive package)

Our local food bank always wants things like tinned custard and tinned puds (as well as uht milk, tinned meat and fish etc) it's not all tinned pulses and rice!

I organised a school donation for the local food bank and was puzzled that a few kids brought in boxes of chocs e.g. Box of malteasers. The lady at the food bank was happy as she said it allowed families to give a gift for birthdays etc. It allowed parents to feel that there kids were 'normal' at least in receiving a little something from mum and dad. The food bank even wraps them.

Interestingly cocklovingwhore when I asked her what the school had given as examples she could only suggest perishables which are obviously of no use. So whatever message she was given at school she has confused it with the generally healthy eating message they get fed.
As for my unhealthy choices, they were chosen as that was what the foodbank are short on (hot chocolate), and because i know what it's like to eat value cornflakes for months on end as that is all there is on offer.

CockLovingWhore I just realised you actually did change your name based on that thread!

Specialsubject surely all the discussion up thread proves that everyone has a different idea of what a treat might be?

Ooh I've got a load of unused formula cartons and bottles, I'll see if they're any good for the local food bank

I tend to donate stuff I like to eat myself, so a mixture of value / branded stuff. There's a donation box on the way out of our nearest Tesco, and it's certainly not all Tesco value things in there.

They've got biscuits listed on the side of the box as one of the items they like people to donate, in addition to the sort of non-perishables that could make up a meal.

In our Food Bank (not Trussel Trust - run independently by the local Churches) - people choose what they want from whatever has been donated - there is rough 'guideline' and obviously it depends on what has been donated but most people love to choose a bar of chocolate if it is available. We don't make up boxes as we like to give people a little 'dignity' of selecting the sort of items that they would like.

And hardly anyone wants the tinned pulses or other 'worthy' stuff. .

Agree that formula, sanitary protection, toiletries etc are always needed - in fact we never turn anything away.

This has been really interesting. I knew people might not be able to use too much fuel to prepare food but I had not thought about the need for food that could be prepared with just a kettle. It is always useful to have transportable food with children whether that be biscuits, chocolate bars or dried fruit snacks.
I have had a good sort through the cupboards, I have loads of out of date tins in there (which I will NOT be donating) which proves I can easily spare tins of tuna, soup, tomatoes and cooking sauces that are well in date.
I can also pick up some more stuff like dried milk which I had not thought of and 17 bars of value chocolate and 24 more boxes of coco pops

Evening all
Peace and love.

I've just been sorting a parcel out of non food stuffs, got tampax and so on, would they take paracetamol or is that a no no?