To return my winning hamper?

[Vap0]

ADVICE NEEDED BEFORE COLLECTION TOMORROW PLEASE

So
We won the hamper from the preschool nativity
It’s huge
And the 2nd hamper I’ve won in a week 🙈
The first one (from works Xmas do) we are giving to grandparents for Xmas
This other one is ginormous, there is so much stuff, we do not have a big enough house for all this stuff 🙈, I don’t want to seem ungrateful but we just don’t need it and want to do something better with it than take it home.

Here are some options that I can see

1. Ask them to give it to the staff to take home if they are short of any gifts for staff
2. Ask them to hold another raffle in the new year - not sure how easy this would be - surely a sign on the door would suffice?
3. Take it to the food bank - removing booze and donating that to the village hall raffle tomorrow night for the brass band carol concert we are going to.
4. Take it to the food bank but ask preschool to take the booze for staff.

One massive thing to remember here though is that the staff all donated this stuff for the hamper so I don’t want to appear ungrateful by offering it back to them 🙈

I just don’t want to come across as ungrateful or rude

Please help

I’m open to other suggestions too 😊

When I volunteered at the food bank they had cupboards full of this kind of stuff they couldn’t give out

Well they clearly could give it out, they chose not to. Anyone can eat treats out of a selection box, you don't need to be 10.

Foodbank without a doubt

Nearest nursing home? Or hospital? Plenty of needy staff and they may have use for any non-food items as well.

We're saying no sugar at the moment - we have tons of the bloody stuff.

As far as baking goes we wouldn't include flour etc in a bag, that isn't what food banks and emergency food bags are for. BUT we have a Help Yourself Shelf and would put some up on there. But most people using us don't have the fuel to bake. So most of it goes to the community group I used to run - baking for single parents, dads, anyone who can't bake!

Advent calendars are another thing that causes all sorts of issues (not least being extra careful not to mistake a Pet Advent for a human one!). Healthy eating guidelines have changed, strengthened and yes, some banks don't take them, sometme because they have had a commercial donation other times just because. We don't want any more this year and are sending ours to a children's ward - passing on that problem

Well they clearly could give it out, they chose not to. Anyone can eat treats out of a selection box, you don't need to be 10. You don't understand. Really you don't.

Food banks give out carefully designed bags of food, most use the Trussell list as a best guideline. These are designed by nutritionists specifically for people who have fallen between the cracks of benefits and other support. No volunteer in any bank will override that advice.

Yes some, like us, have additional shelves, others don't, for a wide variety of reasons. Many of us struggle to prevent some foodstffs going out of date or accumulating to occasionally alarming levels before we can send them up the chain to someone who can use them.

It isn't as simple as "You were given it, give it out"

@CuriousaboutSamphire Sorry to derail, but what are the reasons that other food banks don't have the extra shelves for treats etc if donated? I can imagine space issues, but are there other factors in play?

Also thanks everyone - this thread has inspired me to set up a standing order with my local food bank. :)

How do you do that goodwinter?
Great idea!

I can imagine space issues, but are there other factors in play? Yes. It depends entirely on the type of food bank. Some just don't deal in unecessary food items, just the items in the every day emergency bags.

One local church run group as a slightly odd list for Chrstmas, they make judgement calls on Christamssy things. If they are too commercial they won't hand them out as they don't represent their verson of Christmas.

It depends on those running the bank.

@NewName73 Trussel Group has a page

www.trusselltrust.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/

Local banks will differ. Have a look at your local one and see what they say!

other food banks don't have the extra shelves for treats etc if donated? I can imagine space issues, but are there other factors in play?

One of my local foodbanks flits from one space to another. Another one is a church with many demands on its space and opens for very specific hours. The church is effectively a drop-off point for bags packed elsewhere which is more convenient for pick-up than needing to go to an out of town space. The church doesn't have space for additional shelves.

We have a foodbank that delivers to emergency housing (think converted office blocks or out of town spaces) and that is a very careful selection of items that they know can be eaten/safely stored in the very limited shared facilities.

Our food bank has specifically asked for treats. They simply add them to the allocations as a bonus item. Space isn’t as much of an issue out in the country where we live though.

If a food bank is problematic, I would either take it to a nursing home or give it to a neighbor

Food bank

If there's sheltered housing or a nursing home near you they might appreciate it.

Our local food bank has a surprisingly restricted list of items that you can donate. Tins of meat/veg/fruit, cereal, pasta/bottled pasta sauce, jam tea/coffee, uht milk and a handful of other similar items. I was quite surprised at how limited it was.

Give the hamper to a friend/family or neighbour if you really don't want it, but definitely don't give it back to the school as it will be very awkward for them and definitely raise an eyebrow or three, and will definitely beg the question of why on earth you entered in the first place, as there was always a chance you would win!

My local hospital has asked for treats for the maternity ward so they can give out treats to all the DMs in over Christmas. A local hospital/nursing home/day centre might love it.

Oh for heaven’s sake. You’re only on a maternity ward for five minutes. Surely the geriatric ward is more in need.

@Alsohuman I'm sure the 4 days we did on maternity would have felt a lot longer had I been in over Christmas given the "basic needs met" of hospital catering
As long as people know where the foods going, nothing wrong with asking

3

I’m sure the four months some poor buggers endure on geriatric wards feel like eternity over Christmas - and a lot of them have nobody to bring them anything to sweeten the experience.

Announce that ypu wish to auction it off to add to the funds already raised .Highest bidder wins

Definitely 3

You’re doing a lovely thing @Vap0

@Alsohuman my point was there's going to be lots of parents in over the actual Chris as Day / Boxing Day without being discharged home so if thry want to provide extra treats and people knowingly donate to that, then what's the issue.

There's plenty of wards within a hospital where patients will be long term over Chrismas, thry all have a right to ask for donations and people's donations should be kept for that designated wars

The issue is that some groups of hospital patients need donated goodies more than others. Most maternity patients are out in hours and those who aren’t are probably pampered and spoilt by their families.

When I worked in the NHS, I always tried to divert Tesco donations from the kids’ ward, where everyone possible was discharged for Christmas, to the geriatric wards where many of the patients got nothing. So shoot me.

🙈