to expect people not to give ridiculous items to food bank...

[MariaAngustias]

I volunteer at a food bank. Everything is weighed in then weighed out for audit purposes. Whilst there are many lovely and generous people who donate to use there are some people who give such odd and weird things - out of date food, opened packets, packs of hair dye (yep, few of these at moment), medication ... and obviously this stuff cannot be given out but it has to be sorted, weighed and then disposed of. Why?!

I'm past my BBD but perfectly serviceable

Our foodbank (Trussell franchise) has given out the following over the past few months:

Cleaning spray / anti bac spray / disinfectant cleaner (Flash, CIF and the likes)
cloths/scourers
washing up liquid
laundry liquid

Shampoo
shower gel / soap
tooth brushes / toothpaste
(all above for men/women and kids)
deodorant
handwash
hand sanitiser
disposable masks
san pro (we get given loads and asked for very little)
nappies

baby food - jars/pouches - not formula milk
cat and dog food

in addition to the usual food parcel which contains:

Cereal
Soup
Beans/Spaghetti in sacue
Tomatoes/Pasta sauce
tinned vegetables
tinned meat / veggie equivalent
Tinned fish
tinned fruit
rice pudding / custard
sponge pudding (or christmas pudding)
biscuits (be that a plain rich tea or a christmas selection!)
pasta/rice/noodles
tea/coffee (smaller packs/jars appreciated!)
long life juice
uht milk
jar/packet sauces
chocolate/crisps/snacks (which include christmas selections/easter eggs or whatever comes in)
jam (not homemade - sorry)
milk powder (not baby milk)

We cannot take bottles of alcohol but will take things like christmas pudding with alcohol in it,
We cannot take baby formula.
We have to throw away anything more than 3 months out of date in normal times - currently it is anything out of date at all.
We have to throw away open packets - or anything which might appear tampered with or is homemade - such as home made jam or is a food product which does not have a use by date.

Our particular bank is usually overrun with beans, soup, pasta and san pro!

I wrote this a few months ago in response to a similar thread - but I thought I would paste it here - but I would say please check with your local foodbank - most have a internet page / facebook page if you are unsure. Remember most foodbanks do not have paid staff and volunteers only work a few hours a week so will likely not have time to phone you back over a christmas pudding!

Storage is also a massive issue - we will not take something (knowingly) that we cannot get out of the door again in a week or two as we simply don't have the space to store it - which is another reason why we are limited in our food lists. Disposal also costs many foodbanks money - as all waste is commercial!

I've got a pile of hair dye that I bought in lockdown 1 and never used because it's the wrong colour. We've got a skip at the moment and I'm thinking of just chucking it but if a foodbank could use it I'd happily donate it.

I don’t think hair dye is wildly inappropriate at all, it can be expensive and I’m sure some people would be grateful for it.

The other stuff is obviously a case of clearing out their pantry but not wanting to throw things away.

I can see where you are coming from and voted yanbu but for example I have two open packs of sanitary towels (individually wrapped inside) which I won’t use but don’t want to just bin. They could come in useful for someone but I don’t think they would be acceptable as a donation because the packet is open so I’m not really sure what to do with them. My local women’s refuge only has info about donating money rather than items so don’t think that is an option.

@VeganVeal

I'm past my BBD but perfectly serviceable

😂 But you won't taste funny, or be stale ....

@UserTwice

I can't see the problem with open packets (depending on what they are). Half a packet of pasta could still be given to someone. Our local facebook is full of people saying (for example) that they bought a new type of cereal, had one bowl and don't like it and would anyone like the rest of the box?

Can you guarantee the hygiene of an open packet?

How do you know someone grubby has reached into the packet of pasta or cereal with germy hands?

I've got a problem with people here thinking food bank recipients should make do with other people's trash.

Backinthebox, food bank parcels are designed to be used immediately so I would see tins with a relatively short shelf life to be perfectly acceptable. I know my local always asks for tinned meat so I am sure the Fray Bentos pies went down really well.

Hoodathunk it, there is also the app called Olio where you can give away any food or non food items if the foodbank don't want specialised shampoo. I've given away a few things there and they normally go really quickly.

I can see why people would think hair dye might be useful just now! But the other stuff is shit.

I see things about half a pack of nappies or tampons. Whoever needs that support doesn't need to be made to feel more worthless than they presumably already do by being given someone's half opened cast offs.

But why would you rather bin those items when many foodbanks have ways of using them?

In our foodbank we take sanitary products and any opened packets either get put in our toilets for customers to help themselves to while they're there, get put in our The Red Box Project box (provides sanitary products to every local school so that students have access to them at school) or are split up and made into little packs (a few tampons/pads and wet wipes) that go into the parcels (along with any other basics like toothpaste/brush, soap etc) we provide to the local homeless support group that they have available for their clients and that they offer to people going into emergency accommodation to get them through the first few days.

Nappies are the same - we keep a stock in the centre's baby changing room (plus wet wipes) for anyone who is caught short to help themselves until they can get home etc. We also have them available for the homeless support team to add to emergency accommodation parcels or for the local Foster Care Collective - a program set up by our LA to support Foster Carers by having a central space where they keep a supply of things FC might need if they get a placement at short notice (eg various sizes of clothes/nappies/toys/books/bulky items like cots etc) and FCs can basically swap things out depending on need (eg if someone has had a baby that has now transitioned to a bed they can swap their cot for a toddler bed, and someone else can use the cot for their new baby placement etc) so that FCs aren't having to constantly buy/store items to cover every age stage.

So just because something is opened doesn't mean that a foodbank can't find a way to use it, especially if it is a non food item.

OP is not evaluating the worth of these things.
They are saying that food banks cannot accept them, but people persist in giving them, which then entails more work for people to sort out and audit the stuff even though it wont go to people in need.

The real issue here is that people are not being dissuaded to give it. There needs to be a large sign by the donation point, stating what can and cannot be accepted. Presumably there is already a sign. Perhaps it is too wordy and nice. Perhaps it needs to be blunt-a list of YES PLEASE and a list of NO THANKS without all the extra appreciatey nicey. People don't read, least of all then they're dumping their tat.

fwiw if you have unopened packs of hair dye, they can be taken by some (not all) charity shops when they are open again.

The date thing - its a matter of insurance/safety. We cannot be certain our clients have the capability to 'sniff it and see if its ok' Therefore we have to be sure that what we give out is 100% usable. The BBE is a valid indication of this and one that legally be relied upon.

For example if a client came back to me and said that tin of beans you gave me - it gave me food poisoning! If the tin of beans was in date - then any claim could be taken up with the manufacturer - but if the client could prove it was out of date when I gave it to them then it could be said that I was not acting with due care. Some of my clients cannot read or do not understand food dates/safety and some are so hungry they will eat anything so we have to ensure what we dish out is 100% edible! (We have to throw away dented cans etc for the same reason).

thanks @oakleaffy :)

There have been times when I couln't afford purple shampoo and would have loved to be given some

Off to the foodbank it goes :)

OP, many of us declutter and don't want to waste things. Giving to the foodbank seems like a good idea.

I regularly buy bread or other produce on its sell by date and freeze it. I also never look at the dates of cupboard goods (tins, pasta etc) but when on occasion I've checked sometimes it's months or years out of date.

I wouldn't have any issue with a half used shampoo or conditioner, that's effectively what you get in a Travelodge etc. And if you need a shampoo etc whilst it may only be half a bottle, it's half a bottle less you need to buy.

Thanks for the comments. We do give out toiletries, tampons, pampering items etc but hair dye, the the many varieties and not knowing our recipients is a step too far! Out of date food we cannot legally give out so it is wasted but takes time sorting, weighing in and weighing out. The opened packets are the most bizarre - someone even wrapped a shop bought cornish pasty in cling film!! :))

We have a few local "Caring and Sharing" type FB pages where people would put half packets of nappies etc. At some point you realise that the ones you have are too small and might have been bought in bulk. No-one wants to se things that are perfectly usable go to waste.

Lots of people giving away baby clothes etc. No-one is obviously obliged to take anything but stuff does fly of the pages.

Even things such as half tins of paint or shampoo people have found they are allergic to etc.

I see things about half a pack of nappies or tampons. Whoever needs that support doesn't need to be made to feel more worthless than they presumably already do by being given someone's half opened cast offs.

I've bought a different brand of tampons and had to bin them as I couldn't get on with them. They are all individually wrapped and I don't see how having a box missing one tampon is making someone feel worthless.

Just imagine the boost someone who was reliant on food banks would get if they were able to dye their hair and pamper themselves. No different to any other toiletries.

Many shops sell goods that are past their best before dates. As long as they're not use by dates then I'm sure people would be grateful for some of it.

Open packets is pushing it, but individually wrapped items would be fine. I've often wondered what to do with open packets of nappies that my child has grown out of. It's a shame I've had to bin them.

I volunteered for a few years. Often the out of date stuff was brought in by someone whose elderly relative had died, and they were cleaning out the cupboards. Understandably they didn’t always have the bandwidth to sort it before donating, so we just dealt with it.
We weren’t allowed to give out of date items in a food parcel, but we had a table for things which were slightly past their best before, or slightly unusual, and people could choose to take it. Obviously anything perishable with an actual use by date, we abided by that, although we generally didn’t deal with fresh food anyway.

Would you not even be able to give ‘out of date’ things that don’t actually go out of date - I’m thinking in particular of honey? Honey from centuries ago is still fine to eat, I think I read it only has a date on it because the law says it has to but it’s total nonsense. I’m sure things like dried pasta and lentils don’t really go out of date either. I haven’t donated out of date packets but I know I don’t check the dates on them for myself!

Having all that stuff (excluding opened packets) on a "help yourself" table would be perfectly fine.

Mr Mucker agree with you but so many people don't read the notice ... we clearly say 'current needs' .... and 'no thanks'..... but everyone seems to think that Food Banks want endless supplies of baked beans, pasta, porridge oats and sanitary protection . We do appreciate that people are being kind but please, please check with your local Food Bank what they actually need.

And no, we really don't want lots of Easter Eggs at the moment, fortunately our FB has very few young families so endless donations of Easter Eggs etc are not necessary and just mean more work for the volunteers trying to redistribute them responsibly.

If I had very.little money and had to use a good bank.i.would be overjoyed if I got some hair dye in a colour I could use as anything would be preferable to the Grey's and if very little money I would not be able to justify spending money on hair dye above food. Same with hand and foot cream.

I think it’s a mix - some will mean well, but maybe didn’t check properly about the quality of what they were giving, the expiry dates or if the packaging was open etc (or they think it’s only a ‘bit’ open, the expiry date wasn’t too long ago and it might still be ok as they’d still eat it themselves etc). I think that camp are more unaware of the donation rules/expectations (even though they should look into it if that’s the case) and many would probably be embarrassed if someone flagged it.

But others will know full well it’s not really up to standard but want to offload the dregs of their cupboards regardless of quality, and will give themselves a pat on the back for giving to a good cause.

I think best practice is to check with your local food bank if unsure, and of course cash donations always help too.

Also if anyone has food not quite suited for food banks if it’s open etc, there is an app called ‘olio’ where you can post it and people in your area can collect. I’ve used it to give away Christmas puddings, damaged boxes of rice etc. As long as you include in the description that it’s been opened or partially used etc people are normally still happy to have it.

Out of date or opened is clearly inappropriate but surely hair dye is in same category as toiletries. It could be very welcome to give someone a feel good boost or help feel smarter before a job interview etc.