To donate quinoa to the food bank?

[RaisinFlapjack]

I realise there’s no way this won’t sound like the most guardian-reading middle-class question ever so I’m just going to own it.

i’m clearing out my cupboards before Xmas and I have a fair amount of in-date jars tins and packets which are taking up space.

Ibwas thinking of bagging it up for the food bank but while I’ve got some staples like tinned tomatoes and rice pudding which are more typically on the food-bank wish lists, some of it more along the lines of rocket pesto and polenta.

Is getting random bits like that at all useful for food banks or does it create a bit of headache or at worst get thrown out?

Well, if the OP is like me, he/she will have been lucky enough to have never been to a food bank, so we wouldn't have a clue what goods are acceptable. I would no more wish to lumber a food bank with jars they cannot shift than I would donate a faulty table lamp to a charity shop. It's not about whether it's beneath someone, it's about not dumping stuff on people who already have enough work as it is.

People that have found themselves in a position that they must use a food bank come from all walks of life.
They come from different cultures and backgrounds .
Many would be delighted to find a different kind of food on the shelf that they've seen that they wished they could afford.
Most people who use the food banks I presume read English and can follow directions on a package
And I did say that where I come from the food banks are desperate for items to put on the shelves they have more people coming for help then they can supply with food.
I don't know what OP would do with the food in her cupboard that she doesn't want. If she's afraid to donate it because it'll get thrown out I wonder what she is going to do with it? At least give it a chance.

Our foodbank has a 'community cupboard' attached - some have a 'help yourself' shelf as a pp referenced - and anything can be put on that; and anyone can take it, with or without a referral. It's a great idea. Someone always wants it.

Not knowing how food banks operate, this is what I was wondering - whether for the most part people get pre-picked bags that are very generic, or people get to make their own choices.

Is donating things knowing it is destined for the “other” shelf actually useful or would you rather not get donations full of random stuff?

At the risk of being described as 'nasty' as I was on another thread, I will say that if you have something to donate then do so. If it isn't something from the main package list it will go on the shelves or tables for people to help themselves from, and if no one chooses it, after a couple of weeks a volunteer who does like whatever it is will 'buy' it by effectively swapping in more popular items to a similar or greater value.
I will say that our food bank has several families who welcome quinoa, chickpeas and other vegetarian proteins. Pretty much everyone eats pesto. Polenta is the stand-out on your list as it needs some effort to make it tasty but we have enough veggie families that I'd expect it to go off the extras table.

Everything is appreciated and is of value, even if it is bartered out for other things.

Forgot to add: if it is in date it won't be thrown out. It will be offered to food bank recipients first, offered to sheltered and soup kitchens if it's close to sell by date, bartered to volunteers for more popular stuff if it hasn't been chosen and is taking up space.

Just ask yourself why you have this quinoa and polenta in your cupboard and don't want it anymore.

There you go.

Just cook it yourself and eat it?

Quinoa is so easy to prepare - you just need a bowl, a kettle, and something to cover it with, so actually quite a useful thing if you don’t have access to full cooking facilities. I wouldn’t have a clue about polenta.

I just think it makes you sound a bit thick

That's nothing compared to how I think your post makes you sound.

Quinoa isn't difficult to prepare but it does need cooking. You are thinking of couscous.

The food bank I volunteer at also has a self-selection “others” shelf where quinoa and polenta would go, so whilst it might sit there for a bit it’s unlikely to be wasted: often if somebody asks for something we don’t have, we’ll suggest something else and quinoa and polenta could well be offloaded that way.

It's a reasonable question. You are just being rude. There's no need.

Oh do turn it in 🙄

Reasonable would've been "Do you think my local foodbank might want some quinoa?"

But all the 'middle class Guardian reading' shit is what makes the OP sound a bit thick.

Like she thinks firstly no-one middle class would need a foodbank, and secondly like she thinks working class people don't eat friggin quinoa.

Well I’m working class & the only person amongst my family who eats quinoa is Dd which she discovers on a residential at a posh school.

no one amongst my family would have a clue.

Give it away on Olio, I gave away my in date banana blossom and jackfruit.
But I would use the pesto!

Yes please donate it - you will be helping someone like me 🙂

I was just going to suggest putting your stuff on Olio, particularly if it's getting close to BB date.

You can boil it in water with salt, let it set, then fry it with garlic/ mushrooms/ onions/ peppers, or grill it with cheese on top..

Polenta is pretty much the same except you boil it like rice.

I would donate it anyway.
My mum volunteers at a food bank. She says they would leave it out for a few weeks but if it was getting close to its best before date they would offer it to one of the volunteers and the volunteer that took it would donate a more desirable item in its place.

Please donate, coeliac sufferers and people with wheat allergies like a change from rice even when they fall on hard times. Free from foods are so expensive and are not just a lifestyle choice for many - it might be appreciated more than you think

Yes please donate it. It would go down well at our local one. All kinds of people fall on hard times.

OP, you'll never win on here. If you donate the quinoa without questioning, you'd be considered a clueless middle class person who is incapable of understanding that 99% of food bank recipients are in a bedsit with zero cooking facilities (apparently). If you ask whether it's a good idea, you'll be considered a clueless middle class person who does not understand that ACTUALLY ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE DO USE FOOD BANKS, YOU KNOW.