Christmas food bank donations

[SideOrderofSprouts]

Afternoon

I'm going to be starting to
Add an extra bit to my shopping each week between now and Christmas to do
A big donation to our local food bank

What would you include?

Always check what your local food bank wants - ours is currently overrun with pasta but desperate for toiletries

I tend to donate some treats, to help people through a tough patch, then some really easy things like the pastas in a packet where you just need hot water.

Me and dc did this last year and are doing again this year. I usually add something into the donation box during my weekly shop but I like the idea of teaching dc that Christmas isn't just about presents.

We included
Rice (microwave and boiled)
Pasta
Tinned toms and beans
Corned beef/tinned pie
Tinned veg and pots
Cereal
Jam/tinned fruit/custard
Crackers
Noodles
Sugar/tea/coffee
Squash
Soup
Condiments
Chocolate
Stock cubes/gravy granules

I always do a big food bank shop when I can and especially at Christmas. I always add Christmas crackers, cranberry sauce, gravy granules, stuffing, jelly packets and trifle topping etc in a hope that it allows someone to have a 'normal' or traditional Christmas style meal. Obviously I can't donate turkey and potatoes etc but try to add the other bits. I also pop in a few advent calendars and little gift sets of various bits.

This is an addition the the usual UHT milk, nappies, sanitary wear, toiletries, tinned veg, tinned meats and tinned 'meals.' I also keep up with what they're lacking and what they have plenty of on the local ones Facebook page.

Fab thank you

I was going to order a load of crackers off pantry but I will do as suggested and check what they want first!

I'd do lots of treats too if you can afford it! My friend works really hard to get companies, shops etc to donate 100s of selection boxes for charities! I imagine when you're properly skint at Christmas it's even more depressing looking at the luxuries e everyone else enjoys

Why do a big donation at Christmas and nor a regular weekly donation?

I actually do donate every time
I go shopping. Also as a scout leader we collect and donate as part of our community badges

I am going to do a big donation of what are considered 'luxury items' that people may not
Donate and all
I could think of was advent calendars and crackers. So was asking for more ideas

I took more nice shower gel etc at Christmas but also tampons and things like that. Dcs got £5 each to spend on treats for the food bank that they thought other kids might like which I appreciate might not be exactly what the food bank needed but was a way of me teaching my young kids to think about it.

I save up my loose change all year and then use it to buy a toy for our local social services toy drive ,and the rest we give to the local food bank as cash alongside a nice box of biscuits.
I figure they can buy what they need or use it towards petrol etc.

Sprouts, I do a special Christmas food bank donation, too. Last year I bought loads of Lidl's mini stollen and I heard on the grapevine that they went down very well. Advent calendars are a must, and I take advantage of any offers I can! Mince pies are obvious but they seem to be very well received, too. I have never put crackers in, but that's one I'll add to my list this year. I always put in some individual Christmas puds and loads of the chocolate selection packs. When I do the Christmas donation it's all luxury food bits rather than staples!

00100001 Why are you on Christmas threads being miserable? Second one I've seen you do it on today

I have been in those position of not being able to afford a Christmas dinner or anything different, my shopping budget was £13 a week (including nappies) for 2 adults (me being pregnant) and a toddler. I didn't know food banks existed but if I had been able to get some Christmas crackers and a selection pack or Christmas pudding or mince pies then our cheap pasta and tomato sauce meal (which was cheap and I could make in bulk) would have seemed special on Christmas Day rather thank just another day that we were broke and struggling.

I don't have a food bank locally, but the Lion's club does a collection annually. What I try and do for it is (over the weeks in advance, a few things a week), buy what a family of 4 (ish), including a baby and child, might need for a week.

Pasta and a couple of jars of sauce
Rice and a couple of jars/packets of sauces
Tinned tuna, tinned sweetcorn
Porridge oats (breakfast and loads of other uses)
Flour
Dried fruit (snacking and baking)
Washing powder, washup liquid
pack j cloths
Household cleaners
Nappies
Kids meals/pouches
Biscuits
cereal
squash and fizzy drinks, longlife OJ and apple juice
toothbrushes
Showergel, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste
bin liners
toilet rolls
kitchen rolls
tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar
ketchup and mayonnaise and mustard
mixed herbs

I can't even remember it all, but generally a full trolley-load of the kind of everyday things that are useful, as well as some seasonal treats to enjoy.

Christmas cards. I bought too many last year and never used a box so gonna stick them in our local food bank collection. I know it sounds silly as there is so much people actually need at that time but no kid wants to be the only one in class that can't hand out cards because the government are cunts their parents are having a few struggles. It's little, but I thought it might be a nice touch

Last year I bought Christmas themed Pringles, snowman Pombears, mini Yule logs, chocolate coins. I am a sucker for Christmas branding, me.

I like the idea of selection boxes, stollen, and Christmas cards. Would the selection boxes be "broken up" though, and the individual bars given out to separate families? I know they often do that with multipacks.

I think anything anyone does is amazing and really kind. These ideas all sound fab everyone should get to have a happy crimbo!

threenme

I was unaware that the OP made regular donations. It is actually better to give all year round.

As for the other 'miserable' posts. They weren't. Just questioning the OP. And you'll notice the thread in question has been deleted now...

Make sure you donate any advent calendars in November.

You didnt know it would be deleted at the time you asked a women with a terminally ill child where all her family were TWICE! That's insensitive. Same with this-the op does donate all the time but maybe the situation could be she couldn't normally afford to and does it in the spirit of Christmas! I don't understand ppl who just want to pick holes!

OP have a look at basket brigade. They do special christmas donations for families in need from the Tony Robbins foundation. My mum took me as a teenager and it was a real life affirming experience.

But op says she wanted to buy something each week to save it for a big Christmas donation.
. All I said was why doesn't she just donate every week? Food banks need food all year round. Not just at Christmas.

Jeepers.

Thank you all for the ideas. I shall look for
Christmas puddings (and custards) and advent calendars
In November and will contact our local food bank to see what they need

Definitely add loo paper, kitchen roll, nappies & toiletries.

Cranberry sauce
Stuffing mix
Gravy
Stock cubes
Juice
Tins veg
Tea
Coffee
Mince pies
Xmas cake
Novelty cakes
Savoury nibbles eg pretzels, crisps, pringles

Last year I added in Christmas napkins and some sparkly decs from Poundland - they were sparkly Christmas trees on a stand, which were really very nice. Good idea re Christmas cards, I'll do that this year too

Why come on the Christmas boards if you're a miserable person? Just no need...

Lovely ideas and will incorporate them into my reverse advent calender!