Harvest festival: best foods to take?

[franch]

If I have time I'll do something home made but if not, what's most appreciated? Our foods go to an old people's home.

When I was at school it was tins, packets, fruit and vegetables (but no bananas :)) And no eggs.

With residential home as end destination... probably home grown veg or "treats" , biscuits, crisps, coffee/ tea . Basics I would expect they are bulk buying at catering suppplier.

Things with a long shelf life, like rice, tinned goods, biscuits and cake. Toiletries are helpful (shampoo, tooth paste etc).

Oh, good idea about toiletries.

DD's school has been told to take 1 tin in. Can be anything, as long as in a tin!

for ds we have a list by class
reception - soup (tin or packet)
yr1 - pasta
yr2 - rice
yr3 - tins of tuna, spam or meat
yr4 - Baked beans
yr5 - spaghetti or tinned tomatoes
yr6 - custard (packets or tins) or tinned fruit
Saves them getting 100 tins of beans and some out of date stuff, our schools goes to Salvation Armys food van so I guess they need ingredients they can make meals from, that probably doesn't help for an old people's home...

Does it have to be food? As well as fruit and veg our school usually asks for flowers or pot plants.

I used to work in a night shelter and we got donated stuff every year, it fell to me to check the dates on all the tins and packets, you would not believe the amount of stuff we had to throw away.

Do they only do Harvest Festival at faith schools? They've not ever mentioned it at DS's school and he's nearly 10, so I don't think I've managed to just miss the letters.

Ours isn't a faith school, picnic

That's a v good idea verybusyspider.

Rereading the newsletter, the food goes to some kind of centre, from where it gets distributed to old people, many of whom live alone. So not quite an old people's home as I'd thought. Have bought a couple of boxes of chocolates!

I've got the same dilemma, ours goes to elderly folk, I don't suppose Tesco velue beans and tomatoes will cut it?!

We only send 'harvest' things in for Reception, after that it is money towards a Shelterbox for some famine sticken place.

I tend to put 'proper' things in that you would expect to harvest in the fields - potatoes, carrots, sprouts, tomatoes - all locally grown from local farm shop - just small quantities.

Unfortunately, we've been told specifically jars/tins only. Pesto and curry sauce perhaps?!!

I worked in a homeless day hostel as part of a nursing course (scratches head), the amount of fruit, veg and out of date food they threw away was shocking. I've no idea why the manager didn't hand some of the fruit, veg etc out to the woman's shelter, seems stupid. The fruit and veg would be left to go rotten.

Oh yes, and they don't need posh stuff. Pasta/rice yes, foie gras and quinoa no.

Ours goes to the Nightshelter this year.

They have asked for:

Tins of veg and fruit, custard, dream topping etc.
Coffee, tea, sugar, etc.
Biscuits
Salad Cream, mayonnaise, tartare sauce, brown sauce, tomato sauce, etc.
Vileda mop heads, AA batteries, black binliners, pedal bin liners, washing up liquid, etc.

I think, to be honest, that as long as it is wholesome, in date, and intact, they will be grateful.

bebanjo that is sad. I wonder if it is a reflection on the lives of those who gave (ie. they didn't have stuff themselves that was in-date) or a reflection on their attitude to those in need

In date is really key. We used to have the PTA in the hall collecting and checking tins/ packets and about a third would have to be binned because of dates!!