Local food banks/pantries

[Tradd]

If you are able, please donate to your local food banks/pantries. Between the cost of living, the fed shutdown likely ending SNAP at the end of the month, lots of folks are in need. My church has upped its donations (from the parish itself) to a local food pantry as well as to a local group that supports overnights in churches with the space.

My parish draws people from a four county area. Part of that is simply where we are located near the corner of three countries. I asked our priest to put something in the bulletin this week (and announce at the end of the service tomorrow) urging people to donate to the food pantry the church donates to (and we have a barrel in the lobby for non-perishables) or one in their local area.

I know a lot of people like to donate food itself to a food pantry, but cash goes much farther. The Northern IL Food Bank says on its website that for every $1 donated, they provide $8 of groceries. With cash, pantries can get what they need at a large discount from regional providers like the Northern IL Food Bank, can fill in holes with what they need, etc.

[catherine]

Thank you for that recommendation. I was thinking that communities will have to step up. We have a food bank here in our local Catholic church, so I'll ask them how I can give most effectively.

[iris lilies]

Thank you for that recommendation. I was thinking that communities will have to step up. We have a food bank here in our local Catholic church, so I'll ask them how I can give most effectively.

Are you kidding? Give them cash.

The average American loves buying objects and carting them to the food bank. If you give cash, they will buy exactly what they need and not try to fit your physical contributions into slots.

I recently dropped off a couple of things I had purchased that we’re not using, but those are edge items, they’re not basics.

our local grocery store has a small section of food pantry sacks filled with items food pantry folks have chosen. They are either $10 or $15. You take one to the cash register along with your groceries and pay for it, and then they put them in a place for a food pantry to pick up. Or you can drop them off if you wish. I live close to our house food bank, so it’s not a chore to visit. This implies that I have purchased some of these food sacks and I have not, I’m just reporting on what our local situation is. Also, our local newspaper has a fairly regular list of items needed at the food bank.

[Tradd]

I went through my kitchen and pulled out some pasta and pasta sauce as the local pantry has that on their list of needed items. This food pantry allows people to shop for the items they need.

ETA: also pulled out tuna/chicken pouches, canned fruit.

[Tradd]

Target had sales and coupons on personal care and household products. Spent $20 on shampoo (4), dish soap (2), and a pack of 8 bars of soap. Local food pantry said they need these things. They tend to be the things that are donated the least.

[Tradd]

It really pains me that supposed Christians have such contempt for the poor. You see this among many Trump fans. They complain about the government helping those in need and even complain about private charity. They appear to want people to starve.

[KayLR]

If funding doesn't come through for WIC as threatened, baby formula and baby food would be good donations.

[bae]

Our food bank is heavily used by the community. They have an extensive relationship with local farmers and food suppliers. Cash is by far their preferred type of donations, they can easily plug the cash into their existing logistics infrastructures. Random contributed items are less useful, and cause some “friction” in their operations. (There are 2913 households on the island, and about 4500->5000 residents. Of those, 1200 households use the Food Bank, 2288 individuals - data from 2023, use has continued to grow since then.)

https://orcasislandfoodbank.org/

[Alan]

It really pains me that supposed Christians have such contempt for the poor. You see this among many Trump fans. They complain about the government helping those in need and even complain about private charity. They appear to want people to starve.

Would it help if I created a single purpose "TrumpTrumpTrump et.al." forum where everyone can celebrate their TDS and disdain for others in one spot and everyone else would not have to be surprised to see it expressed in every other forum?

If not, you should be prepared to be asked to back up your unfounded generalizations, not as a means of argument or retaliation but to fulfill this forum's purpose of making a difference in our interactions and the greater overall society.

[Tradd]

Would it help if I created a single purpose "TrumpTrumpTrump" forum where everyone can celebrate their TDS in one spot and everyone else would not have to be surprised to see it expressed in every other forum?

If not, you should be prepared to be asked to back up your unfounded generalizations, not as a means of argument or retaliation but to fulfill this forum's purpose of making a difference in our interactions and the greater society.

I've been active for years on a large firearms forum, so mostly conservatives. They're celebrating SNAP ending in less than a week, saying the fatties will get to lose some weight. They're breathlessly waiting for riots when SNAP is totally cut off some day. Some are hoping churches and food pantries won't pick up the slack and that poor folks will have to actually work to eat.