Easy and Impactful Christmas Food Bank Donations
Christmas is a time of the year for giving and many families are looking for ways to give to those in need and experiencing hard times. One way to help is by donating non-perishable food items to your local food bank and food pantry.
Non-perishable items such as canned vegetables, boxed pasta, and peanut butter are always needed and appreciated. However, there are also other unique donation ideas.
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Fresh Bread Mixes
Bread is a staple item in any pantry, but it can be difficult for food banks to provide due to its short shelf life. Artisan bread mixes offer an easy solution—all you have to do is add water! These mixes are a wonderful choice for your donation. Not only will the recipient enjoy a delicious loaf of bread - they’ll also appreciate the convenience of not having to worry about making dough from scratch, needing any additional ingredients, or any special pans or tools.
In doing research I found that a lot of peanut butter and jelly is donated, which is wonderful, but, you need something to put it on and what a wonderful way to make someone feel special with freshly homemade bread that they can easily bake themselves.
I called my local food pantry first to make sure they accepted Bread Mixes and they do...and the woman sounded genuinely excited since it is such a unique food item and not one they get often. She told me how much they would be appreciated...so, that got me even more excited for this particular opportunity to donate as many as I can.
If doing this on your own, you could buy some plastic mixing bowls, spoons, and
Breakfast Items
Breakfast foods like cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, syrup and jams are often overlooked when it comes to donations but they are essential items for any pantry - especially during the holiday season when so many families are experiencing financial burdens.
Granola bars or breakfast bars make great snacks that kids and other family members love too! Consider donating boxes of cereal or granola bars this Christmas season – they make great stocking stuffers too!
More Wonderful and Practical Ideas
- Boxed milk and powdered milk.
- Canned foods - pop tops are preferred or donate some manual can openers.
- Vegetable and Olive oil.
- Spices, salt and pepper. You can find spices for less than $2.00 at dollar stores and Aldi's.
- Tea bags and instant coffee.
- Sugar, flour, baking soda,
baking powder, and vanilla extract. - Cake mix and canned frosting - candles and birthday cakes and plates are a nice go-to for this particular item.
- Boxed stuffing mix.
- Dishwasher detergent and dish soap.
- Hand soap.
- Feminine hygiene products.
- Depends and similar products.
- Strainers,
cooking spoons, ladles, turners, etc. - Paper bags for people to carry their groceries home in.
- Laundry detergent.
The holidays are a special time of year where we can come together as a community and support each other through our generosity.
By donating non-perishable food items this Christmas season we can make sure everyone has enough to eat throughout the holidays. Donating these items is easy and makes an immediate impact on those receiving them - so let’s all work together this year to spread some holiday cheer!
