How does donating food compare with donating money (to a food bank type organization)? for Questionland Seattle

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How does donating food compare with donating money (to a food bank type organization)?

Food drives seem to:
- provide good visuals (for tv news, etc)
- give people the chance to see all the extra and unneeded food they have (to give away)
- give people to chance to donate with something they have (food) instead of something they don't have (money)
- require volunteers/workers to pick up and transport the donated food
- require volunteers/workers to sort out the unacceptable donations (of which a lot happens because people can't read or comprehend donation rules)
-etc.

Are food drives (for larger organizations) mostly about PR (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) or are they a very effective way to gather food and provide it to those that need it?

stinkbug asked in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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Well, this question runs very deep indeed. We could discuss for days issues of seasonality and customer expectations and how those things impact waste, overproduction, affordability, availability, on and on. However the short answer at least for us is that at the end of the day we end up with product that for one reason or another hasn't sold. So donating "in kind" is a way for us to get that product to people that really need it instead of in the compost. Donating product is very standard in the baking industry and has been forever. PR is very minimal from that, so while we'll take whatever PR we can get, that's not a major driver for me or any other baker I know.

George De Pasquale answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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Chefgirl

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A few years ago I read a report which stated that a decently-run foodbank can stretch each dollar to bring in 7x as much food as that dollar would buy in a supermarket.

This is possible mainly because good old cash can be used to pay for gasoline and maintenance on a truck or van, with which someone can then drive halfway across the state -- worth it if the trip results in bringing back a whole warehouse of donated food that was there for the taking.

I now donate money to foodbanks but I do still look for really insane loss leaders in the ads each week. By combining specials with coupons, I've sometimes been able to get crazy prices on non-perishables like rice, granola bars, peanut butter, tuna, mayo, etc...which I buy along with my own weekly groceries and then donate on the way out of the store.

Apart from all that, I also like to buy some strictly fun stuff to donate too, especially this time of year; goodies like sparkling cider or cereal with marshmallow bits. I like to think of the parents getting to bring home the treat for their kids.

Chefgirl answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

1 comment by Rev.Enant…

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Very little goes to waste when it's donated to a food bank. I like to give money, because they often have the ability to buy foodstuffs at greatly discounted rates, so they get more bang for the buck if I give them $5 than if I spent $5 buying them food. But one gives what one is able, and all is appreciated.

Many food banks are overjoyed to get donations of small hygiene items, by the way; people often don't think of this, but those little shampoos and soaps that you collected at your last hotel stay and never opened are damn handy for people living out of backpacks and grocery bags. Don't give them half-used ones, though: that's just rude.

Geni answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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Food banks will take anything you got. Food will find a home, but there's always room for money, with which they can buy stuff that doesn't get donated.

Every once in a while I'll drop off a load of toothbrushes, travel-size toothpaste, and other toiletries that people tend to forget about.

Fnarf answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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Donate whatever you are able to - either cash or cans will work wonders for someone who has neither.

Food drives serve one purpose above all (and are somewhat effective at it): they re-stock the foodbank/shelter shelves, like a proverbial shot-in-the-arm. Awareness/PR/education/operational costs to sort it all ...are secondary to filling bellies / staving off desperation.

Food drives are generally not an effective PR tool, but I've always appreciated the music acts and such that put "bring 2 cans / ten pounds of food for the food drive" as an option in lieu of buying tix.

What still needs work is there are something like 40% of hungry families out there that don't use foodbanks and/or don't know enough about food banks to utilize their services. Connecting the hungry with these resources out there needs to improve.

Rev.Enant answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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Inflationary concerns aside, money has no shelf life. And it's far more flexible in its application. There's a place and a need for both food and money but all else being equal, I think money's a better gift here.

capicola answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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