Grocery store bags for charity?

[Jean in Newcastle]

All the local grocery stores have prepacked paper bags filled with pre-set foods selected by our local foodbanks.  Some of them are Thanksgiving themed and some are just popular non-perishables that people need at this time of the year.  I think it is such a good idea and it is so easy to add one of them (they usually cost $10 a bag) to my cart.  Once you pay for them they are put aside to be given to the actual foodbank.  Do grocery stores in your area do this?  

[Liz CA]

Haven't seen this yet but we participated in an old-fashioned canned food donation by buying a few cans and donating those outside the grocery store. They were also taking hygiene items like soap and shampoo.

[Hannah]

The grocery stores don't, but there are drives at schools, churches and workplaces for specific charities.  Some provide a list of items (food, toiletries, clothing, etc) that they require and have drop-off boxes.  Others will give a child's age and gender so that one can wrap a Christmas gift.

 

I like the idea of a foodbank parcel.  As you say, its a really easy way to contribute what is really needed.

[momofkhm]

One of our grocery stores does this year round.  But there are more out and they are more obvious around the holidays.

 

 

[Chris in VA]

The stores here do, from time to time.

 

As an aside, I volunteered at our local food bank for the first time, a couple of weeks ago. My df asked her friends to come help at the food bank for a couple of hours, then have cupcakes in the adjoining park, to celebrate her birthday. No clients were there. We organized some shelves, swept up, undid big packages of goods into individual boxes (like mac and cheese and the like), sorted diapers, etc. Dd came, too. It was an unusual and lovely way to spend time at a birthday party!

[Pawz4me]

Yes, they do at times.

 

And we have volunteered at a local food bank (a huge sort of clearinghouse of a food bank that serves/supplies many smaller food banks in surrounding counties).  And I can tell you they really love those bags.

[Heatherwith4]

Publix does that here sometimes.

[bolt.]

One of ours has those all the time. The goods included are not at full retail price, so the store is 'subsidizing' what you are buying, knowing that you are giving it to charity.

 

Sometimes I also wonder if someone 'working poor' could just buy the package with the intent of eating the low-cost goods. I don't know if the store would object to that, or be happy to help out that way too.

[Night Elf]

The grocery stores near me do this around the holidays. They usually have differently priced bags too. There is a bin in the front of the store where you can place your own donations or the pre-filled bag. I don't know where they go from there.

[Cinder]

Yes, the local Kroger and Publix do those bags. Like Night Elf says, there are different priced packages. I don't know where they go either.

 

Our Awana does a major food drive in the fall for a well-known ministry here. Since we've always put in major support toward that I've never been compelled to find out more about the grocery stores' programs. Maybe now I will. Thanks, Jean.

[TammyinTN]

I'm not sure...but I'm going to look.  We usually donate a case of pasta sauce, noodles, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned salmon to our local food bank.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

I didn't know that about some people returning the food for cash!  That appalls me but I realize that there are jerks in all socioeconomic classes.  

 

I wonder if our grocery stores subsidize the bags here. . .

 

I do know that during the year the foodbanks are allowed to "shop" the stores for all dented and almost expired foods.  

[Myra]

And don't forget to donate "treats" to the food banks, too. When you are down and out, it's nice to be able to give your child a tasty food treat like individually packaged peach cups, applesauce, puddings, gold fish crackers.  

 

Myra

[Santi]

I've never seen that before. Here the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have separate food drives, and the Girl Scouts (I don't know about the boys) make thanksgiving boxes.

[gingersmom]

Our food store had a box you could buy for $5 or $10 and it represented X amount of food they would donate.

[Susan C.]

The charity near by closely screens applicants, and providing food is one thing they do. So in the past, I have taken non perishable food directly there. I decide on the amount I want to give, then price shop to get the biggest bang for the buck. BOGO is your friend, you can really get a lot taking advantage of that and good sales.

[vonfirmath]

All the local grocery stores have prepacked paper bags filled with pre-set foods selected by our local foodbanks.  Some of them are Thanksgiving themed and some are just popular non-perishables that people need at this time of the year.  I think it is such a good idea and it is so easy to add one of them (they usually cost $10 a bag) to my cart.  Once you pay for them they are put aside to be given to the actual foodbank.  Do grocery stores in your area do this?  

 

HEB doesn't do it all the time. But I've seen them do something similar before. I'll have to go and see if they are doing it now.

 

What kinds of things do they stock in these bags? I'm seeing a lot of questions going around about what to donate to the food banks. It seems people are getting paranoid they aren't giving the right stuff.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

 

What kinds of things do they stock in these bags? I'm seeing a lot of questions going around about what to donate to the food banks. It seems people are getting paranoid they aren't giving the right stuff.

The bags at our grocery store include:

canned tuna

pasta

tomato sauce

canned vegetables

peanut butter

[LucyStoner]

The food bank can get a lot more than what is in that bag for $10. Like a couple of cases of something vs. one small bag. I prefer to just donate money directly to the food bank. They get better deals on buying food and they need cash for the lights and the space and the other programs they run. They also know what they need.

 

The food bank by my home doesn't run out of some of these holiday donations until like July or August. And then they have nothing in some sections unless they have money to buy food and fill in holes.

 

Give to your food bank year round. And consider giving money, not food you buy at retail.

[Julie Smith]

They have the bags. But I'm not sure who picks out what goes inside the bad. I hope the person picking out the contents does talk to the food bank. 

 

 

I think the contents is usually some pasta, a sauce, a canned vegetable, a canned fruit, some sort of protein (peanut butter, or tuna fish, or something) and a convenience food such as a pack of nutrition bars, or little fruit cups you put in a lunch.