saraha Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Our small town has a little pantry and we have had a lot of fun thinking up theme meals and necessities to add to it. Now the weather has gotten really cold, below freezing, so I’m thinking canned and bottled food and soaps is probably not a good idea? What would be ok in below freezing to above freezing temperatures? So far I’ve come up with bar soaps, dried rice, dried beans, spices, but I won’t be able to keep stocking shelf stable milks and bottles of vegetable oils. What ideas do you have? Thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Baking mixes and powdered milk are popular, I'm told, especially if one can obtain both at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Some stores.stock really nice soup mixes, just add water and cook. Those are very nice on a cold winter day. Dried fruit, trail mix, granola. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Packages of instant ramen, or udon. Baby cereals to mix up Detergent—dishwashing or laundry powder Bar soap Salt, pepper, and other seasonings. (Pantry food tends to be quite boring) Dried chives or onion flakes would probably work particularly well. Maple Syrup—I store mine in the freezer routinely, and it never gets too cold to pour or changes appreciably in consistency with repeated freezing and thawing. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Pancake mix cookie/cake mixes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 cereal instant oatmeal pasta (plain or with sauce mixes) instant potatoes (mashed, au gratin, scallop, they have many kinds in box mixes) ramen either than packages or the "cup of soup" kind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildflowerMom Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Rice beans lentils taco seasoning (I put this with a package of tortillas) package corn bread that you just add water to Chili seasoning with appropriate beans oatmeal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Hot cocoa packets, lol 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartstrings Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Chapstick! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace Hopper Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Birthday cake kits are something easy to put together and a nice option for a family celebration when the grocery dollars are short. https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/usc/make-a-birthday-kit/ Also, spices are sometimes pricey but can make a meal taste better, ask the pantry organizer if you can do something like a basic spice kit. An agency I’ve volunteered with include these in holiday packages for local refugee families, but you’d maybe not want the same spices for the clients of your locale. Of course essentials are important but the above “extras” can help people feel a little less lacking. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Hot Hands! Seconding tea and cocoa mix. And soup mixes and seasonings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 My understanding is that spice mixes, which are really expensive and rarely given to food pantries, are really appreciated. No one mentioned feminine sanitary products or diapers, but both are things that obviously are shelf stable that are also typically needed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 My LFP primarily serves people who don't have access to a kitchen. Canned goods are okay. Bottled water is okay here, as it doesn't stay cold enough long enough to freeze them. I pack whole meals in oversized lunch bags that include things like... - a main dish: a curry packet and a Minute rice cup; or a pop-top can of low-sodium soup and packet of crackers, like Nabisco Fresh Stacks; or a TastyBite protein bowl or similar entree (look for sales); or a tuna and crackers-type kit. - appropriate utensils (I put out a call for unused, still-wrapped take-out utensils in my Buy Nothing group once in a while, and people are delighted to have a guilt-free way to be rid of them) - a fruit cup - a bean salad or veggie cup if I went with the tuna kits or something else without vegetables - a bottle of water - a granola bar - a paper napkin if possible - a card to the local center for day services. Hygiene items are always appreciated, too. Toothbrushes, tampons, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 I checked Aldi today. They had three very nice soup mixes that made 2 quarts of soup, just add water. Chicken noodle, chili, and hearty potato. They were roughly $4 each which is pretty direct cheap. Aldi had had dump and add water risotto packets, quinoa dishes, and a few more items like that which I think many folks would appreciate. Another item that I think would be nice is there gluten free mac n cheese, and the biscuit mix. It is really tough for wheat allergy and celiac sufferers to use food pantries. I bought 4 boxes of biscuit mix, 4 mac n cheese, 2 risotto, and 2 soup for this purpose. The town in our county with the Aldi has blessing boxes stashed around the town for this purpose, and folks are welcome to post on the Facebook page if they have donated specific items to help families with food allergies which is a really great feature. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildflowerMom Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Another thing I do is leave Walmart/grocery store bags so they can put their groceries in them to carry home. At Christmas I went by dollar general and got $1 craft kits for kids to do. dog/cat food is a good one to leave, too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drama Llama Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Tampons and pads. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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