What Food Pantries Need Most: A Guide to Food Donations
When you donate food to a food pantry, you may wonder what items are most helpful. At Our Daily Bread Food & Resource Center, food donations from the community help add variety to our shopping floor and give our guests more choices when they shop for groceries.
Our Daily Bread is designed to feel more like a small grocery store than a traditional food pantry. Guests are able to choose groceries for their household at no cost, which makes having a variety of fresh and nutritious foods available especially important. So, what makes a great food donation?
Fresh Produce
Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of a well-rounded grocery selection. Donations of fresh produce can give guests access to healthy options while adding variety to the shopping floor.
Our Daily Bread also grows fresh produce through its community garden, making fresh food a meaningful part of the organization's work.
If you have extra fresh produce from a garden or are organizing a community food drive, consider donating fresh items that can be safely given away and enjoyed by families in our community.
Frozen Meat
Frozen meat can be another valuable donation because it provides a source of protein and gives families more options when planning meals. When donating frozen foods, make sure items are properly packaged and have been kept frozen. If you are unsure whether an item can be accepted, contact Our Daily Bread before bringing it in.
Milk, Eggs, and Other Refrigerated Foods
Refrigerated foods such as milk and eggs can give families access to items that may be more expensive or difficult to purchase on a limited grocery budget.
These types of donations can also help make the shopping experience feel more like a traditional grocery store, which is an important part of the Our Daily Bread model.
Canned and Shelf-Stable Foods
Canned goods and other shelf-stable foods are also useful food pantry donations. Items such as canned vegetables, fruits, pasta, rice, cereal, and other pantry staples can be stored for longer periods and provide families with ingredients they can use for meals.
When choosing shelf-stable foods to donate, think about items that you would normally keep in your own pantry. A variety of basic ingredients can give families more choices when planning meals.
Think About Variety
One of the most helpful things you can provide through a food donation is choice.
Our Daily Bread's goal is not simply to provide a box of identical food items to every household. Guests are able to shop and select groceries for their own household. Community donations help add variety to that experience.
Before starting a food drive, consider collecting a variety of items rather than focusing on only one type of food. You could collect shelf-stable pantry items while also asking community members to contribute other needed foods.
Want to Help? Start a Food Drive
A food drive is a great way for a group to make a difference. Our Daily Bread encourages food drives with coworkers, fraternities and sororities, churches, and other organizations.
Whether you are an individual, student organization, church, business, or community group, a food drive can be a simple way to work together to fight hunger in Payne County.
Before donating, check the “Give Food” section of the Our Daily Bread website for the organization's current needs and information about donating food. Our Daily Bread also provides options for purchasing needed items through its Walmart Spark Good Registry and Amazon Charity List.
Every donation helps keep the shelves stocked and gives our guests more choices when they shop.
Together, we can help feed our community and make sure our neighbors have access to the food they need.
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