When I was homeless this was one of the biggest things. It didn’t solve all my problems, but having such a simple, direct way to just go and get food was huge.

Honestly its probably one of the better donations you can make as far as charity, but I think the whole idea that our country needs to rely on charity systems is a problem and super inefficient for most issues.

I volunteered a local food bank before the pandemic. I’m Canadian so this is purely from the perspective of that, but I’ve observed a couple of things:

• Food banks are very efficient with money so if you donate that, they can make it go a long way. Way better than chucking a few cans near expiry. That being said, food is always welcome and appreciated. Ask your local food bank about what types of food you’re allowed to give.
• Our food bank also provided toiletries which were always a hot item. If you have extra shampoos (unopened), conditioners, tampons, doggy pee pads, deodorant, toilet paper, or any hair products you don’t need, donate to a food bank. If you’re feeling generous and you know your local dollar store has name brand products for a decent price, pick up some stuff and drop it off if they accept that type of product. Also don’t be afraid to donate something you (an adult) wouldn’t use like strawberry scented deodorant. There are a lot of teen girls that would love it.
• Please don’t donate your expired food. For food that’s just a bit expired, we had a system of sending it to the local Sikh charity who cooked meals with the food and served that to those in need. But that was our food bank’s agreement because we were near a large Sikh community, your expired cans are a lot better off being used in your soup than being sent to a food bank that will throw it out. (Food banks often have no exceptions policies about chucking out expired goods, but most things are fine to eat past the BB date. Canned beans from 2021 are better in your tummy than at the food bank in most cases).
• I’m not sure if this is true for all Canadian A&W restaurants, but our local one donated eggs in large quantities. Pretty much every family coming through could get fresh eggs every trip. Seasonally, the butchers and local grocery would also donate large turkeys for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was wonderful for local families. Anyway, so now when I do eat junk food, I go to A&W cause the burgers are good and turns out that they’re real homies.
• The shoppers (name we had for those who used our food bank) were kind people from a variety of backgrounds. Most were at the very least quiet and did their trip quickly, but the vast majority were extremely thankful to those who volunteered.
• Those who volunteer at food banks vary - in Ontario we have some mandatory community hours for local high school kids, so you’ll get some teens trying to fill their hours. But you’ll also meet people who needed that food bank at some point in their life. And older people who want someone to talk to. And kind souls who want to make a difference. And the occasional power tripper who really wants to look great in the community. But most people are fantastic.
• People who need food banks vary dramatically. Some were obviously homeless and had substance abuse issues (we banned any who were inebriated to the point of causing issues for staff), some were single moms, some were older people who needed help in retirement, some were on disability etc. It will open your eyes that anyone can fall on hard times. A woman who volunteered there disclosed that she needed the food bank after being diagnosed with MS and her husband losing his job in the same year. Luckily she’s in a better spot now and decided to give back when she could.
• This is just an observation from my perspective, but I was a late 20s petite woman who made decent money and I always tried to dress down for the experience so that I wouldn’t make anyone feel strange. A lot of people who needed the food bank were in my age group. I typically wore old jeans, an old thick hoodie, no makeup, etc. It was both practical and considerate. I noticed the dudes my age who were using the food bank didn’t even make eye contact with me when I was helping them pick food. I think a lot of them were very considerate to not make me feel weird about the interaction, but it also felt like there’s a lot of cultural pressure on men to be successful, and it seemed like shopping with a girl their own age was kinda a negative experience. It made me sad, I think our society needs to do a lot of work on men’s mental health and the pressure to be successful and a provider.

They’re at least a non-profit! Still counts in my mind