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[Image ID: A series of screenshots capturing a long tweet by Fara Kaufman (@ justfara), which reads

“So, I spoke to people getting food at a food bank and here are some things I learned from those in need:

1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks.

2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of.

3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.

4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.

5. Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice a-Roni which they also get a lot of.

6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Christmas gift.

7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care.

8. Sugar and flour are treats.

9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores.

10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some.

11. They rarely get fresh meat.

12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.

13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.

14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread.

15. Butter or margarine is nice too.

16. Eggs are a real commodity.

17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child's birthday cake.

18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated.

19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that.

20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.

In all the years I have donated food at the Holidays, I bought what I thought they wanted, but have never asked. I am glad I did. If you are helping a Family this Christmas, maybe this can help you tailor it more. It does for me!

At the bottom is a photo of a shelf at a food bank. Items on display include dry noodles, boxed stuffing mix, vegetable oil, dry beans, gravy mix, and various canned goods. Each item has a sign below it that reads “limit 1” or “limit 2”.

/End ID]

Since the holiday toy drive post is circulating again, I figured this would also be helpful! Food insecurity is such a massive problem in America, in general, and if you have the means to help feed others, I think you should take that opportunity. Here are some other tips:

1. If you’re planning on donating items from your own pantry, please check the expiration dates on the packaging. Think of your donations as gifts to bestow, not castoffs to be rid of. It’s awful to think of people feeling like they got scraps someone else just didn’t want. Everyone deserves dignity with their meals.

2. If you’d rather give money to a food bank, that’s also great since they buy food in bulk and know what items are most wanted/needed!

3. Not everyone has access to appliances like stoves or microwaves or hot plates so if you can donate items that don’t need to be heated up, that would also be greatly appreciated!

Every food bank worker/ donations collector I’ve ever spoken to on this is unanimous. Watch any of the big names discussing food assistance in the US and the workers are out in droves in the comments begging for donations of funds so they can buy up the glut of produce harvest happening now instead of getting a bunch of cans or prepackaged foods that aren’t the best use of the cash and won’t result in nearly as much food for the people in need.

When you give stuff, the volunteers have to work significantly more to physically move it around, find storage for unpredictable objects, sort it. Money is virtual and easy for them to manage and HOLDS VALUE if they happen to run out of space. Money doesn’t make them turn away an offered corporate donation of fresh milk because they have no room left.

When you give money, they can buy TEN TO TWENTY TIMES AS MUCH FOOD and/or hygiene products and/or whatever their particular bank needs that wasn’t donated as a physical good, e.g. by a business by the palletload. They have access to pricing that makes Costco look like Erewhon.

If you just happen to have a ton of food you maybe found you had an allergy to, or you stocked up on pads before getting a ute yeet, or someone in your family had a ton of unopened packages of diapers before the kid spontaneously potty-trained overnight, great, that’s a wonderful donation. But do not go out and buy food for the food pantry - give them the money.

Trust the people who do this work to know what is most needed and how best to get it to as many people as possible with the best nutritional profile.

For US folks:

gonna have to reblog this one too

↑ - Writer has already been tagged

⚠️ - Potential Trigger

❤️‍🔥 - Smut

🤰 - Pregnancy

♾️ - Neurodivergent!Reader

💓 - Soulmate AU

🧒 - One of them has a kid

📖 - Multi-Part Series

Into you - ↑ ❤️‍🔥

Waiting on fate - ↑ ❤️‍🔥

Not for me - ↑

Beefy Bucky - @buckyalpine ❤️‍🔥

Yours to claim - ↑ ❤️‍🔥

One Night - ↑

Ink on his heart - @bitsandbobsandstuff

I'm not ready - ↑

The (not naked) pin-up calendar - ↑

Doctor Daddy - @mypoisonedvine ❤️‍🔥

Dishonorable Discharge - ↑ ❤️‍🔥⚠️

My Heart, My Angel - @paintedface

Ex’s and Oh’s - ↑

Intertwined - ↑

Hello gorgeous - @fatecantstopme ❤️‍🔥

Unrequited love? - ↑ ❤️‍🔥

Accidental Pictures - @alisonsfics ❤️‍🔥

Fake girlfriend - ↑

Do you want me? - @metalbuckaroo ❤️‍🔥

Long awaited - ↑ ❤️‍🔥

The divorce - @becca-e-barnes ❤️‍🔥

Playdate - ↑

Toxic & jealous - @sweetsweetnuit ❤️‍🔥

On his knees - ↑ ❤️‍🔥

Purgatory - @wkemeup

The Safest Place In New York - ↑

Operation Mistletoe - ↑

The third wheel - @writing-for-marvel

Liability - ↑

A Solid Foundation - ↑

Everyone's Watching Him - ↑

A true hero - @onceuponastory

Part of a family - ↑ 🧒

Finders Keepers - @sacredsorceress

Cake - ↑

Three’s a Crowd - ↑

Who’s She? - ↑

The Long Run - ↑

Interference - @navybrat817

What Goes Around - ↑

Meet The Parents - ↑

Soulmate Quiz - @ofstarsandvibranium 💓

Best Friend's Brother - ↑

I'm Not Playing - ↑

How Do I Do This? - ↑

You Belong With Me - ↑

I Got A Question To Ask - ↑ 🧒

It's A Set Up - ↑ 🧒

Block Party Barbeque - ↑ 🧒

A Soldier’s Solace - @daystarpoet

Electric Touch - @mcrdvcks ❤️‍🔥

The road goes ever on and on - @rocketrhap3000 🧒 ❤️‍🔥📖

A collision of fate - @hollyseb

Hypotheticals - @tommyparkerr

New Tricks - @thevillainswhore ❤️‍🔥

A favour - @buckysbabygorl ❤️‍🔥

Bad boys dont buy flowers - @espinosaurusrexex

The other guy - @seventven

12 days of smut #3 Sex Pollen - @ellemj ❤️‍🔥

12:51 -  @allthatyoulove

Let me do it myself - @stevekempscocktails ❤️‍🔥

My blood turns into alcohol - @ltbarnes

My mom thinks you're hot - @bluehourbucky 🧒

How’s your head? - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

Yes, your grace - @fandoms-writings

No one compares - @buckystories

Enemies - @earlgreydream

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince - @fangirllovestuff

Incoherent - @buckyhoney ❤️‍🔥

Bring heaven to you - @call-me-doll-face ❤️‍🔥

Silver and Gold - @the-omni-princess 💓

Afternoon Delight - @christowhore ❤️‍🔥

Sugar and Spice - @sunlightdances

What’s a Tumblr? - @holylulusworld ❤️‍🔥

Chaotic - @angrythingstarlight

Autistic!reader - @timelord-winchester-22b ♾️

Daisies - @rebeccccccaaa ❤️‍🔥

Gentle Giant - @touchstarvedirl

Reciprocated - @theonewiththefanfics

The Office Christmas Party - @writerlyhabits ❤️‍🔥

The truth comes out - @fan-fantasies ❤️‍🔥

Keeping Score - @all1e23

It's really you - @heavysoldat ❤️‍🔥

Sweet as sugar - @onceuponabarnes ❤️‍🔥

Vita brevis - @noceurous ❤️‍🔥

In Another Life - @aquaticmercy

Let The Rain Fall series - @mrs-elsie-barnes ♾️

Better than revenge - @starryevermore

Soft Spot - @marvelstoriesepic

The Blue Eyed Sergeant - @historygeekfics ♾️ 📖

Grouch - @buckysfaveplum

lmao the Google Doc tab for this is 9 pages, so we're reblogging

↑ - Writer has already been tagged

⚠️ - Potential Trigger

❤️‍🔥 - Smut

🤰 - Pregnancy

🧒 - One of them has a kid

📖 - Multi-Part Series

♾️ - Neurodivergent!Reader

💓 - Soulmate AU

🎅 - Religious Holiday

🎂 - Birthday

Doctor’s Secret - @multific

A Well-Kept Secret - @astrophileous

Secret Life, Secret Wife - @reidslibrarybook

Lover Boy - @elledc

I’m Looking For It In An Alphabet Soup Cup - @cerisereids

Cat Fights - @cherrygarcia-07

Cat’s Out of the Bag - @laufeysvalentine

Mistletoe for two - @andiebeaword ❤️‍🔥🎅

Daddy’s little helper - @stairain ❤️‍🔥🧒

Perverse temptations - @subspencer ❤️‍🔥

Teacher, Teacher - @differentkettleoffishalltogether ❤️‍🔥

Raw - @minswriting ❤️‍🔥

Bang My Line - @daddy-dotcom ❤️‍🔥

Unlucky in Love - @criminalmindzjunkie

Fluff alphabet - @cacoetheswriting

Things we know by heart - @juniorgman187

Fresh baked - @reidgraygubler

Dream a little dream - @criminalmindswriting 💓

Rogue thoughts - @sometimesiwritebadly 💓

Words of two souls - @reidandweep 💓

The shoebox under the bed - @thatgirlstrawberry

Pregnant wife - @radiant-reid 🤰

Baby daddy - @shemarmooresfedora 🤰

Santa doesn’t know you like I do - @swiftlyinlove 🎅

Hidden - @spencexreidimagine

Hypothetically - @incognit0slut

The boy next door - @a-simple-gaywitch

Drunk in love - @nereidprinc3ss

Missed it - @kisses4reid

Neighbor AU- @endearng

I hope we meet again - @blueeyedgirll

Single Dad AU - @luveline 🧒🤰📖

Down the fire escape and into my heart - @justawhitebloodcell01

I wish I knew you wanted me - @irndad

Twenty questions - @viaisms

First Meeting - @0o-junebug-o0

Cherry Picking - @certaimromance

Secret Santa - @reidswhre 🎅

Like a cake - @ocinstar

Longing for you - @proseandpretrichor

No more misunderstandings - @reidmarieprentiss

Special Diet - @gghostwriter 🤰

Lovebird - @spencerreidenjoyer 🧒

There beneath - @halfwayhearted

Dr. Reid's Plus-One and A Half - @little-jana 🤰

Heavenly - @dudeitiskarev ❤️‍🔥

The First Time - @mindfullycriminal ❤️‍🔥