Pistachio Jell-o and W(h)ine.

[Anoki]

It's not really a job, but I've been spending the last week volunteering at a food pantry, and will continue to do so until the next semester starts. I unload donations, sort them (and pitch the expired stuff that people gave us), pack grocery bags and sneak extra pieces of candy to kids that come with their parents to pick things up. Overall, it is excellent and a ton of fun.

But everything has it's exceptions.

They make this stuff?
Not terribly sucky, but someone donated a few packs of jello-pudding (the kind in the cardboard box that you make at home). I will not envy the soul who ends up trying pistachio-flavored. Unfortunately, they all expired back in November, so we had to pitch them just in case.

More Jell-o!
A nice-looking lady dropped off a few bags with some things that were really needed. But in one of the bags I found 27 of those jello boxes. They had all expired back in the 90's. I unpacked everything else, and when I thought the woman had left, threw them all out.
Only she hadn't left, she had been talking to someone in the main office, and saw me pitch her precious jello.
L(ady): What the hell do you thing you're doing? (furious, red-faced tone)
Me: Ma'am, they expired years ago, and we can't give them this. It's dangerous, illegal, and undignified.
L: You're wasting food! Those could have gone to needy children! Think of how happy it would have made them!
Me: I'm really sorry, but I can't put that on the shelves.
Back and forth for a bit, she eventually decides to cuss me out and storms away, acting all high and mighty.

I don't think I'm some extra-wonderful person for working at the pantry, so you definitely don't have the right to act like you're so wonderful for bringing in expired food once every few years.

Cans

Types of cans I don't like:

Cans that expired in '03 (they haven't exploded yet?)
Cans that have the label ripped off.
Cans that are covered in gross, sticky-stuff.
Cans that are covered in DEAD GRUBS and MAGGOTS
Cans that are covered in dust.
Cans with writing in languages that I don't understand (and also lack pictures). Not to be an ass, but it's just a pain to try to figure out whether something is a vegetable or a meat or a sauce (because each bag only gets X amount of each).


Steak Sauce

Thank you to the company that donated 3 crates of high-grade sauces for various, specific cuts of meat that (Pantry's) clients can probably not afford, nor can we afford to give them. Bonus points for having a short shelf-life too.


Grrr.

A former classmate of mine dropped off a Victoria's secret bag filled with yeast packets.
1) Think on that for a minute, until you're as grossed out as I was.
2) How useful is this?
3) Don't laugh at me as I take out the trash, and comment on how I haven't gotten prettier since the 4th grade. I hate you a little.

Angry W(h)ine Lady

Yesterday I was working with a friend and another lady. WL owned a liquor store and kept telling us to buy from her when we were old enough. But after her first hour, she started getting sarcastic with us (we didn't do anything to provoke her, we were just sorting canned goods) and swearing loudly every time she couldn't find an expiration date on something. She complained about how gross and unhealthy the donated food was (yeah, but some people don't really have a choice), and how if she ran the place, she'd make sure that only wholesome vegetarian food was served. She had a fit because someone donated a few boxes of Ritz crackers, and shame on them, because there is no nutritional value in those. Towards the end of her shift (that she signed up to do out of the pure goodness of her heart), she just sat around ordering my friend and I about. Coming here and complaining for three hours doesn't make you a good person.

The Gospel of John

Sometimes we get donations from religious groups, which is always awesome because they give a ton of really good stuff and pay attention to the Village's website, where it lists the things that the pantry is really in need of. But they always wrap a bunch of cans in those easy-read pamphlets and rubberband them in place. So of course we have to go through and take them all off. We don't just serve Christians, and it would be kinda not-cool to give it to a Jewish, Muslim, or Native American client. (We put them in a bin in the corner of the main office with a bunch of candy and other small odds and ends, anyone is allowed to take anything from there. It's not as though we throw it out.) But other volunteers just don't get it. "But it would make them good chr-" "No."


Awesome: I found a bunch of cans, and the label says: "Makes soup look more soupy!" I think it's hilarious. I could be nuts.

And umm, that's it thus far. The end!

[Saydrah]

Good grief.

There is just so much and so little to say about all these things....

There used to be a program called SHARE (might be still around) that was sort of a food co-op for people in need, run by a church, near me.

I was, at the time, a kiddo VERY into the Animorphs books, in which 'The Sharing' is an organization used as a front to recruit people who the end up controlled by alien brain slugs.

....My friends and I were quite certain that we had to stop SHARE from turning everyone into aliens!

[Emrld]

actually I like Pistachio pudding . . .I know it is a personal choice . . .you might try it sometime if you are out somewhere that serves it . . .see if you can just get a taste to see if you like it. (like cafeteria style resturant or buffet)

I work with my local food bank and I have met the sibling of entitlement lady . . .wouldn't want to eat anything that far out of date herself but the poor should be happy to eat anything given to them free . . . .ok I will step away from that soap box (especially cause our Point of view is rather similar)


I do give you cheers and thanks for the work you are doing. It isn't easy, nor is it clean or appetizing.

[poofy_puff]

Expired food can be eaten, unless it's obviously no good and perishable (such as dairy). Especially crap like Jello and Jello pudding. I have eaten expired pudding, both pistachio and otherwise, and have no problem if food pantries give them to me.

Yes, I understand that you have to follow their precious rules, but my husband works for a homeless shelter sometimes and they get expired stuff and eat it all the time (this is where I get some of my expired stuff) and we all lived to tell about it without growing another ear out of our foreheads.

[Anoki]

No, I know that some things are still perfectly good to eat. But there's the thing with the lawsuits or something.
I just do what I'm told.
And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone's like of pistachio pudding.

[Saydrah]

I think it's more the lawsuits and also the principle of the thing- it's like, "I'll only give it to the poor people if it's not good enough for me anymore..."

I EAT cans that expire in my cabinet when I find them- not save them up to donate.

[Emrld]

you didn't offend
From the way you posted it sounded like you had never heard of the flavor or even tried it.

It is true many food pantry's now have to throw away items (even non perishable) based on the sell by/ expiration date. True powdered items don't really spoil, or risk spoiling until liquid is introduced. But, lawyers will do what lawyers do best. So to protect the funds that these food banks do have they have had to become uber protective on things. (like throw away at expiration date)

Even the handing out of religious based materials could lead to a lawsuit if the pantry itself does not make it clear that specific religion is part of their organization.

[Becks]

When I donate food, I make sure that I donate good things.

My motto? "Don't give it away if you wouldn't eat it yourself."


Grab popcorn , it's story time!

A few years back, Bella and I were mentioned on the radio (our favorite DJ on our then-favorite station) for donating food.

The radio station was doing food drives at various places in the metropolitan area. One such place was a grocery store close to our home.

Before we went to work that day, we grabbed some food, so we could drop it off on the way home.

We did so, then we went into the store. Our place of employment had given gift certificates to said store to employees. (Part of the Christmas bonus? I don't remember.) Anyhoo, we got baby food and cereal and all kinds of nice stuff, to add to the items we'd already dropped off.

We chatted with the DJ [All-mighty Traffic God ] about bands and songs and headbanged for a while.

Good times.

[Saydrah]

The station I listen to does a food drive every year, but the locations are always too far away for me to justify driving that far to donate to a food bank that is actually closer to me than the dropoff locations...

So no headbanging with DJs for me. Maybe someday, since I have a totally ridiculous crush on the afternoon DJ on my favorite station, based solely off of him being a pretty cool dude when I called in once (to publicize an event I helped organize for pet adoption) and he let me talk on the air and then talked to me off air for a while.

[auntiem]

Ok now I have to stop on the way home and pick up a box of Pistachio pudding (yum!).

The lady mad about the Ritz crackers - I hate those kinds of people. So it isn't nutritious why can't food bank folks have a few non necessities? We usually include a couple of helpful pantry items like spices, crackers, good cheese, yummy pie filling and Jiffy mix (for crumbles) - stuff you don't "need" but make things suck just a little less if you have them.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

If (& this is a big if) you have the other ingredients; of flour, sugar, milk powder & butter;, freshly made yeast bread is oh-so-yummy. It was the first dish that I made on my own that my family did not teach me to make (I took some 4H nutrition class, I think, the memory's kind of fuzzy). But it's still icky to bring packets of yeast in a Victoria's Secret (or any lingerie) bag.

My church group doesn't tithe, we ask people to bring food for the food bank instead. When I go, I try to alternate bringing something really nutritious & bringing something kind of fun.

[Cyphr]

exactly and the vegitarian its bad enough when other cafeteria goers try and force it on you but a social worker/volunteer some people want some meat in their diet. BTW if i got a vegi meal from the food pantry i would buy like 12 dozen veef stew cans and hand them to the person and say well my last bag didnt have anymeat so i thought oyu were alittle low just to spite her

[bainsidhe]

I know of a couple local volunteer agencies who are always looking for people to help sort food for FoodLink, which is one of the local food pantries. I've never done it myself, do you come into contact with the people being helped or do you just stay hidden away sorting through dirty/dusty/old food?

Also, do local food pantries (sorry, I've never donated directly either, always through some store or such) collect other items such as clothes or pet food? I believe I heard they collect toiletries...

Anyway, I think it is a very nice thing you are doing and wish you further enjoyment in your volunteering.

[XCashier]

Types of cans I don't like:

Cans that expired in '03 (they haven't exploded yet?)
Cans that have the label ripped off.
Cans that are covered in gross, sticky-stuff.
Cans that are covered in DEAD GRUBS and MAGGOTS

"But how could you throw that out?! It's not just food, it's a Botox treatment!"

[/sarcasm]Seriously, I find food in my cupboards in that condition, I throw it out. Even if it's only a month out of date. Stuff I donate, I make sure is in date. It might be generic or on sale, but it's in date. I wouldn't want to receive swollen, toxic food, so I don't give it to others.

[Javarod]

Speaking of donating and all, semi-related, don't be afraid to think out of the box. Dec 06 I donated a king pin lock to the local salvation army. Why? At the beginning of the month, someone stole their toy donation trailer. Thankfully being early in the month, there wasn't much in it, but imagine later in the month. Since I had the king pin lock kicking around from my aborted trucking career, I figured since I couldn't afford to donate anything else, that'd make a good donation. What's a king pin lock you ask? Fits over the pin on the trailer, making it basically impossible to hook a truck up to the trailer unless you have the key. Sure, you can cut it off, or drill out the lock, but that'd be rather attention getting, no? You might be surprised what you have around that you don't need nor want any more that might be of use to a charity.