Food Bank Donations

Food banks are charitable organizations that provide food and other necessities to those in need. If you’re looking for a way to support your community that really makes a difference in people’s lives, donating to a local food bank is a great choice.

Let’s look at what kinds of things food banks most need, what they can’t take and other ways we can help out.

What to Donate

What is safe to donate to a food bank? First, you should check with a food bank to see what they need—and what they don’t—to ensure that your donation does the most good. According to Feeding America and our local food banks, the following items are generally safe to donate:

• Peanut butter
• Jelly
• Canned soup
• Canned fruit
• Canned vegetables
• Canned stew
• Canned fish
• Canned chicken
• Canned beans
• Jars of pasta sauce
• Pasta (most prefer whole grain)
• Rice (most prefer brown rice)
• Breakfast cereal
• Saltines and other crackers

This is not an exhaustive list, but does cover the most commonly needed items. Specialty items like olive oil or marinades can be useful if they don’t need to be refrigerated; check with the food bank beforehand.

Many food banks will also accept household items and personal care items, such as soap, shampoo, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies and diapers. Families struggling with hunger often can’t afford these things and they aren’t covered by food assistance programs like SNAP. Some will also accept volunteers to help out with the physical labor, though you would certainly need to arrange that ahead of time.

One of the best ways to help most food banks is to donate money. Food banks buy in bulk and can access wholesalers, so cash donations can yield more benefit than food purchased by donors. This allows the food bank to buy what is needed the most at any given time. With cash donations food banks can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for immediate distribution, whereas these types of food cannot be donated due to their perishable nature.

What Not to Donate

Consider the following guidelines but remember that any given food bank may have more restrictions on what they can accept, depending on factors such as storage space, staff and volunteer availability etc.

• Items requiring refrigeration.
  Many food banks don’t have refrigeration space available for donations or aren’t able to sort and store perishables quickly enough for food safety, so they cannot be accepted. The best way to help food insecure families get access to fresh food is to donate money directly to the food bank so they may safely distribute fresh food.
• Expired food.
  Consider what you’d be comfortable feeding your family when donating even non-perishable food. Most food banks will not distribute expired food of any kind for legal and safety reasons.
• Home-cooked food.
  Whether it’s a batch of casseroles or your famous baked breads, anything prepared at home is not something a food bank can use because they can’t confirm the ingredients or the preparation processes used in a private kitchen.
• Food with packaging issues.
  Dented or bloated cans, boxes with holes in them, bags with even small holes or tears and anything that’s already been opened can present major safety risks and thus cannot be accepted by food banks.

Finally, while they aren’t strictly unacceptable, most food banks ask that you limit donations of candy, sugary beverages, baked goods like cakes or pastries, junk food and processed meats of all sorts. Remember, food insecure families need high quality, nutritious food more than deserts or snacks heavy on fat and salt.

Where to Donate

Now that you know the dos and don’ts, take a look at some of our local food banks to find where and how you can do the most good.

Gleaners

Established in 1977, Gleaners was recognized as Feeding America’s 2019 Food Bank of the Year. Check out their website for details on how to donate, volunteer, and more.

Open Door Ministry

Open Door Ministry is located right here in Canton and provides several types of assistance for those in need. Donations are accepted Tuesdays from 9:00-11:00 AM, Wednesdays from 9:00 AM-2:00 PM, or Thursdays from 1:00-8:30 PM. Check their website for details on how to donate or volunteer.

Food Gatherers

Food Gatherers is the leading agency for hunger relief in Washtenaw County. Their warehouse receives donations from Monday to Friday from 9:00-11:00 AM and 12:30-3:00 PM. See their website for more details about donations and volunteer opportunities for all ages. They can even help you begin to set up your own food drive!

Christ Our Savior Food Pantry

Located in Livonia, the Christ Our Savior Food Pantry is open to the public on Fridays from 10:00 AM-noon, though donations can be dropped off at the church anytime.

Mother’s Pantry – Operation Refuge

Operation Refuge in Inkster provides numerous services to those in need, including food assistance through Mother’s Pantry. They are primarily looking for monetary donations and volunteers for numerous roles in the organization, so if you are looking for a longer-term volunteer opportunity they’d love to hear from you by phone or through their website.

Plymouth Community United Way

The Plymouth Community United Way offers the Emergency Food Assistance Program for residents of Canton, Northville and Plymouth. Documentation is required. For more information about the TEFAP program, visit the Plymouth Community United Way website.  

If you or someone you know needs food assistance, Wayne County gives out free food every month at Summit on the Park. For even more food banks in our region, take a look at this list.