No matter what part of the country you live in, your local food bank is very much in need. Most food banks are stating that there are more than double the needs from last year. They are feeding twice the mouths they have in the past, and the donations are going down, not up! Read the note below from a lady that dropped by our local food pantry that we are doing a Food Drive for this weekend.
I had the opportunity to go to the Star Ministries Food Pantry with my husband last night. It was a very humbling experience as the place was OVER RUN with people needing food for their families. Boxes were packed as best as possible but the shelves were very low. The evening started with a few vegetables, beans and pasta and no cereal or peanut butter. One mom with sad and embarrassed eyes asked if we had any “sweet treats” we could put in for her children. Thankfully, there was one cake mix. I don’t know if she had eggs and oil at home, but she got the cake mix.
When the last person walked out of the food bank the shelves were completely bare–not low, bare. Thankfully everyone who came (and there were tons) received food and hopefully saw the love of God. While typically they are open the 3rd and 4th Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the month, a sign was put on the door that the Food Pantry would be closed this evening (Thursday) because there was no food. This saddens me greatly as I think of the children who may go to bed hungry tonight.
As a reader, I want to challenge you to give like you have never given before. It touches my heart to hear this story, because I know there are hundreds like it. I KNOW what we could do for those in need if we would just put a little extra time forth.
In an effort to make it as easy as possible I have pulled together a Food Donation Deals List. This is designed to help you pick up a few extras for others while you are doing your normal grocery shopping. Even if you aren’t a couponer, there are tons of great deals to snag without using coupons. I want to encourage you to donate anything you find that is a good deal.
Check out the two pictures of deals being donated right now – I hope they encourage you! One is from our Coupon Swap last night and the other from reader Jennifer. Show me your donations! Send me your pictures to post or post them on my Facebook page.
Food donation from only 3 people!
Jennifer's Food Donation
Looking for a place to donate your extras? Leave comments below if you know where to drop off items, be sure to leave your city and state. I will list them below this question.
Note: If you are in the Franklin area, feel free to drop them off at my door, my church Fellowship Bible Church or the YMCA of Cool Springs .
In Wilson County you can contact Gladeville Baptist Church (www.gladevillechurch.org) / 615-444-9550 – the church is always happy to take items and we run our own food pantry as well as donating out to other food pantries.
The Help Center in Mt Juliet is a wonderful organization that helps a great number or families with food and other assistance – and is always in need of donations.
Grace Works in Franklin, TN off Columbia Ave.
http://www.graceworksministries.net/our%20ministries.htm
AND
The Well in Spring Hill, TN are great places to drop off pantry items!!
http://www.springhillwell.org/
I have contacted a few organizations in my area (South Suburban Chicagoland), and no one has gotten back to me. I will keep trying nonetheless….
Murfreesboro folks!
Our church has a program specifically for children. It is called FUEL. It is designed to feed those children who have nothing eat from Friday when they get out of school til Monday when they get back to school. A group makes up bags each week for school counselors to distribute to the children who need them. For that reason they can only use certain things.
* tuna pouches
*chicken pouches
*peanuts
*peanut butter crackers
*granola bars
*breakfast bars
*individual cereal boxes
*fruit snacks
*fruit cups
*pudding cups made with milk
*shelf stable milk boxes
*fruit juice boxes
*cheese crackers
*dip sticks with cheese (handi snacks)
*any other individual snacks (chips, crackers, cookies)
*lunch bags for distribution
* poptarts
*peanut butter snack bars
*apple sauce cups
*raisins
For more information contact Fellowship UMC at (615)893-4695 or tnfellowship.com
Thanks!
Kelly,
Do you want me to bring my donations to your house? Or to church on Sunday? Call or email me & let me know.
Kelly,
Do you want me to bring my donations to your house? Or to church on Sunday? Call or email me & let me know.
Oops…forgot to say great post! Looking forward to your next one.
The College Grove United Methodist Church in College Grove, TN has a food bank that is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. We are always accepting and needing food donations. Any non perishable food items as well as personal hygiene items, cleaning products, home paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc). Items can be dropped off anytime.
Currently we have plenty of canned green beans and peas.
I am definitely not trying to criticize or start an argument, I am simply asking a question. You all seem very knowledge about food banks and I have been wondering, why are so many people going to them? I understand the economy but what are food stamps for? I know (only from what I have read) they seem to be very generous as far as amounts are concerned. Am I missing something? Don’t get me wrong, I do contribute when asked but I just don’t know who are going to these food banks. Surely if a family has children they qualify for food stamps, right? Please help me figure this out.
If a family has an address they can qualify for foodstamps but the homeless quite often do not qualify.
The campaign that my church is involved in for the children takes into account much more than economic status. We can not assume that just because we would go hungry or deal with no gas for the car or no lotto ticket that all parents are the same way. Children have no control over how their parents spend their money or their foodstamps! Hope that helps a little!
Hope Food Bank
212 Portland Rd
White House, TN 37188-8901
(615) 672-8006
Please help your local food bank! There are thousands of hungry families all across the US.