LTH Forum Food Drive

As it is time for the LTHForum Holiday Party, it is also time for the LTHForum food drive (and food drive debate ). At the December 6 party at Chuck's, please bring an item that will be provided to the Oak Park Food Pantry. As you can imagine, demand for the food pantry has increased. On my last two volunteer shifts, I would say there has been at least a 50% increase in the amount of families asking for food donations. The very generous contributions from the Holiday Party in the past years has really helped the Food Pantry help the community*

Sure, you can donate any non-perishable food item you want with this big caveat: this is not a pantry cleaning expedition. No smoked oysters. Nothing from Trader Joe's that seemed cool at the time.

That said, I, me personally, VI, would highly suggest you bring what I call luxuries. Caviar for the food pantry you ask? Is it a holiday thing. Nope. I mean food pantry luxuries, and by that, I mean things people really want, and really need, but are not somehow included in the usual. These include:

- Coffee
- Sugar
- Cooking oils (this would be my number 1 suggestion)
- Flour and any baking supplies
- Mayo
- Any and all paper products such as toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and tissues
- Diapers

The LTHForum Community is a giving community. They've answered this food drive call repeatedly as well as answering other calls such as the Thanksgiving BBQs and the Katrina feed. It makes the Holiday Party that much more special.

Rob

*Although based in Oak Park, the food pantry serves individuals from many areas in Cook County.

Vital Information wrote:It makes the Holiday Party that much more special.

Amen to that. And thanks for the reminder, especially the list of "luxuries"; that's an enormous help as I figure out what to get.

VI,

Regarding cooking oil, would it be desirable to bring more oil in larger containers (like the kind you'd get at, say, Costco) or less oil in smaller containers? What I'm thinking of doing is getting some big containers that could be divvied up. Is that a good way to go about it, or is such dividing more a nuisance than a help?

David

Vital Information wrote:...I mean things people really want, and really need, but are not somehow included in the usual. These include:

- Any and all paper products such as toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and tissues
- Diapers

I'm only mentioning this because of these two previous items: fem hi products are necessary and expensive. Just a suggestion.

David, I am not sure if this is what you mean, but you cannot re-package the stuff; i.e., buy in bulk and then put them in your own containers.

Obviously, 50 big bottles of cooking oil are better than 50 little bottles, but all things being equal, I would suggest 20 smaller bottlers instead of 10 larger bottles. As I noted, these are "luxury" items, and the more clients that can get them, the better.

Pie Lady: excellent idea!

VI,

I am very glad this is part of our holiday party. Quick question: are the items we bring going to be used by the volunteers to cook meals for large groups, or is the intent to give individual cans, bottles, etc. to people who need them?

K

I don't know if this is the case in Oak Park, but I know the food pantry in Evanston was always looking for ways to get milk to their clients, even though they offer fresh milk, they appreciate evaporated milk, dry milk powder and aseptically packed milk.

Kennyz wrote:VI,

I am very glad this is part of our holiday party. Quick question: are the items we bring going to be used by the volunteers to cook meals for large groups, or is the intent to give individual cans, bottles, etc. to people who need them?

K

The idea is to bring items that will be donated at the Oak Park Food Pantry. It has to be non-perishable, i.e., not fresh food. So, it is the second thing you point to.

Vital Information wrote:As it is time for the LTHForum Holiday Party, it is also time for the LTHForum food drive (and food drive debate ). At the December 6 party at Chuck's, please bring an item that will be provided to the Oak Park Food Pantry. As you can imagine, demand for the food pantry has increased. On my last two volunteer shifts, I would say there has been at least a 50% increase in the amount of families asking for food donations. The very generous contributions from the Holiday Party in the past years has really helped the Food Pantry help the community*

Sure, you can donate any non-perishable food item you want with this big caveat: this is not a pantry cleaning expedition. No smoked oysters. Nothing from Trader Joe's that seemed cool at the time.

That said, I, me personally, VI, would highly suggest you bring what I call luxuries. Caviar for the food pantry you ask? Is it a holiday thing. Nope. I mean food pantry luxuries, and by that, I mean things people really want, and really need, but are not somehow included in the usual. These include:

- Coffee
- Sugar
- Cooking oils (this would be my number 1 suggestion)
- Flour and any baking supplies
- Mayo
- Any and all paper products such as toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and tissues
- Diapers

The LTHForum Community is a giving community. They've answered this food drive call repeatedly as well as answering other calls such as the Thanksgiving BBQs and the Katrina feed. It makes the Holiday Party that much more special.

Rob

*Although based in Oak Park, the food pantry serves individuals from many areas in Cook County.

We've seen to have missed the food pantry debate this year, so I want to make sure the food drive is still on everyone's mind. It does not take too long with Mr. Google to realize that demand for for pantries is way up right now.

Sheila and I look forward to a big haul post party. Thanks again for your assistance.

Rob

Is baby formula considered "food" and/or something that the pantry hands out? In light of the economy, I would think this would be really needed.

If so, I think this would be a really good donation. Unlike, say, mac n' cheese and/or meatloaf, which you can stretch with the use of "fillers," baby formula basically is what it is -- and also expensive.

I just got off the phone with my mom who is at work right now at the St. Vincent DePaul center in Kenosha. They have an emergency shelter there and she agrees that there has been a huge increase in demand. She says that Spam and tuna fish are really well received by her clients.

aschie30 wrote:Is baby formula considered "food" and/or something that the pantry hands out? In light of the economy, I would think this would be really needed.

If so, I think this would be a really good donation. Unlike, say, mac n' cheese and/or meatloaf, which you can stretch with the use of "fillers," baby formula basically is what it is -- and also expensive.

Another bump-reminder.

As to the baby formula: I've seen it at the pantry, and I know we give it out, but I also know that there are so many types of baby formula, I'd be a bit nervous that we'd, well I do not believe it possible to bring the wrong one, but rather, I'm not sure if what we'd bring would be the right one.

I'm still pushing for the "luxuries" cited above. Coffee, sugar, paper goods like toilet paper and paper towels, salt; we take these things for granted, but if you get stuff from food pantries, you do not. Tuna, peanut butter, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, these things come in the "standard allotment". The other products they have to ask for, and when they do ask, they usually find the pantry bare.

Please donate, as in past LTH events, generously.

Vital Information wrote:As to the baby formula: I've seen it at the pantry, and I know we give it out, but I also know that there are so many types of baby formula, I'd be a bit nervous that we'd, well I do not believe it possible to bring the wrong one, but rather, I'm not sure if what we'd bring would be the right one.

As someone who is intimately involved with the world of baby formula, I can tell you that I've been assured by a number of doctors and experts that basic powdered baby formula is such a highly regulated product that it is all essentially the same. The only real difference is processing method (creating a finer powder to aid in mixing and possibly digestion) or other nutritional enhancements like DHA and iron fortification (which are so common now that it's hard to find formula without those).

Practically every parent I know (who feeds their child formula) uses Costco brand, myself included.

eatchicago wrote:

Vital Information wrote:As to the baby formula: I've seen it at the pantry, and I know we give it out, but I also know that there are so many types of baby formula, I'd be a bit nervous that we'd, well I do not believe it possible to bring the wrong one, but rather, I'm not sure if what we'd bring would be the right one.

As someone who is intimately involved with the world of baby formula, I can tell you that I've been assured by a number of doctors and experts that basic powdered baby formula is such a highly regulated product that it is all essentially the same. The only real difference is processing method (creating a finer powder to aid in mixing and possibly digestion) or other nutritional enhancements like DHA and iron fortification (which are so common now that it's hard to find formula without those).

eatchicago -- that's my understanding as well.

Not that I'm pushing one particular donation over another but the reason why I would think a pantry would want this on hand is that parents with wee ones who are hit very hard by economic times are increasingly tempted to "thin out" formula beyond the recommended levels, which could actually harm the baby. Many do it out of ignorance (not realizing that watered-down formula may be harmful, not to mention possibly depriving the baby of needed nourishment), but surely all who do this do it out of economic desperation -- I mean, you can whip up mac n' cheese instead of prime rib to save money, but there really is no substitute for formula if Mom is not breast-feeding. I believe there is one federal program which provides assistance in this regard, but if a family is already receiving assistance from a local food pantry, I would think that this product might be something it would want around "just in case." As part of a mixed donation, I would think it would be welcome.

aschie30 wrote:I believe there is one federal program which provides assistance in this regard, but if a family is already receiving assistance from a local food pantry, I would think that this product might be something it would want around "just in case." As part of a mixed donation, I would think it would be welcome.

The federal program is called W.I.C. - Women Infants Children.

Regards,

I just asked my wife, who's more versed in food pantry stuff than I. She confirmed my sneaking suspicion, that baby formula is not high on the wish list--she notes that there are other programs and such for forumula. She mentioned the following acute need: pasta, as the Chicago Food Depository is not currently prpoviding pasta. She asks/reminds, that it's a lot better to get a whole lot of cheap pasta than find something fancy.

Thanks again!!

Vital Information wrote:I just asked my wife, who's more versed in food pantry stuff than I. She confirmed my sneaking suspicion, that baby formula is not high on the wish list--she notes that there are other programs and such for forumula. She mentioned the following acute need: pasta, as the Chicago Food Depository is not currently prpoviding pasta. She asks/reminds, that it's a lot better to get a whole lot of cheap pasta than find something fancy.

Thanks again!!

Thanks for the final feedback. My cupboards are pretty bare of the "wishlist" items, so I'll consider just making a cash donation to the pantry itself, rather than pay outrageous retail price for items and/or risk giving the pantry items that they don't need, especially if they're rather specific about their needs as they seem to be.

How about rice? Particularly, I bought twice as much arborio rice as I can reasonably use in the next few months (I was at Costco, what can I say?). Would that be useful, or would people just think it was weird and not take it?

Rice is part of the standard allotment, so it would be used for sure.

Taking a page from Rob's, I've just been made aware that a local Rogers Park food pantry is in need of help. A short while ago, I received this email from our school’s listserv:

Hi there! I teach at Howard Area Leadership Academy, the alternative high school associated with the Howard Area Community Center. We received an e-mail today that the Center's emergency food pantry is in desperate need of donations. If you or a group would like to donate…you can collect the items and take them to 7648 N. Paulina Street, Chicago. (This is just around the corner from the Howard Street El Stop) This Center provides so many excellent services to the community. However, with the economy the way it is now, they are having a difficult time meeting all those needs. So, please, if you can help, please do!

FOOD DRIVE
- Of particular need are items high in protein, such as canned meats (tuna, salmon, etc.) beef stew, chili, peanut butter
- Also needed are canned vegetables and fruits, canned soup, rice, pasta, beans, cereal, jams and jellies, mayonnaise
- Food for homeless individuals such as “pop-top” cans of tuna, Vienna sausages, fruit cups, peanut butter crackers,cheese crackers
- Personal care and home items such as toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, diapers, toothpaste, toothbrushes, laundry detergent, razors, soap, deodorant, 9 Volt batteries, smoke detectors, flashlights
- Homeless individuals also appreciate sample size or hotel size personal care items.

I called the center to confirm: they are open from 9am to 5pm for donations, have the capacity to store items (they even have freezer space) and are definitely in need of the above items. They do ask that you not send candy or desserts, or items that are partially used or expired. It’s pretty easy to just double up on certain items when you are grocery shopping, and drop them by: if you live in a multi-unit building, perhaps you can start a box in one of the common areas and take a large amount all at once. This is a particularly difficult holiday season for many people: between the economy, and the weather many people very close to home are not able to make ends meet.

You can find out more about this center at http://www.howardarea.org/donate.html

Thanks, everyone!