How to ensure your donations are helpful
A food bank collection isn’t the time to get rid of that old tin of smoked oysters, Julie Anne Pattee says.
A few years ago, my mom and I were sitting on the couch watching TV when her face turned beet red. A reporter was standing outside a food bank located just a few blocks from my mom’s house. He was holding up a can of clams and wearing a bemused expression on his face. “Pasta with clams is one of my easiest recipes,” said my mom, defensively, “you hardly need any ingredients.” As the reporter launched into his segment on what not to give to food banks, citing items such as the can the clams he was holding, my mom said it was obvious he was a complete idiot. “How can anyone not realize how useful a can of clams is?” my mom wondered, pointing out that you can make clam chowder with them, and there are practically no ingredients in clam chowder. I felt semi-qualified to correct her on the ease of making clam chowder with food bank groceries, because I used to work at Diana Bar, a now defunct dive formerly located on the crumbly section of Ste-Catherine Street near the old Forum. Many of my customers were homeless and couldn’t afford to tip me. But one man who used to come to drink the free coffee used to very kindly try and give me the boxes of powdered mashed potatoes he received from the food bank, as tips. I told my mom that not only do people not necessarily have actual potatoes to put into a soup, but they probably don’t get flour, or enough milk to make clam chowder. This time of year, like any time of year, food banks need staples. Peanut butter, pasta, tomato sauce and cans of soup and tuna are good bets. It’s safe to say they don’t really want the tin of smoked oysters that’s been sitting in the back of your cupboard for years, or the jar of chicken curry sauce that requires three additional ingredients to turn it into a meal. You would think this would be a given. But I recently volunteered at the Shoebox Project and discovered they have similar issues. The Shoebox Project is a charity that puts together Christmas gifts for women living in homeless shelters. They spend hours sorting through shoeboxes people have filled up for them, discarding things like old candy and used makeup.
One man ... used to very kindly try and give me the boxes of powdered mashed potatoes he received from the food bank, as tips.
“People think beggars can’t be choosers,” Miranda Mok, one of the organizers told me, “but this is supposed to be a gift.” Most people are generous and thoughtful. They pack their beautifully wrapped boxes with thick scarves, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes, cream for dry cracked skin and gift cards for Tim Hortons. They include a few small special treats, such as chocolate, a wallet, a piece of jewelry or lipsticks and nail polish. The Shoebox Project has a list of items that should and should not be included as gifts. However, people don’t always follow the instructions and sometimes pack shoeboxes that are full of treats and missing essential requested items. As the charity season gears up, a good rule of thumb is that the same rules you apply to all of your holiday gift-giving should apply when you are donating to a charity. When you are buying for a person who has the basics covered, you can go for those scented candles. But when you are buying for a person who may only have a pair of thin dollar store gloves to wear in minus -40 C weather, a large bottle of expensive perfume can feel like as much of an insult as an old tray of eye shadow with fingerprint indents. There are places in Montreal that accept used items. But don’t assume these types of donations are welcome everywhere. Ask an organization what they need before you donate, so your gifts can be helpful and appreciated. Julie Anne Pattee is a Montreal writer.