Give charity tomatoes the chop
It might be the season for giving, but please, no more tinned tomatoes.
These, along with lentils and beans, are some of the items charities would rather do without, however desperate they are for food donations.
Auckland-based refuge charity The Aunties has issued an outright ban on tinned tomatoes, saying they are useless for the women and children it supports. They don’t have the ingredients to go with the food in the first place.
‘‘Open up a pantry in a refuge or emergency house and there’s always bloody tinned tomatoes because nobody eats the things,’’ spokeswoman Jackie Clark said.
Porirua Ma¯ori Women’s Refuge kaiwhakahaere Caroline Herewini said: ‘‘We ask for fresh meat and vegetables and we get beans and lentils.
‘‘What are our people going to do with chickpeas?’’
Both stressed they were keen for donations, especially in the runup to Christmas, but urged people to check first and ask what was needed most.
Fresh food, school lunches and tinned meat were always wanted, as was cash, so the charity could buy the things that were running low, Herewini said.
Clark said: ‘‘I’ve been saying it for five years: for God’s sake ring your refuge and ask what they need. It won’t be tomatoes.’’
Chickpeas came a close second, she said – ‘‘Are they going to be making hummus in the safe house?’’ – as, like tomatoes, they had to be cooked and accompanied with other ingredients, using supplies that many families often didn’t have.
‘‘They’re in shock, they’re grieving. Mothers are sharing a room with their children, and they want something easy to eat, not tinned tomatoes.’’
Clark likened the emotions behind a woman’s arrival to a safe house to the grief of losing a loved one.
‘‘All you want to do is eat chocolate and drink cups of tea, but there’s no chocolate or tea for these women.’’
Other agencies agreed that all was not equal when it came to tinned food, and pointed out their ‘‘wish lists’’ on social media or websites.
Wellington’s Downtown Community Mission said: ‘‘I wouldn’t rubbish tomatoes altogether, but there are more helpful things to give.’’
Tinned fish was always appreciated, as were hearty tinned stews and fruit.