Food banks

Yes you can put food on Olio which is past the sell by or even which you’ve tried a bit of and don’t like. You’ll find someone who can use it. We had loads of rhubarb which was snapped up last week. Also,if you’ve had a party or event and have left over food - even cooked stuff - you can post it on Olio and someone will come and get it fairly quickly. It really cuts down on food waste.

I am sorry to hear that, Sago. Is there more than one foodbank in your area? The one at which I volunteer would have accepted gladly. We put out anything out of date for people to help themselves. Chocolate is very useful to the homeless and the truly destitute, as it is calorie dense ( not healthy, I know, but that's a problem for another day) . What a shame.
My name tells you my views on this delicious ? product!

Someone has suggested ' OLIO' can give anything away on there within reason ... well worth trying it ... split up ... people could have one bag , a couple or six even ... could even have the box then tell people to bring
their own bag everything is given away free ... I have used it to give away on occasions although not food .... well worth it as a shame to waste food when people can do with it

Tesco sell tinned sliced apple and not just the pie filling type.
To understand better the plight of some (not all) in the worst case scenarios people may not have implements such as peelers and corers and food prep knives, a chopping board, a surface fit for use or the space to store anything.
Think of a kettle and maybe a microwave and what you could practically use them for when you are really hungry and perhaps need the energy to go to work.

Following lockdown I offered the local food bank a load of chocolate bars from my vending machine that had gone by their sell by date.They refused to take them as it was insulting to give people things past their sell by date. The local community nurses and a school enjoyed them instead

ExDancer

Lol @ houseplantqueen - that remark came about because just this morning, as I was putting a a box outside with a notice saying 'help yourself', a young lady came by with her dog and said 'Why bother peeling apples when you can get them in a tin'.
And I thought, she does have a point. They are a fiddle to prepare.

Yes, but she obviously could afford to buy a tin of apples!

Those who go to food banks, go there because they are having a hard time affording food!

What money they spend on food probably goes on things like milk and potatoes. I imagine they will be more than happy to peel and core apples, if they don't just munch them.

I know my local foodbank does not accept perishable items but as previously said, many do.

Sago what kind of food does your poor mother receive if that is what is cooking it!

Try the food sharing app “Olio” you can post food on there which foodbanks may not take these are posted to a local area - people come round and collect it. Tesco donate lots of bread and pastries. I’ve donated some veg which we won’t eat , fancy tea etc.

We struggled to give them away.
I eventually found a day centre for the elderly that accepted them.
The cook at my mothers nursing home said he wouldn’t know what to do with them!

Check with your local food bank first please.

Our food and does accept some perishable products but not all do.
We wouldn’t want them to be bagged-up because we try to distribute everything evenly, and the number of clients per day varies considerably.

ExDancer

Do food banks accept apples? We have so many I've run out of ideas on how to use them and my freezer is FULL.
If I bagged them up into useable amounts, would they be acceptable? I have the feeling these banks only want non-perishable things. Could today's young people be bothered to peel and cook them?

Those who use food banks are from various age demographics.

For some, it's impossible to cook because they don't have the money to afford the gas or electricity. Part of the reason why they're using food banks I would imagine... they're skint.

There have been reports of people eating straight out of tins - beans, pasta in tomato sauce - because they cannot afford to heat the contents. And I also read that someone tried to much their way through dried pasta, as a 'snack'. Others rely on sandwiches.

Donate the apples - some will be able to stew them with sugar.

... poverty is a different world.

Asda have them.

I wonder where she gets them. I haven't been able to find tinned apples for months.

Lol @ houseplantqueen - that remark came about because just this morning, as I was putting a a box outside with a notice saying 'help yourself', a young lady came by with her dog and said 'Why bother peeling apples when you can get them in a tin'.
And I thought, she does have a point. They are a fiddle to prepare.

I would do as Blossoming suggests and ask first before going to the food bank. Alternatively might find someone local who would like them to juice down for pure apple juice or cider.

Hi ExDancer
The food bank I drive for collects lots of perishable donations of fruit and veg from the supermarkets, so I'm sure they would welcome your apples too. Yes bag them up as this will save them doing it at the warehouse.
Such a good idea!

People get a lot of lemons here and put them outside their front gates with ‘help yourself’ signs. Same with books, especially since Covid.

Best to ring your local food bank and ask.

Our local one does, not at the satellites, but at the main distribution centre. Very glad of them, and they distribute them without making judgement calls about today's young people being bothered to peel and cook them