(REPOST) Food Bank Friday! December 5, 2008!

[ColbertWatcher]

News

Many media outlets are http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&nolr=1&q=food+banks+demand+up&btnG=Search">reporting that many food banks across the country are running out of food.

Nearly 30 million people are receiving food stamps in the U.S. (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&nolr=1&q=food+stamps+30+million&btnG=Search">Google news search)

Needs your immediate attention

Also, don't forget people at the http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/projects/Winter_Coats_and_Electric_Heaters.shtml">Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota. They're looking for winter coats and space heaters. Please help any way you can.

Some donation ideas

* donate money DUer peace13 reminds us that if a food bank accepts money, they can get food in bulk

* "adopt" a food bank item and replenish it whenever it runs low (posted by DUer girl gone mad)

* donate birthday or holiday "kits" (DUer Rabrrrrrr)

* support Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) http://www.chiron-communications.com/farms.html

* donate to Second Harvest http://www.feedingamerica.org/?show_nce=1

* Gleaning OurVotesCount-Ohio
reminds us that "(t)here are organizations that glean fields and deliver the foods to shelters and other charitable organizations that help the needy."

* Find and donate "free after rebate" items offered by many stores http://www.salescircular.com/

* Christmas Tip (adapted from a suggestion by DUer central scrutinizer's Thanksgiving Day tip: many grocery stores offer cheap frozen turkeys - as low as $.19 per pound - if you buy over a certain amount, often $75 or $100. I take advantage of this to get a big turkey for a really low price and donate it to the food bank.

Support your local cooperative extension service

* From the extension links in this section, donate all the items to complete one of the recipes (print out and donate copies of the recipe, too!)

* Donate recipe books (or other publications on nutrition) from your local cooperative extension service (Most states cooperative extensions services have all kinds of things available)

Also, after a quick google search for "cooperative extension service recipe," here are three of the top links:

* The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Recipe Central http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/recipe.shtml#basic">Basic Foods From Fridge, Freezer and Cupboard, including a single-page http://lancaster.unl.edu/FOOD/BasicFoodsforCupboard.pdf">list of ingredients (pdf) for all the recipes on the UNL site

* Cornell University Cooperative Extension-New York City's complete (http://nyc.cce.cornell.edu/nutrition/recipes/2008/NH%20Recipe%20Collection.pdf">Nutirion and Health Program Recipe Collection) (pdf)

* University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service Departments Family and Consumer Sciences Programming
Recipes recipes for people with diabetes

DUer 1776Forever posted a link for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in another thread.

More information about the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (Main website and Food, Nutrition and Health links)

The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. These offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes.

CSREES is the federal partner in the Cooperative Extension System. It provides federal funding to the system and, through program leadership, helps the system identify and address current issues and problems.

Food bank checklist

* Print out the flier below and make copies for your friends, family or co-workers to take with you when you go grocery shopping.

* surreptitiously leave copies at the grocery store!

(You don't have to pick up everything on the list, just remember to pick up something.)

* Please support candidates and policies that guarantee livable wages.

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. I hope that this can be made a forum sticky...

[ColbertWatcher]

2. I post it every Friday.

So, even if it's not a sticky, it will come back up.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

3. again .... :-)

:patriot:

[EFerrari]

4. Kick

[pleah]

5. K&R

[rhett o rick]

6. Rec. Don't forget pet food and powdered milk. nm

[question everything]

7. From last May: We purchased one more item

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=3342405

We purchased one more item

Last week on ABC News, it was suggested that, when we purchase our groceries, to get one more non=perishable item and put it away in a box. When that box is filled, to carry it to a local food bank. For most of us, it is assumed, one more item would not be a hardship.

I picked a chicken rice "family size" can of soup. Though at $2.50 it is not that much of a bargain..

Next time we will probably get a can of tuna, or a box of spaghetti. But am open to suggestions from DUers.

====

I have not been as diligent as I hoped to, but a few weeks ago I finally went to a local food bank and delivered the items.

Thanks for the list.

[eridani]

8. Watch for sales on this stuff and buy a lot if there is a good price n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

12. You're welcome and thank you for posting your donation routine. n/t

[eridani]

9. Also, many supermarkets have cards for $1, $2, $5, $10 etc

--that you can add to your total. They then donate the cash directly to food banks.

[Stuart G]

10. Please let us not forget those who do not have enough to eat..

[question everything]

11. Kick (nt)