Blog > Food Pantries - Ways and What to Donate
If you are anything like me, when the end of the year comes around and you get that rush of holiday spirit you admonish yourself for not being more charitable throughout the year. You then proceed to rush around trying to donate to every charity or food pantry in town. I have gone back and forth in my head as to whether it is better for me to spread my giving out throughout the year or to give one large donation around the holidays. Well, if you take anything from this post let it be this, give yourself a break! Instead of tearing yourself up about how often you’re giving, give yourself a pat on the back for the fact that you are giving and continue to give year after year!
Please don’t take this as me advising anyone not to give if it stresses them out. What I am advising is just give, and don’t stress about how or what you give. I know none of us want to waste our money or our time so what I’m offering here are some helpful tips on what and how to donate to food pantries.
As I was scrolling through Facebook posts over the last week, I came upon the same post twice but by two different people, it caught my attention and is what inspired me to write this blog. The post was one of those we’ve seen going around and around for years with some slight changes. The post, as you can see below, was a list of items that was supposedly suggested by a food bank volunteer.
In the list on the right, I marked the items that I haven’t seen requested before. These types of lists have been created and changed over the years to include items that will provide the most nutrition with the longest shelf life possible. Obviously, our opinions of what has the most nutrition has changed immensely over the years, but we do what we can.
So what’s the number one item needed by food pantries? Well, there’s no such thing! What is needed varies so much and is affected by so many things like location, time of year, and culture that there isn’t one item that is always the most needed. That being said, there are, however, some items that seem to be more regularly forgotten such as milk, fresh meats and produce, butter, eggs, bread, oil, feminine hygiene products, mouthwash, and dish detergent Obviously, a lot of people do not want to donate fresh foods because of proper handling and shelf-life issues, not to mention you must MAKE SURE THAT AN ORGANIZATION WILL ACCEPT THESE ITEMS before purchasing them. Therefore, I suggest you call ahead to ask. Some organizations will prefer you make a cash/gift card donation or order fresh foods through a store that will deliver them directly to their facility. Milk is offered in canned and powdered forms that are good alternatives and non-dairy milk products, such as rice and nut milks are shelf-stable alternatives.
The best thing to do is to call the location where you are going to take your donation and ask them what they need most at that time, most places will even have it posted on their website. During the holidays you may want to check the website as well because they may be collecting items specifically for holiday meals. Another option is to provide a gift card to the local grocery store so the organization can buy what is most needed and/or fresh products and of course you can always donate cash. Many of these organizations have relationships with the local grocers and have ways to donate already set up to make it as easy as possible, not to mention most of their websites offer the option to donate online.
Here is a list of some of the food pantries servicing communities in the area. I’ve noted some of the larger neighborhoods to which the pantry is closest.
Charleston, Johns Island, James Island, Wadmalaw
Nearby neighborhoods - Ansonborough, Avondale, Bayview Farms, Cannonborough, Cedar Springs, Elliotborough, HamptonTerrace, Harbor Woods, Kiawah River, Meridian Place, Stono Shores, Wagener Terrace
Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach
Serving Downtown: 77 America St. Charleston, SC 29403
Serving James, Johns, Wadmala Islands: 1684 Brownswood Dr. Johns Island, SC 29455
Goose Creek
Nearby neighborhoods - Beverly Hills, Boulder Bluff, Crowfield Plantation, Devon Forest, Foxbank Plantation, Liberty Hall Plantation, Sedgefield, Sophia Landing, Spring Grove, Tanner Plantation
104B Commerce Place, Goose Creek, SC 29445 (843)533-7132
Mt Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island
Nearby neighborhoods- Brickyard Plantation, Carolina Park, Charleston National, Dunes West, Hamlin Plantation, Hobcaw, Ion, Isle of Palms, Longpoint, Park West, Old Mt. Pleasant, Old Village, Oyster Point, Rivertowne, Seaside Farms, Snee Farm, Sullivans Island, Wakendaw
East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO)
1145 Six Mile Rd. Mt Pleasant, SC 29466 (843) 849-9220
ECCO has a link to their Amazon wish list on their website. You can just click the link, order, and have it shipped directly to them!
North Charleston
Nearby neighborhoods - Cane Bay, Charleston Farms, Concord West of the Ashley, Dorchester Terrace, Forest Hills, Northbridge Terrace, Oak Terrace Preserve, Park Circle, Sandhurst, The Park at Rivers Edge, Wando Woods, Waylayn, West Oak Forest
2864 Azalea Dr. Charleston, SC 29405 (843) 747-8146
Summerville
Nearby neighborhoods - College Park, Crowfield, Greenhurst, Hunters Bend, Lakes of Summerville, Newington Plantation, Nexton, Pine Forest, Sangaree, South Pointe, Summer Wood, Summerville, Tall Pines, Tramway, Weatherstone, Woodside Manor
195 Farmington Road Ste F. Summerville, SC 29483 (843) 900-1486
If you have any questions about these or any other neighborhood in the tri-county area, comment below or call me directly at (843)513-8319, and don’t forget to give and receive humbly this holiday season!
