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Common donations to a food pantry often include canned goods, bags of rice and other non-perishable items.
However, when a family faces a crisis, their daily needs go beyond food. They may lack a way to prepare the food they receive from the kitchen, not to mention the hygiene items.
Whether it’s household cleaning supplies, pots and pans, or a box of sanitary napkins, non-food donations help people in need lead healthier and happier lives.
“It’s just that people don’t think about things like that. I mean, everyone needs toilet paper,” said Justin Bates, director of marketing and development at the River Valley Regional Food Bank.
Items such as diapers, kitchen utensils, and cleaning supplies can help women and children escape domestic violence.
“If someone donates some Pampers, we can give them to kitchens that help women, such as crisis intervention centers,” Bates said.
Especially for individuals staying in hotels, donations such as new hot plates, electric tea kettles and microwaves make food preparation easier.
“If you stay in one of the hotels here … you may have nothing but outlets,” Bates said. “Let’s say you get a packet of pasta… [you] can’t eat ramen noodles without being heated.”
For individuals wishing to donate, Bates recommends contacting a food bank, unless a local food pantry has similar special needs.
“Sometimes the pantry doesn’t have space to store things… We can store them [donations] and identify pantry that may need it,” Bates said. He added that the goods do not have to be in large quantities, but must be new and unused.
For more information about donating to a food bank, call 479-785-0582.
One of the partners of food bank food pantriesis Helping Hand, a non-profit organization based in Grand Avenue Baptist Church.
The nonprofit facility has a wardrobe and warehouse to store donations, including furniture. Volunteers are currently expanding the second floor of the warehouse to create additional storage for clothing.
Bob Lever, executive director of Helping Hand, is asking for donations of bedding, home furnishings, quality furnishings, and men’s and women’s clothing without holes or stains.
Describing the potential need, Lever said, “We’ve had a few coming through a bedbug-infested situation, and they had to get rid of them all.”
Donations to Helping Hand can be sent from 9am to 12pm on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3901 Grand Ave.
The Community Service Clearing House, which is working to reduce hunger in the River Valley and Oklahoma, is also seeking non-food donations.
“One thing our clients love is toilet paper and paper towels, detergent and dish soap,” says Aubrey Parah, office manager of the Community Services Clearinghouse.
Clearinghouse accepts donations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 4420 Wheeler Ave.
By donating non-food items to local organizations, community members can offer more holistic assistance to their neighbors.
“It just ties the mission together to ensure people are not only fed, but have a better quality of life,” Bates said.
Catherine Nolte is a member of the Report for America corps, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. He can be reached at [email protected].
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