Food banks across the country are experiencing unprecedented demand as millions of families turn to these vital community resources for support. In 2024, there were close to 3.5 million visits to Toronto food banks – nearly 1 million more visits than in 2023. Meanwhile, approximately 5.2-5.3 billion meals were distributed nationally from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024 in the United States alone, highlighting the massive scale of food insecurity. When you’re ready to donate, understanding what food banks truly need versus what they struggle to use can make your contribution far more impactful.
The challenge isn’t just about the sheer volume of need. 55% of food insecure people say their household’s financial situation has gotten worse since last year.
Peanut Butter: The Ultimate Food Bank Champion
Liked by both kids and adults, and high in protein, peanut butter is the most requested item by food banks. This pantry staple delivers about 8 grams of protein per 2-tablespoon serving and stores beautifully on food bank shelves without requiring refrigeration. Its popularity spans across age groups, making it incredibly versatile for different family compositions that visit food banks.
Peanut butter – or any nut butter – is quickly scooped up. High in protein, kid-friendly and often on sale. Smart shoppers know to grab extra jars when they spot good deals, since these donations disappear almost immediately from food bank inventories. Alternative nut butters like almond or sunflower seed butter also provide excellent options for families dealing with specific allergies.
The versatility factor cannot be overstated. Families can use peanut butter for quick sandwiches, mix it into oatmeal for breakfast, or even incorporate it into simple dinner sauces. This adaptability makes it especially valuable for households with limited cooking equipment or ingredients.
Canned Proteins: Shelf-Stable Nutrition Powerhouses
Canned fish has vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and protein, and it makes for a quick and easy meal. Food banks are most in need of canned tuna and salmon. These compact cans pack tremendous nutritional value and require minimal preparation, making them ideal for families who may lack fully equipped kitchens or consistent access to cooking facilities.
Canned meats*: Flaked ham, chicken, turkey – these are easy to store and serve. Beyond fish, other canned proteins like chicken, turkey, and ham provide essential amino acids that many food bank clients might otherwise struggle to obtain. These proteins can easily be added to pasta dishes, rice meals, or eaten directly from the can if necessary.
The convenience factor makes canned proteins particularly valuable. A single can of chicken can stretch into multiple meals when combined with rice or pasta, helping families maximize their food resources. The omega-3 fatty acids in canned fish also provide crucial brain and heart health benefits that are especially important for growing children.
Canned Vegetables and Fruits: Vital Nutrition Sources
Colorful, nutrient-dense and fiber-rich vegetables are always in high demand, and canned varieties last the longest on a food bank’s shelves. Look for low-sodium options. Fresh produce often spoils before food banks can distribute it, making canned alternatives essential for ensuring families receive necessary vitamins and minerals throughout the year.
Canned fruit and vegetables*: Choose low-sodium veggies and fruit if you can. Canned tomatoes are especially versatile. When it comes to fruit, try to avoid items packed in heavy syrup and opt for those packed in juice or water instead. This guidance helps donors make choices that maximize nutritional value while minimizing added sugars and sodium that can impact health.
Canned tomatoes deserve special mention for their incredible versatility in meal preparation. They can form the base for soups, sauces, stews, and countless other dishes. Meanwhile, canned fruits provide essential vitamins and can serve as healthy desserts or snacks for children whose families might otherwise lack access to fresh fruit options.
Cooking Oils: Often Forgotten but Essential
Food banks rely heavily on these essential and pricier items being donated. Canola and olive oils are the best choices because of their monounsaturated fats and mild flavor. These cooking basics often get overlooked by donors, yet they’re absolutely critical for families trying to prepare nutritious meals from other donated ingredients.
Without cooking oil, many donated items become much less useful. Rice, pasta, and canned vegetables all benefit significantly from a small amount of oil during cooking. The mild flavors of canola and olive oil work well across different cuisines and cooking styles, making them universally useful for diverse food bank clientele.
The cost factor makes oil donations particularly impactful. Quality cooking oils represent a significant expense for families already struggling financially, so receiving them through food banks allows those families to redirect their limited resources toward other necessities like housing, utilities, or medication.
Rice and Pasta: Filling Foundation Foods
Pasta: Bags or boxes of pasta are a food bank staple. White or whole-grain are good choices or opt for gluten-free noodles to help meet a range of dietary needs. These carbohydrate-rich foods serve as filling foundations for countless meals and can stretch other ingredients much further than they would otherwise go.
Rice presents similar advantages, providing energy-dense nutrition that works across many cultural cooking traditions. Brown rice offers additional fiber and nutrients compared to white rice, though both varieties are welcomed by food banks. The shelf stability of both rice and pasta makes them perfect for food bank storage and distribution systems.
Both items offer incredible meal flexibility. A basic box of pasta can become Italian-style with donated tomato sauce, Asian-inspired with simple seasonings, or American comfort food when combined with canned proteins. This adaptability helps families avoid food fatigue and maintain interest in their meals.
Hearty Cereals and Oatmeal: Nutritious Morning Fuel
Nutrient-dense cereals and oatmeal*: Look for hearty cereals and oatmeal that are low in sugar and high in fibre – at least 3g per serving is a good benchmark. Breakfast often gets skipped by families facing food insecurity, making nutritious morning options particularly important for children’s development and adult energy levels.
Oatmeal deserves special recognition for its versatility and nutritional density. It can be prepared with water when milk isn’t available, mixed with donated canned fruit for natural sweetness, or even incorporated into homemade bread when families have basic baking supplies. The fiber content helps people feel full longer, maximizing the impact of limited food resources.
When selecting cereals for donation, reading labels becomes crucial. High-fiber, low-sugar options provide sustained energy rather than quick spikes and crashes that leave people hungrier sooner. Whole grain cereals offer additional B vitamins and minerals that support overall health.
Personal Care Items: Beyond Food Necessities
Toilet paper: Often overlooked, but always needed. Two-ply, if you can swing it. While food banks focus primarily on nutrition, many also accept personal care items that families struggle to afford when food consumes most of their budget. These basics represent essential dignity items that significantly impact quality of life.
Shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste are often overlooked but are just as essential as food. Personal hygiene affects everything from job interviews to children’s school attendance, making these donations incredibly impactful beyond their immediate use. When families don’t have to choose between food and hygiene products, their overall stability improves.
Baby food: Baby food in pouches or jars is great, and so are snacks for toddlers. If you can, throw in some diapers too. Families with infants face particularly acute challenges, as babies cannot simply eat less when resources are tight. Diapers represent one of the most expensive regular purchases for families with young children.
Skip This: Expired and Opened Items
Chances are, you don’t eat food that’s past its “use-by” or “sell-by” date, so avoid donating anything past those dates to food banks as it could be unsafe to eat. Food safety regulations prevent food banks from distributing expired items, meaning these donations ultimately create more work for volunteers who must sort and discard them.
Opened foods are a no-go for food items. These items are sure to be thrown away, as opened foods can’t be served or provided to individuals for contamination purposes. Even well-intentioned donations of partially used items cannot be accepted due to safety concerns and liability issues.
Before donating, apply the simple test of whether you would serve the item to your own family. This mental check helps ensure your donations will actually benefit recipients rather than creating additional disposal burdens for already-stretched food bank staff and volunteers.
Skip This: Glass Containers and Damaged Packaging
Fruit, sauces, pickles, and other goods that are sold in glass jars should be avoided. They can easily shatter in transport, and food banks often cannot distribute them for safety reasons. The risk of glass breaking during handling, transport, or storage creates significant safety hazards that most food banks cannot manage effectively.
This includes food with damaged packaging such as dented or bloated cans, packaging that is already open, or even items in glass containers, which can shatter and cause food safety concerns for any other food they’re stored near. Dented cans pose botulism risks, while bloated packaging indicates bacterial growth that makes food unsafe for consumption.
A good rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t consider buying it new, don’t donate it. This straightforward guideline helps donors make appropriate choices while ensuring food bank recipients receive safe, quality items they can use with confidence.
Skip This: Overly Processed and Sugary Foods
Overly processed foods: Skip the sugary cereals, salty snacks and white bread when you can. Nutritious swaps like healthier cereal, a loaf of whole wheat bread or that coveted can of tuna make a bigger impact. While food banks appreciate all donations, items with limited nutritional value don’t address the underlying health challenges that many food-insecure families face.
Unhealthy beverage choices are being discouraged more and more by food banks and pantries across the country. Low-sugar products are your best bet, so steer clear of soda and certain juice drinks. High-sugar beverages provide empty calories without contributing to sustained nutrition or healthy development in children.
Food banks increasingly recognize their role in promoting health equity, not just addressing hunger. Donations of nutritionally dense foods help families build strength and maintain health rather than simply filling empty stomachs with foods that may contribute to diabetes, obesity, or other diet-related health issues.
Skip This: Homemade and Leftover Items
To ensure the people they serve are safe, food banks can’t accept leftovers or anything made in personal kitchens because they aren’t individually sealed and the food bank can’t verify the ingredients or preparation process. Despite good intentions, homemade items pose liability risks that food banks cannot reasonably manage.
Though it might seem like a nice gesture to make a batch of holiday cookies or homemade bread from scratch for families in need, food banks cannot accept goods that aren’t properly packaged. Skip the baking since it will get thrown out anyway! The time and effort spent preparing homemade items would be better directed toward purchasing needed commercial products or volunteering time directly.
Food banks operate under strict health department regulations that require commercially prepared, sealed packages with ingredient labels and safety certifications. These requirements protect vulnerable populations who may have compromised immune systems or unknown food allergies from potential harm.
Skip This: Bulk Items Without Repackaging Resources
Massive bags of rice, flour, and sugar are great for feeding lots of people, but many food banks don’t have the re-packaging resources necessary to properly distribute the food to multiple families. Stick to family-sized bags and boxes to make sure your donation gets the most use. While bulk purchasing often provides better value, food banks need items they can immediately distribute without additional processing.
Family-sized portions ensure that donations reach recipients in usable quantities. A 50-pound bag of rice might theoretically feed many families, but without proper repackaging equipment and labor, it often becomes difficult for food banks to divide appropriately among multiple households.
This limitation varies by food bank capacity, so checking with your local organization can clarify their specific needs and capabilities. Some larger food banks have commercial repackaging facilities, while smaller community pantries may lack the volunteer labor and equipment needed for bulk item processing.
Food banks serve as crucial safety nets in our communities, and thoughtful donations amplify their impact exponentially. Based on the survey findings, a combination of forces is causing these dramatic declines in financial health and tipping more people into the status of food insecurity in 2024. Three of the largest factors are inflation, ongoing employment hardships, and the reduced levels of government benefits. By focusing on high-impact items like peanut butter, canned proteins, and cooking oils while avoiding expired, damaged, or overly processed foods, donors ensure their generosity translates into real nutrition and dignity for families facing tough times.
What would you add to this list based on your own donation experiences?
