CLEVELAND — Food donations are crucial year-round -- and especially during the holiday season. When it comes to donating food, some items are in higher demand than others. Here are some recommendations from the Greater Cleveland Food Bank when it comes to donating food:
The most helpful items are ones that are shelf-stable. For example, peanut butter, canned and bagged soup, jelly and tomato sauce are versatile products that can often last a long time.
Donating items like bagged soups and cans with pull tabs are helpful because they don’t require additional tools, like a can opener, to use them.
While you may have sweet intentions in donating sweet treats like boxed cake or brownie mixes, they often require additional ingredients to make, such as eggs, oil or butter.
Due to certain compliance issues and their scale, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank does not accept individuals donations of fresh produce. However, they recommend checking with your local church or community organization to see if they will accept them. Instead, consider donating canned fruits and vegetables, such as canned peaches or apple sauce.
No time to run to the store? Consider making a financial donation, or volunteering your time.
To receive support from the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, click here.
RELATED: 20,000 pounds of donated produce grown in prison garden at Grafton Correctional Institution
RECIPE: White Bean and Tomato Crostini
Not sure how to prepare the ingredients you’ve picked up? Eric Pecherkiewicz, manager of nutrition initiatives at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, shares a quick festive holiday appetizer you can make using items from the food bank’s market. See ingredients below and follow along with this video to make them yourself.
Servings: 17
15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
For the White Bean Spread and Topping
-2 cups Cannellini Beans (drained, rinsed)
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-4 tbsp water
-1 tbsp fresh thyme
-1 clove garlic
For the crostini
-8.5 inch piece bread (4oz total) slide ¼” thick
-1 garlic clove
-1 tbsp olive oil or olive oil spray
-extra fresh thyme for garlic
-balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
For the tomato topping
-2 cups of canned, diced tomatoes
-1 tbsp olive oil
-2 teaspoons garlic powder