Jonathan RoweNov 14, 2022

Any moment now, as Christmas and (American) Thanksgiving get closer, people will start posting suggestions of things to donate to food banks and 'Reverse Advent Calendars'.

I can't stress this enough:
Just. Give. Money.

Food banks can usually get more bang for their buck than you can.
They'll probably be able to give you a tax receipt for money, but not for cans.
And it lets them buy, store, and distribute food in the volumes they need and can handle.

(Please boost to make sure people get the message.)

#FoodBanks #FoodInsecurity #Christmas #Thanksgiving #Charity #JustGiveMoney

Show threadBathsheba BlueNov 22, 2022

@jondrowe
Agree 1000%
Cash translates to about 20 times the purchasing power so your gift goes so much further.

People like the warm feeling they get from the kinetic energy they expend, but if you’re actually interested in doing the most good , cash is king.

Show threadJonathan Rowe
@inklings We had a similar conversation here about donations to help after #HurricaneFiona struck the west coast of Newfoundland. Lots of people wanted to give furniture, sheets, and all kinds of things to people who'd lost their homes, but the reality was that by the time goods were collected and transported, the need had already been met. Money travels almost instantly these days, never goes bad, and can be saved to get better leverage when it's more needed.
Nov 23, 2022 at 3:55pmWeb
Show threadBathsheba BlueNov 23, 2022

@jondrowe

Yep. I have a friend who managed a food pantry until recently - she could buy so much more food at the food bank than if I got it at the grocery store. Every dollar I gave was multiplied many times over.

And who knows what they actually need most? They do.

So empower them to best meet their needs.