I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday. My
best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting program
for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for Thanksgiving. :-) I
don't personally need it, but I know someone that does and will give it
to them.

It was very educational and a lot of fun. I'm considering doing it more
often, maybe once per week on Fridays.

Their shelves and cooler were packed! Katie, the co-director, said that
prior to Hurricane Ike, the shelves were almost bare. The shelves on
Friday were packed and many more donations came in while I was there...

It was awesome. :-)

If anyone here is considering doing volunteer work, I highly recommend
it...
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

Omelet > wrote:

> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday. My
> best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting program
> for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for Thanksgiving. :-) I
> don't personally need it, but I know someone that does and will give it
> to them.

How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
box come Thanksgiving?

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:
> Omelet > wrote:
>
>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
>> that does and will give it to them.
>
> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
> box come Thanksgiving?
>
> -sw


That's a good question!

Jill

Sqwertz wrote:
> Omelet > wrote:
>
>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
>> that does and will give it to them.
>
> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
> box come Thanksgiving?

Seems like there would be a built in volunteer pool.

nancy

In article >,
"Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote:

> Omelet > newsmpomelet-87FEB5.06455328092008
> @news.giganews.com: in rec.food.cooking
>
> > I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday. My
> > best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting program
> > for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for Thanksgiving. :-) I
> > don't personally need it, but I know someone that does and will give it
> > to them.
> >
> > It was very educational and a lot of fun. I'm considering doing it
> more
> > often, maybe once per week on Fridays.
> >
> > Their shelves and cooler were packed! Katie, the co-director, said that
> > prior to Hurricane Ike, the shelves were almost bare. The shelves on
> > Friday were packed and many more donations came in while I was there...
> >
> > It was awesome. :-)
> >
> > If anyone here is considering doing volunteer work, I highly recommend
> > it...
>
> I've never volunteered at a food bank. Sounds interesting. We donate a
> lot to the local food bank. Steven is real big on taking food over
> there. We keep a box and fill it up maybe once a week or sometimes twice
> a month and run it by. Right now my dance card is full. I can't squeeze
> one more minute out of my day and on top of it all... Yesterday a friend
> of mine called me... begging me... to take a Snowshoe kitten. She has an
> organization called "Companions Forever", a rescue organizaton. She is
> completely over run with animals right now. I told her I would *foster*
> the kitten for a short time but under no circumstances would I adopt it.
> Well... you know the story. We'll be keeping her. We named her Swiffer.
> She's not a true Snowshoe because of her coat. She is really fuzzy. The
> Snowshoe marks and coloration is there. Her paws are enormous. Big as
> her head. I'm guessing she's a Siamese/Maine Coon mix. I'll post a link
> to pics as soon as I can get her to sit still long enough for a pic.
> She's 8 weeks old.
>
> Michael

Sucker. <g> I don't mean that in a bad way. :-)

We ended up with two more cats in May 2007. Cleo (a Blue lynx siamese)
and a tiger tom named Sqwertz.

Dad was feeding the female in the driveway. She came home with a kitten
one night about the size of a softball...

Both cats have now been adopted and fixed.

Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:

http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg

He is much bigger now. :-)
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> Omelet > wrote:
>
> > I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday. My
> > best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting program
> > for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for Thanksgiving. :-) I
> > don't personally need it, but I know someone that does and will give it
> > to them.
>
> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
> box come Thanksgiving?
>
> -sw

Enough.

Three more showed up while I was there.
Neither one spoke good english. But Katie speaks fluent
Spanish/Tex-mex. :-)
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
> > Omelet > wrote:
> >
> >> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
> >> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
> >> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
> >> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
> >> that does and will give it to them.
> >
> > How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
> > box come Thanksgiving?
> >
> > -sw
>
>
> That's a good question!
>
> Jill

Our local food bank feeds 1,000 plus local families per month.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

Omelet > wrote:

> Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
>
> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg

He really likes to use those claws, eh? :-)

-sw

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>> Omelet > wrote:
>>>
>>>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
>>>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
>>>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
>>>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
>>>> that does and will give it to them.
>>>
>>> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
>>> box come Thanksgiving?
>>>
>>> -sw
>>
>>
>> That's a good question!
>>
>> Jill
>
> Our local food bank feeds 1,000 plus local families per month.


Heh, Memphis has a population of about 1.5 million people with way more than
1000 families in need. Doesn't explain why your food bank is giving away
turkeys to recruit volunteers. They could/should be giving them to the
families in need in ask for a an hour of their time?

I donate as regularly as I can to the food bank. I donate clothing to local
charities. I wouldn't expect anyone them to give me a free turkey for 4
hours of my time. It just sounds like a weird way to ask for volunteers.
I'm not saying you're doing this to get a turkey but hey, to offer to pay
people in food to help out, that's just a little wierd IMHO. Sort of
defeats the purpose.

Jill

"Michael "Dog3"" > wrote:

> Omelet >
> news > rec.food.cooking
>
>> Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
>>
>> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
>>
>> He is much bigger now. :-)
>
> He is soooo cute. Swiffer is about the same size.
>
> Michael <- can't believe Om named it Sqwertz ;-)

Maybe it had diarrhea when she named it.

-sw

jmcquown wrote:
> Omelet wrote:
>> In article >,
>> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>>
>>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> Omelet > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
>>>>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
>>>>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
>>>>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
>>>>> that does and will give it to them.
>>>>
>>>> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
>>>> box come Thanksgiving?
>>>>
>>>> -sw
>>>
>>>
>>> That's a good question!
>>>
>>> Jill
>>
>> Our local food bank feeds 1,000 plus local families per month.
>
>
> Heh, Memphis has a population of about 1.5 million people with way
> more than 1000 families in need. Doesn't explain why your food bank
> is giving away turkeys to recruit volunteers. They could/should be
> giving them to the families in need in ask for a an hour of their
> time?
> I donate as regularly as I can to the food bank. I donate clothing
> to local charities. I wouldn't expect anyone them to give me a free
> turkey for 4 hours of my time. It just sounds like a weird way to
> ask for volunteers. I'm not saying you're doing this to get a turkey
> but hey, to offer to pay people in food to help out, that's just a
> little wierd IMHO. Sort of defeats the purpose.
>
> Jill

Our church's food bank feeds about 750 people a month and our town
population is only about 12,000. We've got at least 5 food banks in the
surrounding area; some work on a need-by-need basis and others you can only
frequent every 6 months. Ours offers help to families on a weekly basis.
In all honesty, I don't know of any place around here who offers a free
turkey for volunteering to help distribute food, but hey, all organizations
need volunteers! Bribes work I guess, in some cases. :~)

The pastor at our particular church has worked out a deal with local
supermarkets to collect the stores' unsellable perishables. The
supermarkets take a tax break so they're not losing out on the food, and the
church gets an income credit for collecting and distributing the food to
needy folks. It's a win-win situation.

kili

jmcquown wrote:
> Omelet wrote:
>> In article >,
>> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>>
>>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> Omelet > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
>>>>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
>>>>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
>>>>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
>>>>> that does and will give it to them.
>>>>
>>>> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
>>>> box come Thanksgiving?
>>>>
>>>> -sw
>>>
>>>
>>> That's a good question!
>>>
>>> Jill
>>
>> Our local food bank feeds 1,000 plus local families per month.
>
>
> Heh, Memphis has a population of about 1.5 million people with way more
> than 1000 families in need. Doesn't explain why your food bank is
> giving away turkeys to recruit volunteers. They could/should be giving
> them to the families in need in ask for a an hour of their time?
>
> I donate as regularly as I can to the food bank. I donate clothing to
> local charities. I wouldn't expect anyone them to give me a free turkey
> for 4 hours of my time. It just sounds like a weird way to ask for
> volunteers. I'm not saying you're doing this to get a turkey but hey, to
> offer to pay people in food to help out, that's just a little wierd
> IMHO. Sort of defeats the purpose.
>
> Jill

Why not? You're unemployed.

Nancy Young wrote:
> Sqwertz wrote:
>> Omelet > wrote:
>>
>>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
>>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
>>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
>>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
>>> that does and will give it to them.
>>
>> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
>> box come Thanksgiving?
>
> Seems like there would be a built in volunteer pool.
>
> nancy

If I could get away I'd be happy to help out at a local church that puts
together food boxes. Problem is, I'd have to hire help to take care of my
mother when I'm not here. I put together bags and boxes and donate
foodstuffs. That's about all I can do.

Jill

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> Omelet > wrote:
>
> > Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
> >
> > http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
>
> He really likes to use those claws, eh? :-)
>
> -sw

Actually, now that he's matured a bit, he mostly keeps them sheathed. <g>
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
> > Omelet > wrote:
> >
> >> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
> >> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
> >> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
> >> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
> >> that does and will give it to them.
> >
> > How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
> > box come Thanksgiving?
>
> Seems like there would be a built in volunteer pool.
>
> nancy

Seems to be an effective recruiting program. :-)
My dad used to do a lot of volunteer work for them. Here is the other
deal... Regular volunteers get first pick of a set food allotment if
they want. 2 breads, 2 sweets and 12 lbs. of other food weekly.

I could never use all that!
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> > In article >,
> > "jmcquown" > wrote:
> >
> >> Sqwertz wrote:
> >>> Omelet > wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
> >>>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
> >>>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
> >>>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
> >>>> that does and will give it to them.
> >>>
> >>> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
> >>> box come Thanksgiving?
> >>>
> >>> -sw
> >>
> >>
> >> That's a good question!
> >>
> >> Jill
> >
> > Our local food bank feeds 1,000 plus local families per month.
>
>
> Heh, Memphis has a population of about 1.5 million people with way more than
> 1000 families in need. Doesn't explain why your food bank is giving away
> turkeys to recruit volunteers. They could/should be giving them to the
> families in need in ask for a an hour of their time?

It's 4 hours, and I _am_ giving it away. ;-)

>
> I donate as regularly as I can to the food bank. I donate clothing to local
> charities. I wouldn't expect anyone them to give me a free turkey for 4
> hours of my time. It just sounds like a weird way to ask for volunteers.
> I'm not saying you're doing this to get a turkey but hey, to offer to pay
> people in food to help out, that's just a little wierd IMHO. Sort of
> defeats the purpose.
>
> Jill

<shrugs> Seems to work for them I guess. Our local grocery stores are
very, very generous from what I saw on Friday.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
"Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote:

> Omelet >
> news > rec.food.cooking
>
> > Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
> >
> > http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
> >
> > He is much bigger now. :-)
>
> He is soooo cute. Swiffer is about the same size.
>
> Michael <- can't believe Om named it Sqwertz ;-)

It was my evil twin... <g> I named him "squirt" at first, then changed
it.

He weighs about 10 lbs. now. I need to take new pics! That was taken
in May 2007.

He's a snuggly boy.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> "Michael "Dog3"" > wrote:
>
> > Omelet >
> > news > > rec.food.cooking
> >
> >> Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
> >>
> >> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
> >>
> >> He is much bigger now. :-)
> >
> > He is soooo cute. Swiffer is about the same size.
> >
> > Michael <- can't believe Om named it Sqwertz ;-)
>
> Maybe it had diarrhea when she named it.
>
> -sw

Nah. "squirt" is a common name for something small and FAST!
Remember, he was a scared feral kitten. I had to cage him with his mom
for quite some time before he tamed.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> Nancy Young wrote:
> > Sqwertz wrote:
> >> Omelet > wrote:
> >>
> >>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
> >>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
> >>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
> >>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
> >>> that does and will give it to them.
> >>
> >> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
> >> box come Thanksgiving?
> >
> > Seems like there would be a built in volunteer pool.
> >
> > nancy
>
> If I could get away I'd be happy to help out at a local church that puts
> together food boxes. Problem is, I'd have to hire help to take care of my
> mother when I'm not here. I put together bags and boxes and donate
> foodstuffs. That's about all I can do.
>
> Jill

It's more than some people do hon'! <hugs>
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

Omelet > wrote:

> In article >,
> Sqwertz > wrote:
>
>> Omelet > wrote:
>>
>>> Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
>>>
>>> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
>>
>> He really likes to use those claws, eh? :-)
>
> Actually, now that he's matured a bit, he mostly keeps them sheathed. <g>

Did you neuter him? That might explain it.

I'm not neutered yet. Maybe another decade or two.

-sw

Quite a few people who live on fixed incomes see "volunteering" to
help as a way to "pay back" for the food they receive. It does help
to allow people to "keep their heads up". You'd be surprised at the
number of folks who go hungry rather than accept "charity" or anything
that "somebody else really needs" more than they do.

There will always be people who take advantage of any system or help,
but you can't let that stop you from helping. You just have to
believe that what goes around comes around. I never met anyone who
was really poor who wouldn't cheerfully share what they had with
someone else who was hungry.

Lynn in Fargo

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> Omelet > wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > Sqwertz > wrote:
> >
> >> Omelet > wrote:
> >>
> >>> Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
> >>>
> >>> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
> >>
> >> He really likes to use those claws, eh? :-)
> >
> > Actually, now that he's matured a bit, he mostly keeps them sheathed. <g>
>
> Did you neuter him? That might explain it.

Right at 6 months.
>
> I'm not neutered yet. Maybe another decade or two.
>
> -sw

<snicker>
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article
>,
Lynn from Fargo > wrote:

> Quite a few people who live on fixed incomes see "volunteering" to
> help as a way to "pay back" for the food they receive. It does help
> to allow people to "keep their heads up". You'd be surprised at the
> number of folks who go hungry rather than accept "charity" or anything
> that "somebody else really needs" more than they do.

Very true. :-) I know many who'd rather work for it. It's funny too as
you don't have to prove your income to simply attend the distributions.

>
> There will always be people who take advantage of any system or help,
> but you can't let that stop you from helping. You just have to
> believe that what goes around comes around. I never met anyone who
> was really poor who wouldn't cheerfully share what they had with
> someone else who was hungry.
>
> Lynn in Fargo

My friend Lynn' does just that. When she gets extra stuff, she passes it
around. I belong to the CPA Alumni Association and volunteered at the
local Police Department garage sale last weekend. We were scheduled to
close at noon so around 10:30, we called the local Women's shelter and
had them come and take what they wanted. We also put everything else up
for free with a voluntary donation at the door. <g> Lynn picked up a
lot of stuff to pass around as she knows who needed it. Mostly kids
clothes.

The remainder got hauled off to Goodwill at noon...
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

kilikini wrote:

>
> The pastor at our particular church has worked out a deal with local
> supermarkets to collect the stores' unsellable perishables. The
> supermarkets take a tax break so they're not losing out on the food, and the
> church gets an income credit for collecting and distributing the food to
> needy folks. It's a win-win situation.
>
> kili
>
>

The sad part is some of the big box places destroy food rather than
donate it. My buddies' wife works in the office of a large big box food
chain and their official policy is that all out of date/surplus etc food
must be scanned out and destroyed. They have compacting dumpsters at
each store and two employees have to witness the destruction.

George wrote:
> kilikini wrote:
>
>>
>> The pastor at our particular church has worked out a deal with local
>> supermarkets to collect the stores' unsellable perishables. The
>> supermarkets take a tax break so they're not losing out on the food,
>> and the church gets an income credit for collecting and distributing
>> the food to needy folks. It's a win-win situation.
>>
>
> The sad part is some of the big box places destroy food rather than
> donate it. My buddies' wife works in the office of a large big box
> food chain and their official policy is that all out of date/surplus
> etc food must be scanned out and destroyed. They have compacting
> dumpsters at each store and two employees have to witness the
> destruction.

Most big boxes places destroy the food when there are people who desperately
can use it. The amount of food that is wasted is really sad!

kili

George wrote:
>
> The sad part is some of the big box places destroy food rather than
> donate it. My buddies' wife works in the office of a large big box food
> chain and their official policy is that all out of date/surplus etc food
> must be scanned out and destroyed. They have compacting dumpsters at
> each store and two employees have to witness the destruction.


Wait. There's a difference between surplus and past date. If they're
destroying extra food that there's just too much of to sell, good food
that otherwise there's nothing wrong with, then you're right; it's sad.


If they're destroying food that's past date, then it's illegal both
to sell it and to give it away. They're following the law. I might
choose to use past-date food in my home because I see nothing wrong with
it, but the store isn't allowed to make that decision and sell it to me.


--Lia

The Cook wrote:
> On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:40:03 -0400, "kilikini"
> > wrote:
>>
>> Our church's food bank feeds about 750 people a month and our town
>> population is only about 12,000. We've got at least 5 food banks in
>> the surrounding area; some work on a need-by-need basis and others
>> you can only frequent every 6 months. Ours offers help to families
>> on a weekly basis. In all honesty, I don't know of any place around
>> here who offers a free turkey for volunteering to help distribute
>> food, but hey, all organizations need volunteers! Bribes work I
>> guess, in some cases. :~)
>>
>> The pastor at our particular church has worked out a deal with local
>> supermarkets to collect the stores' unsellable perishables. The
>> supermarkets take a tax break so they're not losing out on the food,
>> and the church gets an income credit for collecting and distributing
>> the food to needy folks. It's a win-win situation.
>>
>> kili
>>
> From a tax standpoint it does not matter whether you sell, throw out,
> donate, or someone shoplifts an item of inventory. If it is no longer
> in inventory at the end of the year the cost of the item is a cost of
> doing business. The only difference is to the bottom line if you
> actually receive money for it.
>
> If their lawyers do not feel that they could incur liability by
> donating the food, that is great.
>
> My grocery store puts produce on sale when it is getting tired. Same
> thing as the "used" meat that is often mentioned here. The latest coup
> for us was 3 avocados for $.99, 2 grapefruit for $.99 and a head of
> iceberg lettuce for $.99. I love it when the put the kiwi fruit on
> sale since they don't seem to know when they are ripe.

All of the stuff our food bank gives out is the sale stuff. It's usually
meant to be sold that day, so we always tell people to use it up or freeze
it. Folks also sign a waver that clearly claims that the church is not
responsible for items that may have gotten anyone ill. Heck, we all take a
risk when we eat "used" meat, anyway. It's just a little harder to find
"used" meat in our local supermarkets these days. :~)

kili

Julia Altshuler wrote:
> George wrote:
>>
>> The sad part is some of the big box places destroy food rather than
>> donate it. My buddies' wife works in the office of a large big box
>> food chain and their official policy is that all out of date/surplus
>> etc food must be scanned out and destroyed. They have compacting
>> dumpsters at each store and two employees have to witness the
>> destruction.
>
>
> Wait. There's a difference between surplus and past date. If they're
> destroying extra food that there's just too much of to sell, good food
> that otherwise there's nothing wrong with, then you're right; it's sad.
>
>
> If they're destroying food that's past date, then it's illegal both to
> sell it and to give it away. They're following the law. I might choose
> to use past-date food in my home because I see nothing wrong with it,
> but the store isn't allowed to make that decision and sell it to me.
>
>
> --Lia
>
It isn't illegal to donate past date food. It is likely illegal to
donate knowingly bad out of date food (it wasn't stored properly etc)

Big box places don't wait till the exact second to pull stuff from the
shelves. So stuff going into the dumpster is typically ready to expire.
And even though they can't sell expired product they can certainly
donate it. As you described if it has been properly refrigerated there
is nothing unsafe about using it.

Here is a typical policy of a charity:

* donate unopened dairy products that are within 3 days past the
"sell by" date and that have been kept at the proper temperature at all
times


http://www.foodgatherers.org/donate.htm

On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:40:03 -0400, "kilikini"
> wrote:

>jmcquown wrote:
>> Omelet wrote:
>>> In article >,
>>> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>> Omelet > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday.
>>>>>> My best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting
>>>>>> program for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for
>>>>>> Thanksgiving. :-) I don't personally need it, but I know someone
>>>>>> that does and will give it to them.
>>>>>
>>>>> How many people volunteered that could actually use a free turkey
>>>>> box come Thanksgiving?
>>>>>
>>>>> -sw
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> That's a good question!
>>>>
>>>> Jill
>>>
>>> Our local food bank feeds 1,000 plus local families per month.
>>
>>
>> Heh, Memphis has a population of about 1.5 million people with way
>> more than 1000 families in need. Doesn't explain why your food bank
>> is giving away turkeys to recruit volunteers. They could/should be
>> giving them to the families in need in ask for a an hour of their
>> time?
>> I donate as regularly as I can to the food bank. I donate clothing
>> to local charities. I wouldn't expect anyone them to give me a free
>> turkey for 4 hours of my time. It just sounds like a weird way to
>> ask for volunteers. I'm not saying you're doing this to get a turkey
>> but hey, to offer to pay people in food to help out, that's just a
>> little wierd IMHO. Sort of defeats the purpose.
>>
>> Jill
>
>Our church's food bank feeds about 750 people a month and our town
>population is only about 12,000. We've got at least 5 food banks in the
>surrounding area; some work on a need-by-need basis and others you can only
>frequent every 6 months. Ours offers help to families on a weekly basis.
>In all honesty, I don't know of any place around here who offers a free
>turkey for volunteering to help distribute food, but hey, all organizations
>need volunteers! Bribes work I guess, in some cases. :~)
>
>The pastor at our particular church has worked out a deal with local
>supermarkets to collect the stores' unsellable perishables. The
>supermarkets take a tax break so they're not losing out on the food, and the
>church gets an income credit for collecting and distributing the food to
>needy folks. It's a win-win situation.
>
>kili
>
From a tax standpoint it does not matter whether you sell, throw out,
donate, or someone shoplifts an item of inventory. If it is no longer
in inventory at the end of the year the cost of the item is a cost of
doing business. The only difference is to the bottom line if you
actually receive money for it.

If their lawyers do not feel that they could incur liability by
donating the food, that is great.

My grocery store puts produce on sale when it is getting tired. Same
thing as the "used" meat that is often mentioned here. The latest coup
for us was 3 avocados for $.99, 2 grapefruit for $.99 and a head of
iceberg lettuce for $.99. I love it when the put the kiwi fruit on
sale since they don't seem to know when they are ripe.

In article >,
George > wrote:

> kilikini wrote:
>
> >
> > The pastor at our particular church has worked out a deal with local
> > supermarkets to collect the stores' unsellable perishables. The
> > supermarkets take a tax break so they're not losing out on the food, and
> > the
> > church gets an income credit for collecting and distributing the food to
> > needy folks. It's a win-win situation.
> >
> > kili
> >
> >
>
> The sad part is some of the big box places destroy food rather than
> donate it. My buddies' wife works in the office of a large big box food
> chain and their official policy is that all out of date/surplus etc food
> must be scanned out and destroyed. They have compacting dumpsters at
> each store and two employees have to witness the destruction.

Stupid and wasteful. I'm glad the three grocery stores here in town
donate to the food bank instead.

For quite a number of years tho', the fresh produce that was looking
raggy went into a garbage disposal at HEB due to "liability" issues.
I'm glad to say that, once again, I can now go look in the gleaning box
when the guys are cleaning the displays in the morning (I shop around
07:00) and offer to purchase older produce at a markdown.

I just get what I can cook in the next day or two. They are finally
saying "yes" again and I get it for 40% to 50% off. :-)

I especially love it when I can get artichokes that way! They keep for
a bit longer.

Wal-mart still says no. <sigh>

I've also been getting pork chops for $1.49. They are marked as "pork
trimmings". It's pork that's fixin' to outdate. A few months ago, they
were $.98. They went up. :-(
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
Julia Altshuler > wrote:

> George wrote:
> >
> > The sad part is some of the big box places destroy food rather than
> > donate it. My buddies' wife works in the office of a large big box food
> > chain and their official policy is that all out of date/surplus etc food
> > must be scanned out and destroyed. They have compacting dumpsters at
> > each store and two employees have to witness the destruction.
>
>
> Wait. There's a difference between surplus and past date. If they're
> destroying extra food that there's just too much of to sell, good food
> that otherwise there's nothing wrong with, then you're right; it's sad.
>
>
> If they're destroying food that's past date, then it's illegal both
> to sell it and to give it away. They're following the law. I might
> choose to use past-date food in my home because I see nothing wrong with
> it, but the store isn't allowed to make that decision and sell it to me.
>
>
> --Lia

Speaking of which, how long past the "sell by" date can bacon be used if
it's in the 'frige, not frozen? I ran across a forgotten package that
expired in June. I've not opened it and it smells ok, but still... I
wanted to ask here first before I tossed it.

Bacon is about 4 bucks per package right now.

Fresh meat I'd not hesitate. (Ew!) but bacon is smoked and salted and
loaded with preservatives... It's also been stored at 40 degrees
monitored.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

In article >,
George > wrote:

> It isn't illegal to donate past date food. It is likely illegal to
> donate knowingly bad out of date food (it wasn't stored properly etc)
>
> Big box places don't wait till the exact second to pull stuff from the
> shelves. So stuff going into the dumpster is typically ready to expire.
> And even though they can't sell expired product they can certainly
> donate it. As you described if it has been properly refrigerated there
> is nothing unsafe about using it.
>
> Here is a typical policy of a charity:
>
> * donate unopened dairy products that are within 3 days past the
> "sell by" date and that have been kept at the proper temperature at all
> times
>
>
> http://www.foodgatherers.org/donate.htm

I suspect that we here in the US throw away kilotons of usable food.
There is no excuse for ANYONE here to starve.
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

Omelet wrote:
>
> I suspect that we here in the US throw away kilotons of usable food.
> There is no excuse for ANYONE here to starve.


Do you mean "starve" in the literal sense of dying from lack of
calories? If so, I haven't heard of anyone starving in the U.S. It
just doesn't happen.


If you're talking about poor people not being well nourished, or people
surviving on a horrible diet of fast food, or homeless people needing
better heat and medical care, or sick people having trouble absorbing
nutrients, then yeah, that happens here, and it's a shame.


--Lia

George wrote:

> kilikini wrote:
>
> >
> > The pastor at our particular church has worked out a deal with
> > local supermarkets to collect the stores' unsellable perishables.
> > The supermarkets take a tax break so they're not losing out on the
> > food, and the church gets an income credit for collecting and
> > distributing the food to needy folks. It's a win-win situation.
> >
> > kili
>
> The sad part is some of the big box places destroy food rather than
> donate it. My buddies' wife works in the office of a large big box
> food chain and their official policy is that all out of date/surplus
> etc food must be scanned out and destroyed. They have compacting
> dumpsters at each store and two employees have to witness the
> destruction.

In the Twin Cities, the upscale supermarkets seem to be the most likely
to donate the food.

--
--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://clerkfuturist.wordpress.com
Mirror Journal http://dsgood.insanejournal.com
Mirror 2 http://dsgood.wordpress.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

In article >,
Julia Altshuler > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > I suspect that we here in the US throw away kilotons of usable food.
> > There is no excuse for ANYONE here to starve.
>
>
> Do you mean "starve" in the literal sense of dying from lack of
> calories? If so, I haven't heard of anyone starving in the U.S. It
> just doesn't happen.

Think about the homeless. At the least, some of them do freeze to death
in the winter. :-( There is help for them but some don't ask.
>
>
> If you're talking about poor people not being well nourished, or people
> surviving on a horrible diet of fast food, or homeless people needing
> better heat and medical care, or sick people having trouble absorbing
> nutrients, then yeah, that happens here, and it's a shame.
>
>
> --Lia

Indeed...

I've seen what the food bank passes out. Some of it's healthy food, much
of it is not. I'd never want to have to survive on that much starch,
sugar and fat!

But beggars can't be choosers. :-(
--
Peace! Om

"He who has the gold makes the rules"
--Om

"He who has the guns can get the gold."
-- Steve Rothstein

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> "Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote:
>
>> Omelet > newsmpomelet-87FEB5.06455328092008
>> @news.giganews.com: in rec.food.cooking
>>
>>> I volunteered for a 4 hour shift at our local food bank on Friday. My
>>> best friend, Lynn, told me that they had a current recruiting program
>>> for that. 4 hours equaled a free turkey box for Thanksgiving. :-) I
>>> don't personally need it, but I know someone that does and will give it
>>> to them.
>>>
>>> It was very educational and a lot of fun. I'm considering doing it
>> more
>>> often, maybe once per week on Fridays.
>>>
>>> Their shelves and cooler were packed! Katie, the co-director, said that
>>> prior to Hurricane Ike, the shelves were almost bare. The shelves on
>>> Friday were packed and many more donations came in while I was there...
>>>
>>> It was awesome. :-)
>>>
>>> If anyone here is considering doing volunteer work, I highly recommend
>>> it...
>> I've never volunteered at a food bank. Sounds interesting. We donate a
>> lot to the local food bank. Steven is real big on taking food over
>> there. We keep a box and fill it up maybe once a week or sometimes twice
>> a month and run it by. Right now my dance card is full. I can't squeeze
>> one more minute out of my day and on top of it all... Yesterday a friend
>> of mine called me... begging me... to take a Snowshoe kitten. She has an
>> organization called "Companions Forever", a rescue organizaton. She is
>> completely over run with animals right now. I told her I would *foster*
>> the kitten for a short time but under no circumstances would I adopt it.
>> Well... you know the story. We'll be keeping her. We named her Swiffer.
>> She's not a true Snowshoe because of her coat. She is really fuzzy. The
>> Snowshoe marks and coloration is there. Her paws are enormous. Big as
>> her head. I'm guessing she's a Siamese/Maine Coon mix. I'll post a link
>> to pics as soon as I can get her to sit still long enough for a pic.
>> She's 8 weeks old.
>>
>> Michael
>
> Sucker. <g> I don't mean that in a bad way. :-)
>
> We ended up with two more cats in May 2007. Cleo (a Blue lynx siamese)
> and a tiger tom named Sqwertz.
>
> Dad was feeding the female in the driveway. She came home with a kitten
> one night about the size of a softball...
>
> Both cats have now been adopted and fixed.
>
> Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
>
> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
>
> He is much bigger now. :-)
>
>
Oh, man is he ever cute! I have a real soft spot for tabbies (well, for
cats in general, actually)!

Omelet wrote:

>
> We ended up with two more cats in May 2007. Cleo (a Blue lynx siamese)
> and a tiger tom named Sqwertz.
>
> Dad was feeding the female in the driveway. She came home with a kitten
> one night about the size of a softball...
>
> Both cats have now been adopted and fixed.
>
> Sqwertz loves a good tummy rub:
>
> http://i16.tinypic.com/68clna9.jpg
>
> He is much bigger now. :-)

This is my cat, Jerry. He's always shoving the kittens and their mother
away from the food bowl so he can have the bowl all to himself.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=30hovnq&s=4

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> Julia Altshuler > wrote:
>>
>> If you're talking about poor people not being well nourished, or
>> people surviving on a horrible diet of fast food, or homeless people
>> needing better heat and medical care, or sick people having trouble
>> absorbing nutrients, then yeah, that happens here, and it's a shame.
>>
>>
>> --Lia
>
> Indeed...
>
> I've seen what the food bank passes out. Some of it's healthy food,
> much of it is not. I'd never want to have to survive on that much
> starch, sugar and fat!
>
> But beggars can't be choosers. :-(

Our pastor just brought that up on Sunday, actually. He mentioned that they
dished out a box of food to a guy and the guy actually said, "I can't eat
this; how do I prepare it?"

The pastor said, "I guess you're really not that hungry, are you?"

It's such a shame that our church gives out perishables and nothing from a
box. Tsk, tsk.

kili

kilikini wrote:
>
> Our pastor just brought that up on Sunday, actually. He mentioned that they
> dished out a box of food to a guy and the guy actually said, "I can't eat
> this; how do I prepare it?"
>
> The pastor said, "I guess you're really not that hungry, are you?"
>
> It's such a shame that our church gives out perishables and nothing from a
> box. Tsk, tsk.


My interpretation of "how do I prepare it" would have been "I have no
refrigerator, utensils or stove." But I wasn't there. Your pastor was
probably right.


--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:
> kilikini wrote:
>>
>> Our pastor just brought that up on Sunday, actually. He mentioned
>> that they dished out a box of food to a guy and the guy actually
>> said, "I can't eat this; how do I prepare it?"
>>
>> The pastor said, "I guess you're really not that hungry, are you?"
>>
>> It's such a shame that our church gives out perishables and nothing
>> from a box. Tsk, tsk.
>
>
> My interpretation of "how do I prepare it" would have been "I have no
> refrigerator, utensils or stove." But I wasn't there. Your pastor
> was probably right.
>
>
> --Lia

Trust me, he was.

kili