What did you donate this week?

[lbveggie]

As a new convert to couponing, I am amazed at the amount of stuff I have already stockpiled! On Sunday I dropped of a box containing the following items to a co-worker injured and unable to work:
1 Bag Brown Sugar
4 Rolls Toilet Paper
Pk.Paper Towels
3 Pouches Tuna
1 Laundry Detergent
1 Dish Washing Liquid
1 Deodorant
1 Box Pop Tarts
1 Box Fruit Roll-Ups
3 Cans Progresso Soup
1 Toothpaste
3 pk. Bath Soap
5 Boxes Uncle Ben's Rice

Without the tips and scenarios posted by members of HCW, I would never have been able to afford to give so much!
Thank you all for helping me help someone in need!

[elizabethm]

Last week:

2 boxes Chex cereal
10 bottles Ken's dressing
2 boxes Pop Tarts
5 bags Chex Mix
3 boxes Hamburger Helper
8 boxes Quaker Chewy granola bars
2 boxes Frosted Cheerios
2 jars Skippy peanut butter
1 box Nature Valley granola bars
4 boxes Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta

I have a bunch of bags for this week but haven't taken inventory. I love HCW!!

[elizabethm]

33 boxes Hamburger/Tuna/Chicken Helper
4 boxes Nature Valley granola bars
12 boxes Fruity Cheerios
4 boxes Pop Tarts
2 boxes Success Rice

DH dropped it off at the county food bank drop tonight. Hopefully peanut butter goes back on sale soon!!

[LovesDivine]

Mom with 4 kids lost her husband a year or so ago and recently had some surgery herself that left her out of work for a bit - but since she 'has a job' she can't get assistance so she has been unable to really feed her family. I have been aware of this situation for a while but was told she is very proud and I was afraid I'd offend her if I offered to help. Well, she must have finally hit the bottom because she asked a mutual friend for a grocery loan. Mutual friend called me (I have talked to mutual friend about this situation so she knew I wanted to help).

I donated about 3 to 4 weeks of pantry, meat and poultry, dairy, breakfast, snacks, veggies, etc (depends how thrifty a cook she is) to this family of 5. This was done from my stock pile and did not really put much of a dent in it. Another giving soul friend of ours went to Costco and got her lots of stuff - so she should be good for a while.

She cried when she saw the food, first words out of her mouth were OMG my kids are gonna be so happy.:frown: There was no pride involved, this was about feeding her kids. Tears me up just thinking about it. I made sure though that she understood that this is not taking from my food budget, that my food budget is 1/4 of what it used to be and that what I was able to help them with was free and planned for donation.

Stuff like that makes it so worth the time I put in to doing this. I offered to teach her how to coupon and stock and she said she wants to learn. I hope she does.

So, what I want to do is keep helping her and her kids while teaching her to use a portion of her food budget for perishables and a portion for stockpiling and using the rest for other bills or something else.

Advice? I have done this for my family but we had the extra needed to start stocking right away. I have turned some others on to it as well. I have never done this with someone that literally could not feed her family. I don't know where to help her start.

[FantasyIsland]

First - IMMEDIATELY take her to the local food stamp office and have her apply - with no income this month, she will be entitled. First, she will qualify for emergency food stamps. Then she will have a short wait to be qualified for the full month. Food stamps are available to anyone, whether they qualify for other assistance is not necessary.

Second, explain to her the concept of a stockpile - why is most important.

Then just focus on the 1 or 2 items her family eats the most of or that will stretch the food budget the most - pasta, rice, cereal are some staples that pop to my mind immediately.

Then just wing it - you know how to do it, take it slow - let her set the pace.

Good luck - you are a nice person to not only feed her for a day but teach her how.

[LovesDivine]

She tried to get food stamps and was turned down. I don't understand why - she is not by any means well off. She is a widow and may get some sort of SS for that. i don't know what she does for a living but I am pretty sure it is not high or even average paying. What does it take to qualify for emergency food stamps?

I hope she contacts me to learn how to stockpile and coupon. We are not friends, her son and my son are teammates but off the field are not hanging out buddies, she and I have never really talked, just exchanged a couple hey hows it going's. I learned of the situation from a mutual friend.

[LovesDivine]

She came up to me tonight and said she got 2 papers last Sunday like I recommended and would again this week, she said she wants to get together with me now that season is almost over so she can learn to do what we do.

I think she might take me up on my offer to continue providing the bulk of their groceries while she uses her $$ to start building a stockpile and pay some unpaid bills. She is coming over tomorrow to 'shop' and talk.

[browntl5]

Hi all;
I think this thread is so important now more than ever, when the economy is tanking and now the snow is flying. I donated $900 worth of toiletries in August, and another $2,000 worth last week to the East End Cooperative Ministries here in Pittsburgh. They have a food pantry, soup kitchen, shelter, and more. I only shop Rite Aid right now, but there is a Walgreens going up just a few miles from my house. I can't wait!!
Trina
Pittsburgh

[Coriander]

I recently donated about $75 worth to an elderly couple I know that moved to my area that needed help, no where near the $900 amout (BTW-nice job fellow couponer!) but still it sure felt good. Of course the $75 worth was the oop amount so it was a good start for them............thanks Walgreens for the good sales!!!

[ecj98]

Yesterday I donated:
Cereal
pasta
canned tomatoes
shampoo and conditioner
body wash
toothpaste
herbal tea
muffin mix
cake mix