Help me be a single person food drive!

[tivaclare]

I've had a moment of inspiration. I've decided to take advantage of the Mueller $1/1 coupon as much as I can. I live 35 miles from an itsy-bity commy and 55 from a huge one, so I here to ask for everyone's help so I can get orders placed.

I would REALLY appreciate input and opinions. I've never done anything like this before and I'm excited. I've never placed SOs at either store and I've never made a single donation of the size (I hope) this will be.

Here's what has me all excited, spaghetti sauces by Del Monte and Hunts are down to .69 a can until 2/9 (per the commy website)! If I can still find Muellers for .83 a box I figure I can get 100 boxes of pasta and 18 cans of sauce for .19 OOP!

We've just moved an hour outside of Boston (30 mins from Providence) and I KNOW there are orgs out here that can use the support. I haven't made any calls yet, but I think I want to donate it all to an outreach program that feeds the homeless. Last year they served over 127,000 meals (sad).

My family is on a pretty tight budget and I usually can't afford to do much, so I am so super-uber excited!

What I need help with:
1. Is the Mueller's pasta still at .75 (for elbows/spaghetti) and .83 for other boxed kinds like ziti, etc? I'm pretty sure the prices were supposed to change today, 1/20.
2. Anyone know case qty on the pastas?
3. Anyone have UPCs and case qty for either the Hunts or Del Monte sauces?
4. Preference between Hunts or Del Monte? I don't want to give away yucky sauce.
5. Thoughts on noodles? I currently have spag, elbows, ziti and rotini in my stash, so I was going to use those UPCs. Depending on what the warehouse can get for me, I was thinking of doing spag and rotini. Or I suppose I could just give the instruction of I want xxx boxes, get it however you can?

Now fingers crossed they can get everything in before my Qs expire and I can get it all in my car. As much as he will protest, I may have to leave the kiddos home with DH on a weekend day and lay my seats down.

I really am excited.

[wookin]

Spaghetti is usually packed 20/cs. Ziti etc is either 12 or 15 depending. You can usually get a case count by looking at tags below the product. Or ask for someone in the grocery dept. they can tell you. I don't think there is much difference between sauces. It's pretty easy to doctor them up if they need it. My experience is that they can use anything you can donate. Good thing you are doing. BTW we used to live in Rehoboth.

[tivaclare]

Small world, I live in North Dighton. ;-) DH works in Brockton, but this was the nicest area we could actually afford out here. We went into DT Boston not so long ago and I was shocked by the homeless population. There were people sleeping on the streets all over. So sad.

I don't plan on making my next trip to a commy until I do a pickup. I'm hoping I can ask a grocery manager over the phone for the order information. My last store needed to be spoon fed, I don't know about either of these. I'm still deciding if I will go to Newport NS (tiny, but 20 miles closer) or Hanscom AFB (huge, farther away). I don't know if they use the same distributor. I wish I knew these things!

[rrpate]

this is a good thing you are doing...i have never special ordered from the comm...i wish i could help you there... our comm now has the new digital price tags and it does not have the info the old tags had... ie.. per case ct. and date of sale..

[PMFan]

pasta UPC & CS/PK qty
http://www.commissaries.com/business/planogram/pdf_planograms/Pasta2DDry_id547.pdf

pasta sauce UPC & CS/PK qty
http://www.commissaries.com/business/planogram/pdf_planograms/SpaghettiSauce2FDryCheese_id733.pdf

also use ovg from 5/1 maalox and 4/1 gas-x.

hope that helps!

[tivaclare]

I used the few Maalox I managed to snag for our own needs, I was not familiar with Gas-X overage. I will look into that.

Thanks for the pdfs. AWESOME!

[PMFan]

3.11 - 4/1 insert or IP gas-x prevention

yw!

I was not familiar with Gas-X overage. I will look into that.

Thanks for the pdfs. AWESOME!

[pilesoflaundry]

Just a little heads up, if they ask you why you are special ordering so much tell them they aren't allowed to ask. More and more managers are asking why people want so much and it's none of their business.

You aren't supposed to donate to any non-military related causes so I just wanted to warn you not to mention your intentions. It's done all the time by plenty of people (I've donated too) just don't say so kwim?

:)

[tivaclare]

Just a little heads up, if they ask you why you are special ordering so much tell them they aren't allowed to ask. More and more managers are asking why people want so much and it's none of their business.

You aren't supposed to donate to any non-military related causes so I just wanted to warn you not to mention your intentions. It's done all the time by plenty of people (I've donated too) just don't say so kwim?

:)

We aren't allowed to donate?? I had an employee tell me years ago that donations were fine as long as I did not sell what I was purchasing. I had even told her it was for an off base group. Great, well, I'll reread the Deca literature just to cover myself.

I haven't ordered from either of these stores before, but I don't anticipate too much nosiness. If I do, well, I guess I'll just tell them to mind their own.

[pilesoflaundry]

It's somewhere in the directive. You can donate, just not to non-military charities. Same for the PX. I'm not saying I don't and I'm not saying don't. Just don't tell the manager you are. I doubt you will come into an issue but on the off chance....I just wanted you to know, not to alarm you.

Granted I have had zero good luck with customer service and managers in general so ymmv. I always seem to get the rudest, coupon nut, don't care about the rules managers. I gave up on special orders because they ask too many questions and never come through here because it's a small commissary and we have some crazy hoarders that shop here and it got to be some ruining it and I gave up.

Good luck, I think you are doing a great thing.