Part II, New Post Series Grocery Gleaning: Getting Started

So we have shared with you the vision we have for a new post series called, "Grocery Gleaning".  Each week we will list Free or nearly Free items are are perfect for donating to a local food bank, pantry or shelter.  We hope to run our first post the week of March 28th.  But you don't have to wait till then to get started.  Every few months I purge my "stockpile".  Often I have found an awesome deal and bought a bunch and brought it home to see I already had 10 of that item. The above picture is my latest purge.  These are items I already had a plethora of or my family decided they don't like (all unopened of course).  Could your stockpile loose a few pounds? 

Also let me mention one deal this week that exemplifies the kind of deals we want to highlight in this series.  The last few weeks Kroger has been running a mega event.  Buy 10 of select items and receive $5 off your order.  Ronzoni has been free through this offer, so I stocked up.  In last week's trip I bought 10 boxes, 8 for my family to keep and 2 to donate.  I plan on getting a few more this week and splitting the keep/give amount again. This week's money maker deal on reach toothbrushes at Walgreens is another one perfect for donations. Mid-Ohio Food Bank has come up with Most Wanted List. Some of these items include: Bisquick mixes, oatmeal, pasta, canned meats, canned veggies/fruit (in juice). and some items specific to kids like: mac & cheese, multi-grain cereal bars, and peanut butter.  So these will be high on our radar once we start the posts. 

Last, decide where and when you are going to make your donations.  In each Grocery Gleaning post we will include a Feeding America widget that will tell you the contact information for a local food bank.  Find out where they have drop off times and locations.  For us, Worthington Libraries and the Worthington Rec Center have drop boxes for the Worthington Food Pantry.  I am going to aim for once a month.  Put it on your calendar and get your family involved.  I showed my kids our overflowing pantry and linen closets and talked about how blessed we are. Then showed them the 3 bags we filled and still had full cupboards.  I think even the 4 year olds understood they were doing a good thing giving these things away.

What do you think of this concept?  Let us know! And if you see a deal that fits the bill, be sure to share it with us. The goal is to encourage one another to give out of our abundance.