Best 5 items to donate to the NAITSA Food Centre

As the semester heads into its last handful of weeks, many students are at the end of their financial rope. The cost of living, even within the simplest of means, has reached astronomical levels. Student loans are running out, part-time jobs don’t have enough hours and something as simple as keeping yourself fed and well nourished has become a strain.

If this doesn’t describe you, consider yourself fortunate. And more importantly, consider donating to the NAITSA Food Centre. Or if you can’t donate, spread the word to your friends, your family or even your employer. Urge the people around you who are in a position to donate to do so. Keep the Food Centre fully stocked so students struggling to put food on the table have a resource on-campus.

Here are the five of the best foods to donate according to Food Banks Canada

Canned Lentils

Far from the most obvious of choices, lentils don’t have the same name appeal as ramen noodles or even soup. But they’re rich in proteins and low in sodium. Unlike the high levels of sodium seen in packaged ramen and other canned goods. Lentils are also a good protein option for vegetarians unlike canned chicken or tuna (which are also good donation options by the way).

Whole Grains

Anything from high-fibre cereal to oatmeal to whole-grain pasta is a great source of iron, magnesium, and carbohydrates. Versatile in practical, whole grain products will make any donation recipient light up. Another bonus is it can be bought in bulk quantities giving the most bang for your buck when looking to donate.

Canned Fruit

Getting scurvy would be an impediment to succeeding in academics. A non-perishable source of Vitamin C is the perfect prevention. With such a wide range of options (peaches are my personal favourite) canned fruit is a great donation and makes for a sweet-treat or study snack.

Milk Alternatives

Ideally, everyone would have access to fresh milk from whatever source they so choose. Cow, oat, almond (how do you milk an almond), or whatever the newest fad is are all great but have short shelf lives. Instead, think about adding powdered milk or a can of evaporated milk to your donation basket. Vitamins A, Vitamin D, and calcium are hard to come across outside of fresh products, but with these alternatives, you get all three in one.

CASH

Handing a $20 bill across to a Food Centre volunteer doesn’t provide quite the same satisfaction as putting a bag full of groceries into a bin. But the reality of the situation is that food banks like the NAITSA Food Centre have more purchasing power than you as an individual shopper. That $20 you spend at your grocer might buy a bag full, but in the hands of the Food Centre it might be able to buy two. Monetary donations are a blessing because the Food Centre can use them to buy whatever goods they need the most at any given moment. And hey, it saves you the time of scouring the grocery store for the items yourself.

Whether it’s a single can of tomato soup from your own pantry, asking your parents to throw together a basket of various goods, or you and your friends each pitch in a few dollars to donate as a collective. There is no donation too big or too small. More students rely on the Food Centre’s services than you can imagine, so let’s do our best to keep it stocked. As NR92 says, hunger shouldn’t be a barrier to education.

Header Image Credit: Brandon Douglas

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