Mom to Mom

[Bird mama]

Hello there Moms, Aunties and Grandmas.  There is a scouting based food drive coming in my local community Saturday - November the 8th.  I donate cash to the food bank that will benefit from the food drive and I want to support the scouts - it's good for kids to learn how to help others who have less.

Breakfast foods, especially cereals cost an arm right now.  I'm fearful they are going to cost an arm and a leg before I know it.

I'd like my donation to be breakfast food oriented.  If you have smaller or younger kids in your life tell me, what are their favorite cereals.  Do they like poptarts?  Do they eat flavored instant oatmeal?  Do they eat granola bars?

Thanks for your time.

[RedTop]

Yes to pop tarts, instant oatmeal and cereal.  I buy store brand rice chex, rice krispies, cheerios and mini wheats cereal for myself; because I like it, not so much because of price.  Knowing the cereal is good, I donate many boxes to the P.O. food drive in May.  Small cans, bottles, and boxes of fruit juices are also a good choice.  

[Sweet Kitties]

Kodiac makes a whole grain high protein pancake mix. It's called Kodiac Power Cakes. Another good brand is Bob's Red Mill Organic Buttermilk pancake mix. Bob's Red Mill also sells good organic oatmeal. Kashi sells a cereal called, Kashi Go Protein + Fiber Peanut butter flavor. Cheerios is a good choice too. You want to pick breakfast foods that contain plenty of fiber & protein so that children's little tummys stay full until lunch.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

To me, nutritional value is much more important than what some consider breakfast food to be. A peanut butter sandwich, can of soup or applesauce can all be eaten in the morning and would be more filling than empty calories.

[lookn4quality]

I am a grandmother to 7 between the ages from 1-7.  We try to give them breakfast foods that contain protein to help them get to lunchtime. In the non-perishable food category, Honey Bunches of Oats with almonds has a lot of nutrients and Cheerios makes some of their cereals with protein also, in strawberry and cinnamon flavors. But their standby is a protein bar. Some contain very little protein but some contain 10 grams. Just read the label and choose what you think a child would like. They also eat a lot of fruit. Since this is a non-perishable food drive you could also include individually packaged fruit to go with the bar or cereal. Peanut butter and honey also work for those not allergic to such. And I have been known to offer mac n cheese to a toddler for breakfast just to get them to eat something. Thanks so much for supporting the children!!

[Bird mama]

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.  I'm making a list.

[Zhills]

If you talk to people at a food bank they will say, here are some things to think about for those in need:

1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks.

2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of.

3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.

4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.

5. Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice a-Roni which they also get a lot of.

6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Christmas gift.

7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care.
8. Sugar and flour are treats.

11. They rarely get fresh meat.

12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.

13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.

14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread.

15. Butter or margarine is nice too.

16. Eggs are a real commodity.

17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake.

18. Dishwashing detergent is always appreciated.

20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.

[dlg0505]

Thank you for what you are doing! I work for a non-profit and there's been a lot of good suggestions. 

It's helpful to think of "meals" when donating also. So a pancake mix with syrup. Or if you were looking at a dinner - taco shells, seasoning, sauce, hamburger. Part of the problem is some of the non-profits that do pantries are limited with refrigerator or freezer space. 

It's true so many people give pasta, mac and cheese. Which is ok but with pasta, perhaps some Prego or something. And the mac and cheese, some butter (or cheaper alternative margarine - not as healthy but families still appreicate it). 

Gift cards given directly to the agency is also good. 

Thank you for your generosity! 

Spoiler

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[Meowingkitty]

Pop tarts are junk. They used to be ok (just ok) but now they have so little filling you need a magnifying glass to see it. Now they are all crust.

[Bhvbum]

I donate the large size of old-fashioned oatmeal. All my grandchildren love it because that's just the base, and they can add whatever they want on top. And I also include a case of canned Evaporated milk.  On hot oatmeal it's great together.  This is a nutritional breakfast not a bowl of sugar.  Oatmeal has fiber, protein and the milk has protein.  This is good in the winter.  

Overnight oatmeal is also a big hit, simply pour oatmeal in a bowl, cover it with milk (we use evaporated milk) and put in the refrigerator.  You can put whatever you want on it in the morning, this is good in the summertime.