This week I did a pantry clean out, and realized just how much food I had sitting in my pantry. Unopened, within date and serving no one just sitting on my shelves. Realistically many people have food in their pantries they won’t get to before it expires. This food should not go to waste when people in our own community could use it. So I called a local food pantry to find out what kind of donations they could use and was told “if you use it we can use it”. Say less! I headed to Aldi and absolutely packed a cart full of pantry staples to donate. I grabbed things like microwave Mac and cheese cups because they only require water and no additional non-shelf stable ingredients like milk or butter. I grabbed a case of pasta and a case of sauce because that fills bellies fast. Rice stretches meals. Peanut Butter, Jelly and Graham Crackers make an easy snack. Some food pantries have specific lists of items they are looking for. I realized my local food pantry accepts donated kitchen appliances. As luck would have it I just bought a brand new crockpot, I was planning to return it, because I found a different one I liked better. Instead of taking it back to the store I donated it to the food pantry along with an extra air fryer I had, and a blender. As someone who has had to use SNAP in the past, I can only imagine how scary it must be to not know when your benefits will be restored, especially when you are feeding a family. There is no shame in needing help. There is no shame in visiting the food pantry to help make sure your family is fed. If you are in a position to help support your local food pantry, now is a great time to give your local food pantry a call, find out how you can help your community. LTKfoodie LTKvlog LTKstorytime