11 Best Healthy Foods to Donate to a Food Pantry
Expired foods and specialty foods don’t make the cut
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Donate Smart, Donate Healthy
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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1. Fresh food
Healthier oils — olive, canola and sunflower — can be used for cooking food and also to make a homemade dressing for salads. Health benefit: Good fats are essential to a nutritious diet, Chou says, and the healthier, unsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils.
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2. Dry or low-sodium canned beans
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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3. Brown rice or whole wheat pasta
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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Getty
4. Canned tuna or salmon
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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Getty
5. Peanut or almond butter
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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AARP Offer: Healthy Living Tips and News
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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Getty
6. Dried herbs and spices
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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Getty
7. Cooking oils
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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Getty
8. Canned fruit (in juice)
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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Getty
9. Canned tomatoes
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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Getty
10. Steel-cut or rolled oats
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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11. Healthy baby food
En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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En español | Food pantries desperately need donated groceries to help struggling seniors and families, but some things just don’t make the cut. Take, for example, the 440 pounds of candy the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Md., was given last fall by dentists off-loading sweets turned in by kids during a Halloween campaign to help them cut back on cavities. The organization threw it all away. What's needed are nutritious products that clients can easily turn into hearty meals - like these items.
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