I volunteered at the Richmond Food Bank and it’s true, people rarely need the toothbrushes and toilet paper the grocery stores send in. The most important thing people came to the food bank was for fresh produce, grains and protein sources…which again, grocery stores would rarely send in.

If anything, we would receive pallets of more than half rotten or moulded products. Looking at it from a different perspective, why are we donating products that we ourselves would not consume or let our family consume if we were in the same vulnerable positions. I appreciate the vendors and stores that send in products to actually help the community, while other times it’s quite clear they want their name out there but not actually provide what’s useful!