Donation Policies

List of accepted donations:

  1. Food Pantry and Delivery
    1. Food
      1. Shelf stable items (ramen, canned produce, jams, jellies, drinks, deserts, baking ingredients, chips, crackers, pasta, sauces, etc)
      2. Bread
      3. Produce (Store-bought or HOMEGROWN)
      4. Meat (May be homegrown if processed and labeled as to what it is and where it was processed, canned meats for delivery)
      5. Dairy (including dry and self stable milk)
      6. Specialty foods such as vegan and gluten free items
    2. Health and Beauty
      1. Hygiene Items (tooth brushes, toothpaste, haircare, skincare, deodorant, soap, etc)
      2. Baby Food
      3. Diapers
      4. Wipes
      5. Paper products (toilet paper, kleenex, paper towels)
      6. Cleaning Supplies (laundry detergent, dish soap, bleach, etc)
      7. Pet food
      8. Feminine Products
  2. Clothing Pantry
    1. Household items (Must be no larger than the size of a microwave)
    2. Electronics
    3. Clothing items (All sizes and all sections) Must be clean and in new or gently used condition.
    4. Shoes
    5. Toys
  3. Summer Kids Food
    1. Kid friendly food items (juice, milk drinks, snack foods, slim jims, chips, granola bars, hot dogs, lunchables, peanut butter, jam, fruit, vegetables, ramen, SpaghettiOs)
  4. Thanksgiving
    1. Protein items (Turkeys, hams, chicken, peanut butter)
    2. Lasagna kit items (ground beef, noodles, sauce, parmesan cheese)
    3. Canned corn
    4. Canned green beans
    5. Instant mashed potatoes
    6. Mac-n-cheese
    7. Mashed potatoes
    8. Gravy
    9. Desserts ( cake mix, pie crust / filling, pudding )
    10. Cream of Mushroom soup
    11. Corn bread mix
    12. Stuffing
    13. Canned cranberry sauce
  5. E.L.F
    1. Items requested by child’s family
    2. Cute pillows and/or soft blankets
    3. Coats, hats and gloves
    4. Christmas decorations including artificial trees
    5. Prepared food for the volunteers and staff
  6. Supplies for the Pantry
    1. Safety Box Cutters
    2. Cleaning Supplies (laundry detergent, dish soap, bleach, etc)
    3. Paper products (toilet paper, kleenex, paper towels)
    4. Ziploc Bags (gallon and quart sized)
    5. Grocery Bags
    6. Permanent markers
    7. Post-it notes
    8. laptops/tablets
    9. Trash bags
    10. Box tape and tape guns
    11. Scotch tape
    12. Posterboards
    13. Printer paper, ink
    14. Staplers and staples 
    15. Thank you cards and Christmas cards

Policies

  1. Pantry 279 has the right to refuse or dispose of any donations deemed not fit for distribution through our programs, including due to being damaged, unclean, or not meeting item-specific policies.
  2. Generally items cannot be donated after 2 years passed the best by or use by date. These past date items must be in good clean condition with no visible separation, spoilage or freezer burn. Exceptions to this rule are;
    1. Baby food cannot be past its due date. 
    2. Meat, eggs, dairy or any prepared foods must be within three days of its best by date. 
  3. Health and beauty items, cleaning supplies, and food must be unopened.
  4. All food donations, especially homegrown or processed foods, must be labeled with an explanation of what the donation is and what allergens it may contain.

Donation Procedure:

Donations can be brought to the pantry at all times of day, but depending on whether volunteers or staff are at the pantry changes where to put donations. If you come to the front door and it is unlocked, feel free to come inside and see if someone is available to receive donations. We generally have someone in the building 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Monday-Wednesday, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM Thursdays, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on Fridays, and 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM on Saturdays. If you would like to check if someone is in the building to receive donations, feel free to call at 812-606-1524. For nonperishable food and clothing donations, we have two sheds in the back of our building, across from the purple walk-in freezer, that you can access to place donations into. If someone is not in the building to receive donations, feel free to place donated items into these sheds.