If you’ve got extra food crowding your pantry, you might be looking for a way to offload it to a worthy cause.
Whether you’re moving house, doing some spring cleaning, or looking for a way to help end food insecurity in your community, you’ve likely turned to Google to find the “best canned food donation centers near me” or something like that.
In your search, you might have discovered that many food banks and donation centers have phased out the idea of donating canned food in favor of accepting cash. To avoid wasting more of your valuable time, check out this list of the top places to donate canned food in your area.
If you’ve got a stockpile of canned and non-perishable food items that you’d like to donate to a good cause, the first step is finding a charity that accepts this item. A food bank is a logical choice, and we’ve got some other options, too! Browse the list below to see our top picks.
You’re a busy person, and sometimes the idea of going out of your way to drop food off at a local charity is tough to fit into a packed schedule. We get it! That’s where Easy Donation PickUp comes in.
When choosing this organization, you don’t have to go out of your way to drop off the items. Easy Donation Pickup will come to you. Save time and schedule online. You can schedule pickups for most parts of Los Angeles and Orange County.
With a vast network of 200-plus food banks and approximately 60,000 food pantries across the nation, Feeding America helps millions of people each year. In California, there are currently 18 food banks to choose from.
You can find a local food bank by entering your state and zip code here.
According to this food bank’s website, 20% of Los Angelenos face food insecurity, and this organization is on a mission to reduce that number to 0. The food bank has temporarily paused on canned food donations from individuals, but they’ve provided a list of local Los Angeles-area partners that are currently accepting donations.
To find the best food bank to donate food near you, head on over to this directory. Enter your location and select a radius of up to 15 miles.
Based in Orange County, Community Action Partnership accepts weekly food donations from 8 am until 3:30 pm. Make sure you park at the back of the building. Like many food banks on our list, CAP OC prefers monetary donations, but canned food donations are also welcome.
You might be surprised to discover some rules about what you can donate, so we’ve included a list of in-demand items that are always welcome.
We all want to be good citizens and do some good with the items we’re donating. Here are some guidelines to follow:
Don’t worry, though. Just because you can’t donate fresh food doesn’t mean that hungry families don’t have access to these items through a food bank. Food banks often coordinate with suppliers such as farmers, restaurants, and retailers to source these items.
In addition to adhering to best practices such as abstaining from donating perishable items, leftovers, or homemade items, you should also avoid donating anything that’s expired. Food banks will most likely check an expiration date before giving it to a family in need, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. As a general rule, if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t donate it.
The short answer is yes. However, there are some rules you must follow to write off the value of your canned food donation on your tax return. The first thing you’ll want to confirm is that the place you’re donating to is a tax-exempt organization. The IRS has a list of organizations on its website, which you can access using the Exempt Organization Search Tool.
You should be aware that not all tax-exempt non-profits will appear on the list. For example, any non-profit that is already tax-exempt will have an application on file. This includes churches, mosques, synagogues, and government agencies.
Now comes the tricky part. How much can you deduct from your taxes? There are a couple of rules to keep in mind:
With nearly 4% of U.S. households experiencing food security, donating food is more important than ever. Sadly, many of the most vulnerable are children.
If you’ve got extra food in your kitchen that you’d like to rehome to a family in need, Easy Donation PickUp can help. In addition to accepting food donations, we can also take other items off your hands, including small furniture. Your donations help America’s veterans.
Contact us to learn more or schedule a pickup.