Pack Emergency Food Bags

When hungry people come to Hope Clinic,
we never want to send them away empty-handed.

But, due to the significant rise in hunger in our community since 2020, it can sometimes be weeks before a pantry appointment opens up. To avoid sending anyone away empty-handed, we offer no-appointment groceries at the Farm Stand, and offer pre-packed Emergency Food Bags.

Here’s how your community can support hungry neighbors
by packing and donating Emergency Food Bags:

  1. Choose an emergency bag type

    • Standard — Shelf-stable items like soup, milk, PB&J.

    • No Tools — Shelf-stable Food items that don’t require a can opener, microwave, hot water, etc. Many of our unhoused neighbors do not have access to these food preparation tools. You can include items like pop-top ravioli that would be nice heated, but are still edible and safe unheated.

    • Vegetarian — Shelf-stable food items containing meat-free items only.

  2. Shop for items

    • Take a grocery store trip and pick up items that correspond to the bag type you’ve chosen.

    • Make sure to also grab paper shopping bags! (standard grocery-sized paper sack)

  3. Pack bags

    • Pack each sack with a diverse mix of items. Hungry folks take one bag each, so divide items up accordingly.

  4. Label bags

    • Standard — No label needed

    • No Tools — Please write “no tools” in large, visible letters on the outside of each bag.

    • Vegetarian — Please write a “V,” “Veg,” or “Vegetarian” in large, visible letters on the outside of each bag.

  5. Drop off at Hope Clinic (see the “donating stuff” page for preferred donation hours)

  6. Bonus: snap a few photos while you work, or when you drop off! Send them to us and we’ll shout you out in our newsletter!

Thank you!

Betsy King-McDonald