Article content

COMMENT

It’s been two years since the Post published the above video, which has subsequently been seen millions of times around the world. Thousands of good people have heard my call to put down the can and pick up the credit card, all in the service of the noble cause of charitable efficiency. I now post it again, and urge you to join them.One day soon, we may reach a utopia in which every office canned goods hamper is bare, and every food bank purchasing account is full.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or I'm begging you: Stop donating canned goods to food banks Back to video

It’s one of the most cherished practices of the holiday season, and it may also be unwittingly robbing resources from some of our most important charities.

You’ve seen it at the office. You’ve seen it at the library. You’ve seen it at your kids’ Christmas recital. You’ve seen it championed by police, firefighters and municipal officials.

I’m talking, of course, about donating canned goods to holiday food drives.

Now don’t get me wrong. Donating to charity is a good thing, particularly during the holidays, when many charities budget for yuletide donations. But, the simple rules of economics are begging you: Give money to food banks, rather than food.

Canned goods have a particularly low rate of charitable return. They’re heavy, they’re awkward and they can be extremely difficult to fit into a family’s meal plan. Worst of all, the average consumer is buying their canned goods at four to five times the rock-bottom bulk price that can be obtained by the food bank itself.