Northwest Harvest not only "isn't the only food bank out there", they're not a food bank at all. They're a food distributor, who serve food banks -- all of them, as far as I know, though I'm probably missing a lot of little local church ops and stuff. 325 of them, though.

Your biggest bang for the buck is money, not food, though. NW Harvest and local food banks know exactly what kinds of food they need and can usually get it donated in bulk, or pay wholesale prices. Can drives and the like are actually kind of a pain in the ass for food banks, as it's usually not the healthiest or culturally-appropriate stuff, and it's just plain inefficient.

Give money.

@1, you are correct. I will fix!

I work at a food bank and I can say with 100% confidence that food drives are not a pain in the ass at all and we really really appreciate them. So keep them coming!

I'll bet a lot of these people going to the food bank are working people--with jobs that pay so little that they've got to go to the food bank lest they'll starve. After all, some of us tell those so-called lazy people to get off unemployment and get work; well news for for some of you; Just because you're working doesn't mean you eat well.

Cienna -- I'd edit it to reflect the money issue more strongly, too. Fnarf's got it exactly right: your $1 cash donation will typically provide more food than your $1 in canned goods.

@4: I've seen those studies, too, but I always wondered if they controlled for the fact that not all "charitable" donations to churches actually go to help poor people. Multi-million-dollar megachapels with theater lighting systems and helicopter landing pads don't come free!

Scarecrow Video is a year-round drop-off point for Northwest Harvest. If you bring in a food or cash donation, we'll give you a 2 for 1 rental coupon.

Every jackass who wants a new Seattle stadium for b-ball and/or hockey (a buttload), who isn't willing to do the work (a lot) to make sure not one dime of taxpayer money or lost opportunity goes to such an outrage, should load a grocery cart with food or a satchel with money and deliver it to your local foodbank forthwith.

:)

I'm not buying the "conservatives donate more than liberals" hype, especially not without a verifiable link to something other than the fact free Fox news, or a billionare boondoggle "think tank."

And especially since the blue, liberal states are forced to support the red, "conservative" states, who apparently can't make it on their own:
http://scatter.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/…

We're paying our taxes to support those welfare queen "conservatives," so liberal pockets are already being picked to support the ungrateful bastards.

Looks like the "conservatives" can afford to donate to charity, because the liberal states are paying their bills.

What welfare queens!

Also: so-called "conservatives" (who conserve nothing in actuality) are always whining about not being "forced" to pay taxes to help others.

As per usual "conservatives" are projecting their own sins: the blue, liberal states are forced to pay taxes to support the racist, bigots whose policies and people drive their states into poverty.

What welfare queens!

I'd be very interested to see how much conservatives would donate if the government eliminated the charity tax deduction.