Food banks

are opening while banks are closing.
There was a "wheelie bin" in the supermarket this last week for people to put in donations for one of the Food Banks. I wish it wasn't there -  that everyone had enough to eat.
Yesterday an elderly woman stopped me and said,
    "I'm clearing out my neighbour's cupboards. Do you know who takes tinned food and biscuits?"
I have now asked the person who takes the Senior Cat to church to take it with them this morning. There are about a dozen tins there and some new soap. It's useful stuff in good condition. The tins are not dented and the jar with a "use by" date is  within date.
I know how many things given to the local charity shop have to be thrown away as unusable. It costs them to get rid of the dented, rusty tins and the clothing so worn that it cannot even be given away.
My rule is simple, "If you wouldn't give it to a friend then don't give it to charity."
I tend to wear my clothes to the point where they are fit only for the rubbish bin. That said a friend of mine did once take a pair of jeans that were no longer wearable. She cut bits out of them and other worn out jeans to make a quilt for charity. Perhaps it depends on the creativity of the friend in question?
But I know the manager of the local charity shop despairs at times. 
    "We don't get the quality we once got. People have garage sales now."  (Yard sales to my North American readers.)
I went through the Senior Cat's shirts a while back. Like me he tends to wear things until they fall to pieces. Middle Cat took two to use as rags. The rest, apart from one, I kept for now.  I gave one away. It was given to the Senior Cat by his late cousin D...  It was a very nice shirt but it wasn't right for the Senior Cat. It simply didn't fit him properly. I gave it to the charity shop where it has no doubt been snapped up by someone who needed it.
I am about to do some radical tidying up in preparation for the "invasion" of the kittens and their parents in about ten days from now. There are a couple of things lying around we don't need any more. Someone will be able to use those. I have a bag in which to pack them and deliver them to the charity shop. Someone will use them.
And I have no doubt the food will be used.
Only give that which can be used seems like a good rule.