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Where to donate extra storm supplies

In retrospect, the all-spam survival kit may not have guaranteed survival

Facing the apocalypse, Chef Boyardee seemed like a good idea. Now that it turns out we’re mostly going to make it after all, that $200 hoard of canned spaghetti is looking like a poor use of shelf space. You could sit around eating it for the next year, or you could consider donating those extra Irene supplies to any of the New York City charities that are always in need of help. Here’s a quick rundown of where you can pass on your stockpiles:

FOOD
Food Bank For New York City has drop-off locations all over the borough — just enter your zip code into their Food Program Locator to find the donation dates and times for the outlet nearest you). They take plastic and cans only — if you have extra glass jars of gourmet olives, you’re going to have to figure that one out on your own.

For excess fresh stuff, try St. Joseph House/Catholic Worker (36 E1st St. in Manhattan): according to one Twitter tip, they’re accepting perishables.

Less formal food drives are popping up, too. The band Lion of Ido tweeted that they’ll be collectting canned/dry goods at their 9/7 show at Mercury Lounge.

PET SUPPLIES
New York Animal Care and Control is happy to take excess pet food off your hands (also: towels, blankets, toys). Just drop it by one of their shelters (326 E110th St in East Harlem or 2336 Linden Boulevard in East New York).

BATTERIES
And if you’ve found yourself with more batteries than you can use in a lifetime — or at least, before they expire —consider parting with some of your stash. The AARP’s toy donation program is always in need of spares, says the Village Voice, since a lot of the toys they give to sick kids are battery-operated. Email Createthegood@aarp.org for donation details.

What donation sites did we miss? Tell us in the comments! 

Rachel Sugar :

View Comments (4)

  • Animal Haven (251 Centre St. in Manhattan) always welcomes donations! You can reach them at 212-274-8511.

  • Great item. CAMBA's emergency food pantry in Flatbush (2241 Church Ave.) is also always looking for donations. Call CAMBA at 718-287-2600.

  • Frankly you should keep the cans.

    If there is an actual disaster in New York (earthquake, nuclear disaster, another hurricane, power outage...), most of are now accidentally prepared in a way we weren't last week. Millions of people without food and water stuck on these islands in a real disaster is an ugly scenario. Everyone should be prepared.