“What we are really good at doing here is making sure that folks have the food that they need to stabilize their lives and put dinner on the table every single night,” said Lee Lauren Truesdale, chief development officer at the Foodbank Inc. in Dayton.
People who need help should still seek out emergency food assistance, Truesdale said. When it comes to budgeting, she recommended prioritizing rent and mortgage payments and then seeking out emergency food assistance through the food pantries that the Foodbank supports.
“If you’re struggling to pay your rent because you’re trying to buy food, it’s sometimes easier to access emergency food assistance than it is to get rent assistance,” Truesdale said.
Consumers can plan what they’re going to buy at the store around the emergency assistance they receive.
| Types of dates | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sell by (example date) 3/15/25 or enjoy by 3/15/25 | This is a freshness date. Food is freshest by the date on the label, but still safe to after that date. Examples are milk (up to one week after the sell by date) and eggs (three to five weeks after the sell by date) |
| Best by 3/15/25 or best if used by 3/15/25 | This is a quality date. Food has the best quality if eaten by the listed "best by" or "best if used by" date. You can eat acidic canned foods 12-18 months after this date. You can eat non-acidic canned foods up to two to five years after this date. Examples are canned soup or vegetables. |
| EXP 3/15/25 or use by 3/15/25 | This is a true expiration date. After the expiration date, the food is not safe to eat and must be thrown away. Examples are baby food and infant formula. |
| 3/15/25 or 3 15 25 | This is a manufacturing date. It is not an expiration date. Treat this as a "best by" date and follow the appropriate above guidelines for the product. |
| A series of numbers and letters, such as: W15KA253XJ | This is a packing code. It is used only by the manufacturer. It is not an expiration date. Use the above guidelines for the product. |
“Once you visit a food bank or a food pantry and receive products and those staples from those distributions, then using the funds that you might have available on your SNAP card and/or from a job that you might have, use those funds to purchase other items at the grocery store to create a whole and complete meal,” Truesdale said.
The Foodbank Inc. and the food pantries it supports focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy products, and other items that may be more expensive, she said.
“Receive those items from a food bank or a food pantry and then using your funds to buy shelf-stable canned goods, maybe some spices, flour, sugar, and other items that you’re going to find less likely at a food bank or a local food pantry is a really great way to stretch your food budget,” Truesdale said.
There are also ways to stretch your food budgets and make your food last longer:
- Blemished or sprouted produce may still be safe to eat. The website eatortoss.com provides a comprehensive guide with pictures.
- USDA provides tips on how best to store your produce at fns.usda.gov/fs/produce-safety/storage.
- If you have a smart phone, SuperCook is a free app that generates recipe ideas based on ingredient lists.
- Freeze your leftovers by portioning out leftovers into individual servings and freeze them for a later date.
- Use social media or AI to cook on a budget. Such as, search for “3-ingredient” or “5-ingredient” meals to reduce costs or ask ChatGPT to generate a meal plan on a budget.
- Dollar Tree Dinners on YouTube at youtube.com/c/DollarTreeDinners shows how to create full meals using ingredients from dollar stores, which are a good source for people living in food deserts.
Find more information on accessing emergency food assistance at thefoodbankdayton.org.
| Time | Products |
|---|---|
| No grace period | Medical products, baby products |
| 2 weeks to 3 months (if frozen) | Refridgerated dairy, such as yogurt, sour cream, cheese |
| 1 month | Processed refrigerated food |
| 3 months | Baked goods, including bread, if the goods are frozen; Milk, if frozen |
| 6 months | Drinks (not water), including powdered drinks |
| 1 year | Baking ingrediants like flour; Cereals and breakfast items; Condiments; Healthy snacks, such as crackers, nuts, granola bars, etc.; Frozen products, includes meat |
| 2 years | Water, including flavored, sparkling, coconut; Peanut butters; Soup, such as broth or ramen |
| 3 years | Rice and pasta |
| 5 years | Canned items (non-perishable foods) |
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