This is an interesting read: in a nutshell, the homeless mom really wants fresh produce, but the shelter she's at doesn't welcome perishable foods. She gets some anyway, and the cost of good, fresh food is far greater than the boxed garbagey foods.

PS: It was really an eye-opening experience for me some years back to be able to organize getting fresh organic produce to some shelters around the country while also running some food drives; most soup kitchens and shelters have only non-perishable foods all the time. Those come in handy, but people need real food too.

http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/what-i-learned-after-taking-a-homeless-mother-grocery-shopping/?fb_action_ids=10205231610208418&fb_action_types=og.shares

this is an excellent idea