Homeless Shelter Receives Unusual Donation: $25,000 Worth of PB&J Sandwiches

Jan. 26, 2021, 3:43 p.m. ·

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Photo by Jonathan Pielmayer on Unsplash

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A homeless shelter in Lincoln is still enjoying an unusual donation that has helped buy $25,000 worth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Pastor Tom Barber is the CEO of People’s City Mission and said he was sitting in his office in late December when he got the call.

"I wondered if this was a legitimate call because I didn't know this donor and they said they wanted to give us that much peanut butter and jelly," he said. "The more he talked, I realized he was a legitimate guy and he was really trying to help out."

Barber said the donor thought of peanut butter and jelly because it was the most common sandwich that would feed the most people.

"I think his strategy is pretty good because I can tell you that peanut butter and jelly is going pretty fast," he said.

More than three hundred cases of each condiment are used for the Mission’s roughly 25,000 sack lunches each year and for other nonprofits in the city. Barber said the nonprofit world needs more innovation and creativity.

"This is just one example of how doing something kind of out of the box can make a huge difference and we need more of that," he said.

Barber said the donor hopes to replenish the condiments once they run out.