I think most are thankful for whatever you can afford to give. If you feel like you can't afford to give as much as you'd like to, why not volunteer at the local food bank to help sort and pack? Even one afternoon a month is a help. And, whoever suggested pet food is right on..often people will give the "people food" to their companions because they don't have pet food for them and go without themselves. Our pantry will split up a huge bag of dog or cat kibble into smaller portions for their clients.
Bless you all for lookiing after the less fortunate among us. These days it doesn't take much to put good people into bad situations.