Can You Freeze Cheese, Milk and Meat From the Food Bank?

Quick answer: Yes, you can freeze cheese. Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan keep their best quality for about six months in the freezer.¹ They can turn crumbly, so frozen cheese works best melted or cooked.² Milk keeps about three months frozen and bread about three months, but cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta don't freeze well.¹³² To find pantries that hand out frozen items, browse food pantries with frozen foods.

Those are foods a food bank is likely to give you. USDA's current list for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) includes 1-pound chunks of cheddar, gallons of milk, frozen chicken and sliced deli turkey.⁴

Can you freeze cheese?

Yes. Hard and semi-hard cheese can be frozen in pieces of 1/2 to 1 pound, wrapped so air can't get in.²⁵ It may turn crumbly and mealy, but it keeps its flavor.² Previously frozen cheese works best for cooking.⁵ Melt it into grilled cheese, casseroles or sauces.

The cheeses that freeze best include cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, provolone, Parmesan, Muenster and Edam.⁵ Hard cheese keeps its best quality about six months in the freezer.²

How to freeze a block of cheese

1. Cut big blocks into pieces of 1/2 to 1 pound.⁵
2. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap, then put it in a freezer bag.⁵
3. Freeze bags of shredded cheese in their original package.⁵

What cheese should you not freeze?

Cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta don't freeze well.² USDA adds processed cheese slices to that list.¹ Freezing doesn't make these foods unsafe. It hurts their texture, and USDA notes that being able to freeze a food and liking it after thawing are two different things.⁶

Can you freeze cream cheese?

Not for spreading. Cream cheese doesn't freeze well on its own, but mixed with heavy cream it can be frozen for dips or icing.²

How do you defrost frozen cheese?

Thaw it in the refrigerator, never on the counter.⁶ Give shredded cheese at least 24 to 48 hours so the moisture goes back into the cheese, then use it as quickly as you can.⁵

Can you freeze milk?

Yes. USDA says milk can be frozen for about three months.¹ Nebraska Extension suggests using it within a month for the best quality.⁵

Freeze milk in small containers, not a full gallon jug, and leave space at the top because milk expands as it freezes.⁵ Thaw it in the refrigerator, then shake or stir it, since the fat can separate.⁵ Thawed milk can be a little grainy. It works best in cooking, but you may find it fine to drink.⁵

Does freezing milk stop it from going bad?

It pauses spoilage but doesn't kill germs. At 0°F, bacteria, yeasts and molds go dormant, and they become active again once the food thaws.⁶ So treat thawed milk like fresh milk and keep it cold. Freeze milk you won't use soon right away, because food frozen at peak quality tastes better after thawing.⁶

Can you freeze yogurt, butter or sour cream?

Yogurt keeps one to two months frozen.¹ Butter keeps six to nine months if you wrap it tightly in foil or freezer paper, or seal it in a freezer container.⁷ Sour cream doesn't freeze well.¹

Freezer food storage chart for food bank staples

These times are for best quality. Food kept at 0°F or colder stays safe indefinitely; it just slowly loses flavor and texture.⁸⁶

Food	Freezer time (best quality)
Hard cheese (cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan)	6 months1
Milk	About 3 months1
Yogurt	1 to 2 months1
Butter	6 to 9 months7
Bread	3 months3
Raw eggs, out of the shell	12 months8
Ground beef or other ground meat	3 to 4 months8
Chicken or turkey pieces	9 months8
Whole chicken or turkey	1 year8
Steaks, chops and roasts	4 to 12 months8
Fresh ham, uncooked	6 months8
Cooked ham, store-wrapped	1 to 2 months8
Lunch meat and hot dogs	1 to 2 months8
Bacon	1 month8
Lean fish (cod, haddock)	6 to 8 months8
Pollock	4 to 8 months8
Fatty fish (catfish, salmon)	2 to 3 months8
Shrimp	6 to 18 months8
Fruits and vegetables	8 to 12 months9
Soups and stews	2 to 3 months8
Cooked meat or poultry leftovers	2 to 6 months8

Source: FoodSafety.gov cold food storage chart, USDA Ask FSIS and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP), read Oct. 26, 2026.

How long does meat last in the freezer?

It depends on the cut. Ground meat keeps its quality three to four months, chicken pieces nine months and a whole chicken a year.⁸ Raw meat holds its quality longer than cooked meat, because cooking removes moisture.⁶

Food banks often hand meat out frozen. TEFAP's list includes frozen ground beef, chicken drumsticks and breasts, whole chickens, pork chops, ham, fish fillets and sliced deli turkey.⁴ Move them to your freezer as soon as you get home.

Store wrapping is safe in the freezer but lets air in, so add a freezer bag for long storage.⁶

How to freeze food from the food bank

1. Get cold food home fast. Don't refreeze food that sat out of the fridge more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.⁶
2. Freeze it the same day. Food frozen at peak quality tastes better after thawing.⁶
3. Split it into meal-size portions. Cut cheese into 1/2- to 1-pound pieces and pour milk into small containers.⁵
4. Wrap it airtight. Use bags, wraps or rigid containers made for freezing.⁹
5. Leave headspace. Leave room at the top of containers so food can expand without breaking the seal.⁹
6. Label and date it. Write the food and the date on each package, then use the oldest first.⁹
7. Spread packages out. Lay new packages in one layer and stack them only once they're frozen solid.⁶ Keep the freezer at 0°F or below and check it with an appliance thermometer.⁶

Can you refreeze thawed meat?

Yes, if it thawed in the refrigerator. USDA says food thawed in the fridge can be refrozen without cooking, though it may lose some quality.⁶ Meat thawed in cold water or the microwave should be cooked right away. Once it's cooked, you can freeze it.⁶

If pantry meat is still partly frozen when you get home, FoodSafety.gov says food that still has ice crystals, or is at 40°F or below, can be refrozen.¹⁰ Throw out meat that has been above 40°F for more than 2 hours.¹⁰

How do you thaw frozen food safely?

There are three safe ways: in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave.⁶ In the fridge, small items thaw overnight and most foods take a day or two.⁶ For cold water, seal the food in a leak-proof bag and change the water every 30 minutes.⁶ You can also cook meat straight from frozen. It takes about one and a half times as long.⁶

Which foods can you not freeze?

You can freeze almost any food. USDA's exceptions are canned food in the can and eggs in the shell.⁶ Some foods are safe frozen but come out poorly, like mayonnaise, cream sauce and lettuce.⁶ Others on the "doesn't freeze well" or "do not freeze" lists:

• Cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta²
• Sour cream and processed cheese slices¹
• Hard-cooked eggs⁸
• Egg, tuna, chicken and macaroni salads⁸
• Canned ham labeled "Keep Refrigerated"⁸
• Custard pies⁸

Canned food can be frozen once it's out of the can.⁶ If a can freezes by accident and only swells, thaw it in the fridge before opening. Throw it out, without tasting, if it looks or smells wrong.⁶

Can you freeze eggs?

Not in the shell. Beat the yolks and whites together, then freeze them. Raw eggs out of the shell keep 12 months.⁸ If an egg freezes by accident and the shell cracks, throw it out. Uncracked ones can be thawed in the fridge and hard cooked.⁶

Can you freeze bread?

Yes. Store-bought bread keeps its quality for three months in the freezer, compared with two to four days at room temperature.³ TEFAP's list also includes frozen whole grain tortillas.⁴

Can you freeze fresh produce?

Yes. Most fruits and vegetables keep 8 to 12 months at 0°F.⁹ Blanch most vegetables first by heating them briefly in boiling water, then cooling them fast. This stops the enzymes that cause flavor and color loss.⁶⁹

Is freezer-burned food safe to eat?

Yes. Freezer burn shows up as grayish-brown, leathery spots where air touched the food. It makes the food dry, not unsafe.⁶ Cut those spots away before or after cooking.⁶

How long does a freezer keep food safe without power?

About 48 hours if it's full and 24 hours if it's half full, as long as the door stays closed.¹⁰ Food that still has ice crystals, or is at 40°F or below, can be refrozen.¹⁰ Hard cheese, bread and rolls can be refrozen even after more than 2 hours above 40°F, but meat, milk and shredded cheese must be thrown out.¹⁰ Never taste food to decide if it's safe.¹⁰

How many food pantries give out frozen food?

In PantryPath's directory, 5,338 of 7,566 confirmed listings say what they hand out. Of those, 1,907 list meat and poultry, 1,702 list dairy, 1,439 list bread and bakery items and 709 list frozen foods.¹¹ Together, 2,642 listings offer at least one of these four.¹¹

You can browse pantries with meat and poultry, dairy products or bread and bakery items. Call ahead to ask what's on hand, and bring a cooler bag if you can.

Where can you donate frozen food?

Call your food bank first. Feeding America notes that an individual usually can't donate a frozen turkey, because your food bank may not have the freezer space. Many food banks get perishables from farms, stores and restaurants instead.¹² Some do take sealed frozen items. North Carolina's environmental agency says food banks there accept sealed non-perishable, refrigerated or frozen items.¹³

Shelf-stable food is easier for most drives. See how to donate to a food bank and our non-perishable food list.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you freeze cheese?

About six months for hard cheese such as cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan.¹ It stays safe longer at 0°F, but its quality keeps dropping.⁸

Can you freeze shredded cheese?

Yes. Freeze it in its original package, then thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. Use it soon after, ideally in cooked food.⁵

Can you freeze deli meat?

Yes. Lunch meat and hot dogs keep one to two months frozen, opened or unopened.⁸ TEFAP's sliced deli turkey breast already comes frozen.⁴

Can you freeze cooked leftovers?

Yes. Freeze leftovers within 3 to 4 days.⁶ Cooked meat or poultry keeps its quality two to six months, and soups and stews two to three months.⁸

How we checked this

On Oct. 26, 2026, we read USDA and FoodSafety.gov freezing, storage and power outage guidance, plus two Ask FSIS answers.⁶⁸¹⁰¹³ We read the National Center for Home Food Preservation, Nebraska Extension and USDA's TEFAP foods list.²⁷⁹⁵⁴ For donations we read Feeding America and North Carolina's environmental agency.¹²¹³

The same day, we queried PantryPath's directory: 7,566 confirmed listings, 5,338 of which report the items they offer.¹¹ We did not freeze or taste-test any food or interview food bank staff. Freezer times are for best quality, not safety.

Next step: browse food pantries with frozen foods, or see what food pantries give you.