Canned black eyed peas - 1) many people won't eat black eyed peas, 2) they're one of the more expensive canned vegetables, and 3) they're cheaper in the dried form
Water - Excuse me, but bottled water is NOT a necessity. Turn on the tap.
Instant potatoes - A box of instant potatoes costs as much as a bag of potatoes that serves more. The article shows a picture of fresh bread and talks about turkeys and hams so it's not about shelf life so why not potatoes which have a decent shelf life.
Canned chili - Chili isn't cheap. If they're wanting a protein, there are cheaper proteins to be had.
Cake Mixes - While cheaper mixes are around a dollar a box, it's cheaper to give them the ingredients to make a cake from scratch. Sorry, but if you have to go to the food bank, you do NOT need junk food like cake.
Normally I would agree with you but some of the demand is up because the wildfires took everything some of these people had - including a tap to turn on for water or access to their well. Canned vegetables while generally more expensive than dried can be warmed up in a microwave if they are among the lucky ones, on the edge of a camp fire or eaten cold out of a can for those that don’t have a stove or a pan to cook in. Many of the people in some of these areas which were destroyed lived a meager life to begin with. I know a little compassion at Christmas for these normally totally self-sufficient people would be appreciated.
As for the rest... Most younger folks these days don't know how to/can't cook dried beans.
Canned chili, on sale, discount brands, can be a big protein/fat bang for the buck. But you have to be able to convert grams of protein/$ in your head. Our schools haven't prepared kids for that in 2 generations.
New Year's is coming up. You would be suprised at how many folks will actually eat black-eyed peas this time of year.
I did spend a lot of time as a food service professional.
/johnny