Giving food to Feed More by starting a food drive is a great hands-on opportunity to get involved with our organization. Those donations are a critical part of how we serve our communities and play an important role in our programs and operations.
So how do you get started with your very own food drive? We’ve got you covered!
Who can start a food drive to help Feed More?
Anyone can start a food drive! From businesses to schools to groups of friends wanting to give back, we’ve had people from all facets of the community hold food drives that benefit Feed More. Many groups will continue year after year, and we love seeing them walk through the door with smiles on their faces and boxes full of food.
What do you need?
To hold a food drive that will benefit Feed More, there are a few items you’ll want to help make it a success:
- Sturdy boxes. You can provide your own boxes, or stop by the Community Donation Drop-Off door to pick up some special branded Feed More boxes. We have both large and small sizes!
- For any event you hold, good signage is key to success. That way people know exactly what and where to give. Check out Feed More’s Giving Food page for pre-made food drive signs, as well as a list of our most needed items.
- Social media and other networking sources to get the word out that you’re collecting food! Be sure to let people know where they can drop it off and the end date.
When it’s over
Once your food drive is over, pack it up and head over to Feed More at our Community Donation Drop-Off door. Our staff and volunteers will be there to help you bring in all of the amazing food you’ve collected, and they’ll weigh it right there for you! Our donation door is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
If you have an extra-large donation, weighing over 250 pounds and need transportation provided, we’re happy to send out one of our trucks to get your donations. Please contact Feed More to schedule a pick up. And don’t worry, we can still get you the weight of all your donations!
Tips and Tricks
Running a food drive is truly and fun and rewarding experience, and we’ve got a few extra tips that can help make it your best food drive ever:
- Set a goal. While everyone wants to collect as much food as possible, it can be beneficial to have an overarching goal. This can help get people’s competitive spirit going and can lead to more donations. You can set your goal in pounds, or as the number of meals you want to provide (one meal is about 1.2 pounds).
- If your food drive is through a business, getting upper management involved is a great way to increase participation. Have them send out emails encouraging employees to donate or if they’re up for it, have a donation matching program where the executives will match all donations at the end of the food drive.
- Celebrate your success! After the food drive is over, let everyone know how well it went with a celebratory lunch or coffee break. Everyone will appreciate the gesture and look forward to next year.
We hope you’ll soon consider starting a food drive of your very own!
