Why Participate in a Food Drive?
Unfortunately, requests for food from the Food Bank
consistently exceed our supply. Food drives are
an important source of a wide variety of non-perishable
items.
Food drives are also a great way to boost morale
and teamwork in any organization. They are an easy
community project to undertake, and they can truly
make a difference in helping your neighbors in need.
Organizing your Food Drive
A successful food drive requires both good organization
and promotion. It is helpful to establish a team
to plan the details - theme, dates, logistics.
Select a theme that is relevant to the interests
of
community members and touches peoples’
feelings about the need. Examples include a Peanut
Butter Drive, Diapers for Babies, 5-A-Day
Canned Fruits and Vegetables.
If possible, kick off your food drive with an event
to
raise awareness and generate enthusiasm.
Set a goal for your food drive - how many pounds
of food or number of filled barrels do you want
to
collect?
Make sure collection sites are convenient and
visible. They can serve as continuing publicity
for
your campaign.
Use flyers, posters or e-mail to raise community
awareness about hunger and your food drive.
Remember to acknowledge contributions.
Appreciation can be expressed in a number of
ways - breakfast or luncheon to recognize
participants for their efforts, prizes, gag gifts,
jeans
day, hours off for winners.
Incentives and competition between groups of
participants can improve results and add interest.
