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Food Drive Tips

Food Drive Tips ...... Virtual Food Drive ...... Good Times to Host a Food Drive
Take Hunger Personally ... Food Drive Incentives ... Sample Flyer

Second Harvest Food Bank appreciates your efforts to raise needed food. Here are hints others find helpful in their food drives:

Select a drive date: give yourself at least two weeks planning time and then two to three weeks for promotion of the drive prior to distribution of collection bags at the start of the drive.

Get others on the team - name several coordinators from student or employee groups, departments or branches. What about setting up competitions between branches, departments or groups?

Set goals (defined by number of pounds or meals provided) for your company's drive.

Pick locations for collection sites of the donation box or receptacle. Good spots are across from elevators, near time clocks, student or employee entrances or lunchrooms.

Make certain that you have enough receptacles from the Second Harvest Food Bank, or if you have elected to design your own receptacle, order enough boxes for your collection areas to avoid overflow.

Consider targeting a certain item for your drive, then you can develop a theme. For example, how about a "PEANUT BUTTER JAM?" We especially need protein items like tuna, canned meats, and peanut butter. We also frequently run low on soups with veggies and meat, canned fruit, canned apple and orange juice and pork and beans. Remember that each flyer or bag you will distribute will list the most needed products.

PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE! Talk the drive up. Let everyone know drive dates and how to participate. Then, share Second Harvest Food Bank information and statistics concerning hunger with all participants.

REMIND, REMIND, REMIND! Keep the drive in front of everyone at all times. Put up posters and fliers. Stuff paychecks with reminders. Write about the drive in your newsletter. Do anything you can to make it fun for you and your participants.

When you finish your drive, deliver your donation to Second Harvest Food Bank. We'll weigh it and provide you a count for publicity. (This is a good time to take pictures and give your employees an opportunity to view our facilities.) If you cannot deliver the food, call us and we'll arrange a pickup.

Speaking of publicity, thank everyone involved for doing a good job, let them know they count and how much they contributed.

If you'd like to host a Food Drive, contact Second Harvest's Community Relations Manager at 504-729-2820 / ext. 820.