How to Host a Food Drive!

A food drive is a great way to get a large group of people involved in serving others, and provides a diverse selection of food items to food-insecure community members. The food pantry at Hope is a pantry of choice. This means that clients are able to pick out the things they want to bring home to their family. This fits our mission of treating all people with dignity - empowering them to make decisions based on their needs and tastes.

Hope accepts all unexpired, shelf-stable food items:

· Canned goods (i.e. soup, vegetables, fruit, meat)

· Dry goods (cereal, pasta, baking mixes, snacks)

· Condiments (salad dressing, nut butter, spices, sauces)

· Non-food groceries (dish soap, hygiene products, laundry detergent, and paper goods)

We ask people to donate items of the same quality that they would purchase for their own family. Getting the nice, brand-name cereals or the organic mac & cheese is a symbol of value and shows our clients that we believe they should get the very best.

Step 1: Determine the scope of your food drive

There are a lot of different styles of food drive.

Determine if your group/family/church/school is only asking its members to contribute items, or if you are asking everyone to reach out into their larger networks to solicit donations.

If you are just asking members to bring in items, designate a time period and location where they can drop things off. If you plan to ask neighbors and friends to contribute, communicate how this will work. You can pass out flyers in a neighborhood providing a date that people can leave donations on their porch. You can offer to have people call you to arrange pick-up of their donation. Etc.

Step 2: Promote!

Flyers are a great way to share information about a food drive. The flyer should have information like when and where to drop-off donations, what kinds of items are needed, and of course, information about Hope so that people know who they are supporting. You can find a sample flyer HERE. You can also share this information over social media, by email or in newsletters or other announcements. Be clear about the time-frame and location information.

Step 3: Collect Items

Consider setting a goal to motivate the group! As food drive members collect items from neighbors, go on shopping trips or drop off items, encourage them to share pictures and talk to others about why this is important to them, and check-in with each other about how much they’ve gathered.

Make sure to store food safely! Food should always be stored six (6) inches off the ground, so be sure to have a table that people can leave things on or an empty box that you can place underneath. Avoid packing cleaners in the same container as food items, in case of a spill.

You may have people dropping off items over the course of a week, or all in one day. If you it an extended period of time, make sure to have a point person who regularly checks on donations to make sure receptacles aren’t overflowing and food is stored safely.

Step 4: Deliver to Hope

Make a plan to bring your donations to Hope. We prefer that donations be dropped off Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday between 8:30am and 4:00pm. If you are unable to drop off within our preferred hours, we will still accept donations during any of our open hours, but we have fewer volunteers to help process and shelve them.

If it will be more than 4-5 boxes, contact Hope in advance by calling 734-484-2989 so that we’ll be ready with several carts when you arrive. We may also ask if we can take pictures and share you drive with other supports on social media or in our newsletter.

Thank you for making lives better!