How to Conduct a Successful Food Drive

Transcription

1 How to Conduct a Successful Food Drive Contact Catholic Charities: Call (703) or sodwyer@ccda.net and staff will offer enthusiastic support. FAX to (703) your Participant Form or it to the address above. If you wish to have a speaker talk to your group, just ask and we ll be glad to come out. Set the dates: Allow enough time to prepare and get the word out. 3 weeks is a good amount of time. Provide a second reminder as the date becomes closer. Provide a final reminder as the ending date approaches for last minute donors. Set a Goal: Decide how much food you would like to collect. Consider how many donors do you have and how much can you expect to collect from your donors. Recommendation: 1 food item for every prospective donor. Select a Collection Site: The site should be convenient, well travelled and highly visible. Let people drop off at convenient times and provide labeled boxes. Small to medium sized boxes work best as they can be heavy when full. Decorate with festive wrap and post flyers. Advertise: Be creative! Let everyone know what you are doing. Hand out flyers with the kinds of food items needed. Use , posters, fliers, regular mail, paycheck stuffers, newsletters, websites, and newspaper announcements. Create a theme. Deliver the food. Your contribution should be delivered to the Christ House Food Pantry located at 131 West Street, in Old Town Alexandria. Call Catholic Charities to arrange for a pick up for large collections (703) More Ideas. Give prizes for most food collected. Conduct a neighborhood food drive (see Neighborhood Food Drive flyer). Designate a company day to bring in food for the drive. Allow casual dress for a day for those who brings food. Hold an event/party where the cost of admission is food. Hold a dinner party where admission is a bag of food. Provide donors with bags for food. Tour Christ House and volunteer at the Food Pantry or Thrift Shop. Celebrate Announce your success and thank participants. Know that you have made a difference. Discuss lessons learned and best practices. Schedule your next food drive for the coming year. Let Catholic Charities know when you will be back.

2 Catholic Charities Food Drive Shopping List No Glass Items Please FOOD Canned Meat and Tuna Soups Peanut Butter and Jelly Rice Pasta Beans Canned vegetables Pasta Sauce Cereals, hot and cold Canned fruit Juice Baby food PERSONAL CARE Toothpaste/Toothbrushes Shampoo Bar Soap Deodorant Diapers and Wipes Laundry Items Shaving Items Feminine Care Items Toilet Paper MONETARY DONATIONS We always appreciate grocery store gift cards or cash! All funds will be used to purchase food for those in need

3 CHRIST HOUSE FOOD PANTRY 131 South West Street Alexandria, VA (703) The Food Pantry is one of many programs run by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. The mission of Catholic Charities is to strengthen individuals, families and communities. Catholic Charities extends its services to all those in need. Our Food Pantry is situated in a large basement of the Christ House Shelter in Old Town, Alexandria. The food stored at the pantry is donated by groups and individuals, such as you. This food is then distributed to those in need, which include seniors, the homeless, single parents and families struggling to make ends meet. A recent study by the Food Security Institute, Center on Hunger and Poverty found that 594,000 people in Virginia are considered food insecure. Further, another 121,000 are considered food insecure with hunger. Catholic Charities delivers food throughout Northern Virginia and the surrounding 22 counties. Our program, Christ House on Wheels, includes a cargo van that is driven by volunteers who deliver food wherever most needed. In the past several months, we have made trips to the rural counties of Orange, Culpepper and Madison to deliver this much needed food.

4 (Name of Group Hosting Food) FOOD DRIVE TO HELP OUR NEIGHBORS WHO ARE HUNGRY Please bring your Non-perishable food items to (Location of Your Food Drive) (Dates of Your Food Drive) Food will be donated to Catholic Charities 200 N. Glebe Road, Suite 506 Arlington VA (703)

5 Bringing Food to Christ House Please bring your food donations to Catholic Charities Christ House located at: 131 South West St. Alexandria, VA (703) The Food Pantry is located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, VA. Take King St. (the main street in Old Town) to South West Street. There is a Loading Zone directly in front of Christ House. Christ House is a large, yellow brick building standing on the corner of South West Street and Prince Street. You can t miss us! If you get lost, call us at (703) *Remember to call to let us know when you are dropping off your food donations! HOURS: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM 4:00 PM Saturday, 9:00 AM 4:00 PM Thank you very much for helping Christ House help hungry families throughout the Arlington Diocese.