How to Organize a Food Drive

Organizing a food drive is a good way to contribute to the fight against hunger. A successful food drive can feed hundreds or thousands of people in need. If your organization wishes to hold a food drive, the following suggestions will make it run smoothly.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Contact a local food bank. The food bank can let you know what items they are in desperate need of and will allow you to drop off the contributions to their facility for distribution.

2. Organize a committee of volunteers. Get several members of your organization to help with the collection and in getting the word out that you are having a food drive.

3. Make containers for collecting the food donations. You need to find designated areas for people to drop off the donated goods. The display should be in a well lit area and clearly marked.

4. Advertise your food drive. Create posters that volunteers can hang up and provide a mass e-mail that they can forward to family and friends.

5. Set a goal for the food drive. Let community members know your goal and push everyone to try and meet it. Reward volunteers and/or donors with a breakfast or luncheon.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have the money to thank everyone with a breakfast or luncheon, thank them in some other way. You might consider honoring them in your organization's newsletter.
• You should always have an closing date for your food drive. Many successful food drives last for at least two weeks.