ACTION
• tips for running a food drive

Hold a Food Drive

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Contacting your food shelf (Find my food shelf) is the first step to holding a successful food drive. Find out the specific items that they are in need of. Being respectful of the needs of food shelf clients helps to spread good will and is part of educating the public about the changing face of hunger in Minnesota.

Find an organization to help you: There are lots of organizations which can help you in this work. Go to your place of worship, community center, or school. It can be as easy as having people bring food to an already planned event. If your organization already has the public coming for an occasion, a food drive can be added without a lot of extra work. Or kids can bring food in return for an “out of uniform” day. How about collecting dollar bills for the privilege of guessing how many jelly beans are in a jar?

Make it easy: People can donate food or money. Provide grocery bags and donation envelopes so that people can easily make a contribution.

Make it obvious: Drop-off sites need to be convenient and in plain sight. Think about having more than one drop-off site if there are multiple entrances. Also, make the site look appealing; this is something to be proud of.

Needed Items

Contact your food shelf: Each food shelf has different needs so be sure to have some of their most “needed” items on your list. For general commodities, here is a grocery list:

  • Canned Foods
    • vegetables
    • soups
    • stews
    • tuna
    • peanut butter
    • infant formula
  • Dry foods
    • cereal
    • rice
    • pasta
    • cake mixes
    • hamburger helper
  • Hygiene
    • soap
    • toilet paper
    • Kleenex
    • shampoo
    • toothbrushes
    • toothpaste
    • dental floss
    • hand lotion
    • disposable diapers and wipes
  • Cleaning products
    • dish soap
    • laundry soap
    • cleaning products
    • light bulbs