Communicate Clearly

• Educate everyone about the impact of hunger in our community.
  If people understand the importance of food drives, they will be more motivated to give. Many food shelves receive donations during year-end holiday times, but usually need donations year-round—especially during spring and summer months.
• Set a goal.
  If this is the first time you have held a food drive, pick a goal that is both challenging and achievable. If you have sponsored food drives previously, consider increasing your goal this year. Be sure to post information about the food drive in a prominent location and report daily contributions towards reaching your goal
• Pick a theme or catchy slogan.
  A local company used the theme "Empty carts mean empty stomachs. Fill 'er up." They developed a simple logo with a grocery cart to use on their posters and materials. Some food drives focus on special needs (e.g., items for babies or older people) or special holiday foods.
• Thank your donors.
  Communicate final results and express thanks to participants—perhaps in your employee newsletter, or on your intranet or Website.
  

Get Organized

• Find a partner.
  Choose a local food shelf or food bank for your food drive.
• Make it easy to give.
  Provide grocery bags for food donations. Offer people the option to give food items, cash or checks.
  Identify drop-off sites.  Set up a convenient drop-off site for donations at your organization—consider providing more than one site if your organization is large or has several offices. Ideally, each drop-off site should have someone who expresses a personal "thank you" to each donor.

Provide Incentives

• Organize contests
  Friendly competitions can be arranged between different departments at your organization. Offer prizes (such as coupons for free lunches or a vacation day) to the team that brings in the most donations.

Items to Collect

• Nonperishable food
  Canned vegetables, soups, stews, tuna, peanut butter, jams (no glass or breakable containers), cereal, rice, pasta and dry food mixes.
• Toiletry items
  Soap, toilet paper, tissue, shampoo, razors, shaving cream, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, bubble bath and hand/body lotion.
• Baby items
  Disposable diapers and wipes.
• Household products
  Dish soap, laundry soap, cleaning products, light bulbs and other commonly used household items.

Resources:

• United Way Caring Connection matches people to volunteer projects with United Way community partners across the nine-county metro area. Through their Web-based system, Caring Connection has hundreds of opportunities to choose from, so you can volunteer where you live or work. They can also customize projects to match your group's interest, size and availability.