Host a Food Drive
Organizing your Drive:
Will your food drive be internal – just for your church, workplace, or group – or open to the public?
Decide if you want to collect a single item or a variety. Sometimes focusing on a single item, such as soup or cereal, can be effective because it removes guesswork for donors. It also helps fill a specific need in larger quantities. On the other hand, collecting a variety of items ensures a more balanced selection and allows donors to contribute based on what they already have or can easily purchase.
- 🥣 "Souper Bowl" Drive: Collect canned soups and stews leading up to the Super Bowl.
- 🥜 "PB&J Power Drive": Focus on peanut butter and jelly.
- 🍝 "Pasta Party Drive": Collect pasta, rice, and sauces.
- 🌽 "Fill the Pantry" Drive: Focus on staple foods like canned vegetables, beans, and grains.
- 🍎 "Healthy Start Drive": Gather nutritious options like oatmeal and dried fruit.
- 🍽️ "Holiday Meal Drive": Collect stuffing, mashed potatoes, and canned goods for seasonal meals.
A shorter, focused collection period (such as one to two weeks) can create urgency and increase participation.
Choose a visible and convenient location where donors can easily drop off items.
- Near entrances 🚪
- Break rooms or cafeterias ☕
- Church lobbies ⛪
Use social media, email, flyers, and word-of-mouth to spread the word.
- Post a daily countdown reminder.
- Have volunteers share updates.
- Place clear signage near donation bins.
Once your food drive is complete, bring the collected items to Christ’s Loving Hands. If you have a large donation, call ahead to arrange a drop-off time.
All donations are appreciated, but some items are more useful than others. Below is our current list of what’s most needed — and what we do not need at this time.
- Instant potato packets
- Manwich
- Diced tomatoes
- Hamburger Helper
- Rice-A-Roni & Pasta Roni
- Baked beans
- Ramen noodles
- Beef stew
- Canned meats (other than tuna/salmon)
- Canned beans (kidney, pinto, northern — NOT garbanzo)
- Canned vegetables (peas, potatoes, carrots, some beets or spinach)
- Canned fruit
- Cream of chicken soup
- Soups
- Corn
- Green beans
- Yams
- Cranberry sauce
- Black beans
- Oatmeal
- Stuffing
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Tuna & salmon