Hosting a non-perishable food drive to benefit a local food pantry is fun and easy, and this post will help make your food drive MORE SUCCESSFUL and even EASIER!

So, you want to host a food drive…

1. Who: Decide which sphere(s) of your life you will concentrate on for collecting the food.. Make sure that leadership and group policies (if there are any) are ok with your event before you begin.
   -Workplace
   -Neighborhood
   – Church
   -Civic Group/Club
2. What: Choose a local food bank or shelter as the beneficiary of your food drive. Donors like to know where their contribution is going; it gives them confidence in their donation. It also helps spread the word about a great local organization. You never know, but the information on your flyer might come in handy some time if a friend/coworker finds themself in need.

   Call up the organization you’ll be collecting for, and ask them what their biggest needs are. The free printables I’ve attached to this post list the food shelf basics, but asking will give you the real picture of your food shelf’s situation and what you and your donors can best contribute. The printables can easily be altered with a Sharpie when you’re filling out the other information.

3. When/Where: Decide if you’ll be doing your food drive collection-style or pickup-style.
   – If you’re setting up a collection box, like at a workplace, give people a week or so to contribute.
   – If you’re doing pickup on a specific day, give people at least a week’s notice and remind them every few days as the day approaches.

   – Avoid hosting your food drive on a holiday week; people’s minds are busy with their vacation plans, arranging childcare, etc.
   – If you’re hosting your food drive in your workplace, pick a week after you get paid, not the week before.

4. How: Spread the word!
   – Use social media groups/pages to reach people – posts with more pictures, reactions, and shares are seen by more people on Facebook. The printables in this post include a .jpeg you can use on social media.
   -Send out an email blast – give everyone a last-minute reminder on pickup day or the day before the collection drive ends so they don’t miss out.
   – Hand up posters – The printables at the bottom of the page include an 8 1/2 x 11 printable poster advertising your food drive. All you have to do is print it off, Sharpie in your details, and hang it where it will be seen. There is also a flyer printable that prints 2 flyers/sheet. You can put those in work mailboxes (not postal service mailboxes, that’s illegal unless you actually address, stamp, and mail them), neighborhood newspaper boxes or doors, hand them out cubicle to cubicle or at a meeting, insert them in the church bulletins, etc. There is a box label printable also. If you’re doing your drive collection box-style, make sure the box is sturdy (canned goods get heavy fast!), clearly labeled, and put in an obvious, visible place. It’s good to have all your flyers, posters, social media images, and box label match, so people can easily connect things in their memory.

Good luck with your food drive! Come back and leave a comment if you have more tips or suggestions from your experience!

.jpeg for social media posts (to use: copy/paste or right click and save to your computer)

Event poster (to use: copy/paste into Microsoft Word or Publisher. Adjust size and print)

Handouts (to use: copy/paste into Microsoft Word or Publisher. Adjust size and print)

Donation Box Label (to use: copy/paste into Microsoft Word or Publisher. Resize and print)