What is a Food and Fund Drive?
A food and fund drive is an excellent opportunity for practically any segment of the greater Southeast Texas community to become direct partners with the Southeast Texas Food Bank in our fight to end hunger. A food and fund drive can be conducted by churches, neighborhoods, businesses, unions, service clubs, schools, military units, scouts, sports teams, or any group of dedicated people who realize it takes local initiative to solve a local problem.
How Does a Food and Fund Drive Help the Food Bank?
Food and fund drives are critical to the ongoing mission of collecting and redistributing millions of pounds of food to poor and hungry individuals and families in Southeast Texas. Cash donations are equally important and are used to operate the Southeast Texas Food Bank’s warehouse, to pay for utilities to run our huge freezers and coolers, and to cover fuel and maintenance for our refrigerated trucks. The food and monetary donations you raise during your drive will be quickly reinvested into many Food Bank programs. Last year, the Southeast Texas Food Bank distributed more than 6 million pounds of food and grocery products to 130 human service agencies, including soup kitchens, church food pantries, neighborhood centers, and family crisis shelters.
Start Early
You can begin by promoting your food and fund drive now! Share information throughout your community to raise involvement early in the process. You can also promote your food and fund drive in community and church bulletins, through local TV, radio and newspaper media outlets, at neighborhood grocery stores and many other locations.
Set a Goal
No matter what your approach, it helps to have a specific goal for your food and fund drive. This gives participants something to work toward and a benchmark for success.
Have Fun
Your food and fund drive can be more fun and successful if you decide upon some creative approaches. Use cans as entry into a sporting event in lieu of tickets or hold a CAN-struction sculpture contest among teams or groups of people. Call the Food Bank for more ideas.
Set Up a Central Location
Collect donated food and grocery items at a central location throughout your drive. This will make it easier to load your food at the completion of your food drive. Assign one or two individuals to be responsible for financial contributions to the Food Bank.
Make It Educational
Participating in a food and fund drive is an excellent opportunity to educate your neighbors, friends and family about the meaning of community sharing, hunger and nutrition, economics and volunteerism, as well as what the food bank is all about.
Make the Delivery!
At the completion of your successful food and fund drive, contact the Southeast Texas Food Bank to schedule a drop-off of your donated items. If your event gathers large amounts of food, arrangements may be made for a Food Bank pickup. All the food donated helps us in the fight against hunger in Southeast Texas. Whether you decide to bring in a bag of groceries to the Food Bank or organize a food and fund drive, you can be assured that your contribution will be put to good use.
Most Needed Food Items
Peanut Butter
Chili
Canned Stews
Canned Soups
Canned Luncheon Meats
Full Meals in a Can/Box
Tuna
Beans & Rice
Macaroni and Cheese
“Pop Top” Food Items
Full Meals in a Can/Box
Questions?
Contact
Emelie Irving
409-839-8777
