HOW TO HOLD A FOOD AND FUND DRIVE

HOW TO HOLD A FOOD AND FUND DRIVE REQUESTED ITEMS $1 = 7 meals Canned Vegetables Canned Fruit Beans Soup Sauce Oatmeal Pasta Rice Tuna Chicken No homemade or unlabeled items Peanut Butter www.feedingamericatampabay.org 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE HOW TO GET STARTED 3 FUND DRIVE DONATIONS 4 MOST NEEDED ITEMS 5 FOOD DRIVE THEMES 6 PROMOTING YOUR DRIVE 7 TEMPLATE FOOD DRIVE EMAIL 8 VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE 9 POUND$ FOR DOLLAR$ 10 AFTER THE DRIVE ENDS 11 DONATION RECEIPT 12 www.feedingamericatampabay.org 2

Hold the Ultimate Food Drive in Five Easy Steps 1. Identify your food drive goals. Meal goal = (Number of pounds collected) divided by 1.2 Meal goal = (Number of dollars raised) multiplied by 7 because $1 donated to Feeding America Tampa Bay equals 7 meals For example: LET S GET STARTED! 1,000 pounds of collected food, along with $1,000 donated = 7,833 meals 2. Set your food drive dates and drop off locations at your business or organization. 3. Decide how and where you will collect the donated food and funds. High traffic areas, break rooms and lobbies are all great places to build your display! 4. Spread the word about your food drive to your co-workers and patrons through emails, social media, bulletin boards, posters, newsletters and signage at your organization. 5. Deliver your donations to Feeding America Tampa Bay Monday-Friday from 7:30am- 4:00pm. How Feeding America Tampa Bay Can Help If you have questions about holding a food drive, contact Lindsey Bressi at 813-254-1190 x207 or lbressi@feedingamericatampabay.org. You can help us make the best use of our resources by picking up supplies and/or delivering your food and fund drive donations. Feeding America Tampa Bay can only pick up donations of four or more boxes of food (400 cans or 400 pounds). We are only able to pick up on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please give the food bank one week s notice to schedule the pick up! To schedule a speaker to talk to your organization or to schedule a tour of Feeding America Tampa Bay, contact Joyce Endaya at jendaya@feedingamericatampabay.org or 813-254-1190 x205. www.feedingamericatampabay.org 3

FUND DRIVE DONATIONS Financial gifts are appreciated and encouraged. For every dollar donated, Feeding America Tampa Bay is able to return 7 meals to the community. They also support our innovative programs, like the Backpack Program and Mobile Pantries. $1 donation = 8.4 pounds of food vs. 1 can donated = 1 pound Feeding America Tampa Bay s administrative and fundraising costs are less than three percent. That means that 97 cents out of every dollar donated goes to provide food our neighbors in Tampa Bay! WAYS TO DONATE INCLUDE: Corporate Matching Does your organization offer to match donations from its employees? If your employer has a matching gift program, make sure to find out all of the details and enroll your fund drive in the match. This is a great way to double your donations! Donate Online The fastest way to make a donation is to visit www.feedingamericatampabay.org and click donate now. Email Jeanette Hunter at jhunter@feedingamericatampabay.org to make sure the donation is credited with your food drive. All donations will receive an acknowledgement and tax receipt via email. Virtual Food Drive Participate in the virtual food drive and encourage co-workers to purchase items online at www.feedingamericatampabay.org. When donors check out, there is a place to enter your company name and help raise more money for your company s food drive! Donate by Check, Credit Card, or Cash Use the Pounds for Dollars food drive, which is located on page 10, to receive credit for any cash, credit card, or check donations. Make checks payable to Feeding America Tampa Bay. All donors who provide contact information will receive a letter of acknowledgement and tax receipt for their donation. Mail donations to: Food and Fund Drives c/o Feeding America Tampa Bay 4702 Transport Drive, Building 6 Tampa, FL 33605 www.feedingamericatampabay.org 4

FOOD DRIVES NEEDED Community food drives are an excellent source of high-quality food for our partner agencies and programs and the people we serve. Most Needed Non-Perishable Items Include: Canned meats (i.e. tuna, chicken, seafood, turkey) Canned and boxed meals (i.e. soup, chili, macaroni and cheese) Canned or dried beans and peas (i.e. black, pinto, lentils) Pasta, rice, cereal, oatmeal Canned fruits and vegetables Peanut butter Feeding America Tampa Bay is unable to use: Rusty cans Perishable items Homemade items Opened items Alcoholic beverages Suggested Healthy Items: Canned fruit in light syrup No sugar added applesauce Low sodium vegetables Canned white or sweet potatoes Powdered or flaked potatoes Brown or wild rice Whole grain/bran cereals Reduced fat whole grain crackers Trans fat free tortillas Powdered milk Tuna Chicken Oatmeal Pasta Rice $1 = 7 meals Beans Soup Sauce Peanut Butter Canned Vegetables Canned Fruit No homemade or unlabeled items www.feedingamericatampabay.org 5

THEMES & FUNDRAISING IDEAS Suggested Themes Wakeup Call Get Up and Get Moving Canned coffee, non-dairy creamer, boxed cereal, oatmeal, tea bags, granola bars and pancake mix Feeling Fruity An Apple a Day Canned peaches, pears, pineapple, fruit cocktail, 100% fruit juice and applesauce Take a Bite Out of Hunger Chomp! Shake and Bake, Hamburger Helper, Rice-a-Roni, Zatarain s Mix, rice and beans Dinner s Served Meat the Need Canned stew, pork and beans, instant potatoes, stuffing mix, pasta and rice Back-to-School Lunch-Box Items Peanut butter, granola bars, juice boxes, raisins and individual snack items Winter Wonderland Warm Foods Dry and canned soups, crackers, stuffing mix, canned pumpkin or sweet potatoes, canned meats, coffee and/or hot cocoa Days of the Week Meat the Need Monday, Tuna Tuesday, Peanut Butter Wednesday, Veggie Thursday and Fruit Friday Fundraising Ideas Hold a bake or chili sale, potluck, or pizza party. Form different teams and see which team collects the most donations. Collect change in a jar and donate it to Feeding America Tampa Bay. Employees can throw dollar bills into the container of another department in order to cancel out the change in the department. In other words, change in the container equals positive points, while bills equal negative points. Chill or Fill. Donate the amount of money it would cost you to cool your home for a week. Encourage your coworkers to do the same. Brown bag lunchtime. Ask staff to donate the cost of a lunch or to donate a bag full of nonperishable food. Also, create friendly rivalry at work by having people vote for their favorite sports team, or ask departments to compete for a prize, like free pizza. Virtual Food Drive Participate in the virtual food drive and encourage coworkers to purchase items online at: www.feedingamericatampabay.org 6

PROMOTE YOUR DRIVE! Promoting your food drive is fun and easy to do! Display food drive posters and flyers, provided by Feeding America Tampa Bay, and collection bins at entrances, cafeterias, lounges and other busy locations. Use empty copy paper boxes, moving boxes and grocery bags as food drive receptacles. Promotion Ideas: Distribute shopping lists and donation forms to staff. Send weekly email updates to staff that also includes a client story or hunger fact. Post about the drive on Facebook and Twitter. Write a blog. Mention the drive in staff meetings/announcements. Send out a press release (contact Karen Griffin at kgriffin@feedingamericatampabay.org for more assistance). Set up a table with Feeding America Tampa Bay s brochures and posters. Congregation Ideas* (*for places of worship): Promote a fast and donate the money you would have spent on a meal to the food bank. Take up a second collection during services. Set up a table with brochures and a collection jar before/after services. Slogan Ideas: *Bag Hunger *Hunger Heroes *Wipe Out Hunger *The Power of Change *Dare to Care *It Makes Cents Suggested Facebook Posts: Our food drive starts today for @FeedingTampaBay! Help us provide meals to the hungry. (link to FeedingAmericaTampaBay.org) 1 in 4 children are at risk of going hungry every day. Get involved in our food drive to help @FeedingTampaBay. (link to FeedingAmericaTampaBay.org) Most needed items for the food drive: canned meat, vegetables, fruit, tuna, peanut butter, rice & beans. Help now! (link to FeedingAmericaTampaBay.org) For every $1 donated, 7 meals will be provided to those in need. Help (your business name) support Tampa Bay families in need! (link to FeedingAmericaTampaBay.org) Suggested Tweets: Food drive starts today! Join the food drive and help @FeedingTampaBay & @(your twitter handle) provide meals to the hungry. 1 in 4 children are at risk of going hungry every day. Get involved in (your business name) food drive to help @FeedingTampaBay! Most needed items for the food drive: canned meat, vegetables, fruits, tuna, peanut butter, rice & beans. @FeedingTampaBay $1 = 7 meals. Help (your business twitter handle) reach its goal of (enter your goal)! @FeedingTampaBay (link to FeedingAmericaTampaBay.org) www.feedingamericatampabay.org 7

EMAIL TEMPLATE Below is an example of an email that can be sent to employees and/or your organization to get everyone excited about participating in your food drive. Dear (insert name), One in six Tampa Bay individuals struggles with hunger every day. We need your help to raise food and fund donations for Feeding America Tampa Bay. This year, our goal is to raise (insert your business goal here). Together, we can solve hunger. To make a food donation, please bring in non-perishable donations and place in donation boxes. Most needed items include: canned meat, canned vegetables, canned fruit, peanut butter, oatmeal, beans and rice. Every $1 donated to Feeding America Tampa Bay will provide 7 meals to our hungry neighbors. You can also make online donations at FeedingAmericaTampaBay.org. When you check out online remember to write (your business name) on the form so the donation is counted towards our food and fund drive goal. Here is just one of the many stories from Feeding America Tampa Bay s staff: Melanie and her husband, John, have an 8-year-old son, Chris, and a 5-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. John works full-time, but with the rising cost of groceries, his income just isn t enough to make ends meet. Melanie has been working part-time, but she rarely gets the hours she needs each week. Through Feeding America Tampa Bay s BackPack program, each child receives a bag of healthy foods that supplement their cupboards over the weekend. Tampa Bay Hunger Facts: 700,000 Tampa Bay individuals risk hunger daily. 250,000 of them are children. 1 in 4 children in Tampa Bay will go to bed hungry tonight. Currently, the food bank is distributing enough food for 635,000 meals each week. The majority of those served by Feeding America Tampa Bay are the working poor, senior citizens and children. Feeding America Tampa Bay partners with 600 charitable feeding programs and schools in 10 west central Florida counties. Last year, we distributed more than 40 million pounds of food or 33 million meals to Tampa Bay families in need. www.feedingamericatampabay.org 8

VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE Encourage employees to donate online via the Virtual Food Drive! This fun experience allows donors to shop while making a gift that will fight hunger in our state. Simply provide your food drive team leader with a copy of your email receipt once you complete your transaction! This will ensure that the funds are added to your food drive s totals. 1. Visit www.feedingamericatampabay.org. Click on the Virtual food Drive option under the How to Help tab. Click on Get Started. 2. Start by clicking items and dragging them onto the register. 3. Once you have completed your order, click on the red Checkout button. If you need to revise your order, click on the X s located next to the product. 4. To complete your donation, you will be taken to Paypal. Simply sign in with your Paypal account or use your credit card located on the bottom left. Make sure to include your business s name in the memo line for credit. www.feedingamericatampabay.org 9

POUND$ FOR DOLLAR$ Every dollar you raise will be converted into 8.4 pounds of food. Parents, friends and family can support your food drive by making a fund donation! The entire amount of your contribution is taxdeductible. Please select the amount that you would like to donate from the options below. Online donations are the fastest and easiest way to help. Visit FeedingAmericaTampaBay.org to contribute using your credit card. For help making a gift over the phone, contact Jeanette Hunter at 813-254- 1190 x212. Please accept my/our contribution amount of: $10 $35 $50 Other: $ Organization: Contact Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: ( ) E-mail: I would like to pay by (circle one): Visa MasterCard AMEX Discover Check Cash Name on card: Card Number: Exp. Date: Signature: Total Amount Enclosed: Make all checks payable to: Feeding America Tampa Bay Food & Fund Drives c/o Feeding America Tampa Bay 4702 Transport Drive, Building 6 Tampa, FL 33605 No matter how you choose to give, we thank you for your donation. www.feedingamericatampabay.org 10

AFTER THE DRIVE ENDS Thank you for holding a food and fund drive to benefit Feeding America Tampa Bay and its 600 charitable feeding partners. Your donation makes a BIG difference to our community! Food Donations: Transportation is a significant cost to Feeding America Tampa Bay. You can help us make the best use of our resources by picking up supplies and/or delivering your food and fund drive donations. Bring your donations to Feeding America Tampa Bay s main facility located at 4702 Transport Drive, Building 6 in Tampa. You can also bring your donations to our Suncoast Branch located at 5829 Ehren Cutoff, in Land O Lakes. You can drop off your donations Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 4pm. Fund Donations: All cash and check donations need to be turned into Feeding America Tampa Bay. Make all checks out to the Feeding America Tampa Bay. Be sure to write the name of your business on the memo line. Mail checks to: Food & Fund Drives c/o Feeding America Tampa Bay 4702 Transport Drive, Building 6 Tampa, FL 33605 Donations can also be made online at www.feedingamericatampabay.org. Email Jeanette Hunter at jhunter@feedingamericatampabay.org when you ve made an online donation so that it will be added to your company s total donation amount. All financial donations to Feeding America Tampa Bay are tax-deductible. Feeding America Tampa Bay is a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organization (EIN: 59-2116576). www.feedingamericatampabay.org 11

DONATION RECEIPT DONATION RECEIPT Amount Donated: Name of Donor: Date of Donation: Received By: The mission of Feeding America Tampa Bay is because no one should go hungry. All financial donations to Feeding America Tampa Bay are tax-deductible. Feeding America Tampa Bay is a taxexempt 501(c)(3)organization. Federal tax ID #59-2116576. DONATION RECEIPT Amount Donated: Name of Donor: Date of Donation: Received By: The mission of Feeding America Tampa Bay is because no one should go hungry. All financial donations to Feeding America Tampa Bay are tax-deductible. Feeding America Tampa Bay is a taxexempt 501(c)(3)organization. Federal tax ID #59-2116576. DONATION RECEIPT Amount Donated: Name of Donor: Date of Donation: Received By: The mission of Feeding America Tampa Bay is because no one should go hungry. All financial donations to Feeding America Tampa Bay are tax-deductible. Feeding America Tampa Bay is a taxexempt 501(c)(3)organization. Federal tax ID #59-2116576. www.feedingamericatampabay.org 12