Most Wanted Foods Foods NEIGHBORIMPACT Needs: Check your shelves at home for these needed and nutritious foods: canned meats (tuna, chicken, salmon, etc.) hearty soups and stews peanut butter (plastic containers) canned or dried beans & peas (black, pinto, lentils, etc.) pasta, rice, cereal powdered milk canned fruits/vegetables Products We Can t Use To ensure food safety, NEIGHBORIMPACT cannot use: rusty or unlabeled cans homemade items non-commercially canned/packaged items alcoholic beverages, mixes or soda open or used items PLEASE NOTE: If you donate glass products, please box or bag them separately, ely, and label the box or bag GLASS on all sides. Why Food and Funds Both Matter Food drives provide some of the healthiest and highest-quality food we receive. Donating food also provides a direct connection between the donor and the hungry person who receives the food. Cash donations make transportation of donated food to agencies possible. Cash keeps our freezers running and our trucks on the road. NEIGHBORIMPACT makes efficient use of cash donations. For every dollar donated, NeighborImpact can distribute 4 meals!
Food Drive Information In this packet, you will find: 1. Food Drives: Where to Start! 2. Food Drive Checklist 3. Creative Ideas for Food & Fund Drives 4. Most Wanted Foods List Contact: Food Program Coordinator 541-548-2380, x108 stevem@neighborimpact.org Food Resource Specialist 541-548-2380 x 148 sandyk@neighborimpact.org
Food Drives: Where to Start Thank you for collecting money &/or food to fight hunger in your community. Here are some ideas to help you be successful. 1. Set a goal: How many potential contributors do you have? How much can you reasonably expect to collect from each donor? Will you collect food or cash -- or both? To help you plan, here are some important facts & figures: 1 16 oz. can equals 1 pound For every $1 donated, NeighborImpact distributes over 6 pounds of food The goal for any food drive for which NeighborImpact delivers and picks up food-collection receptacles should be at least 200 0 pounds. This amount of food will cover the costs associated with keeping our trucks running. *** Important: Food drives of ALL SIZES are needed and encouraged. We simply request, for food drives generating less than 200 pounds, that you use your own boxes to collect the food, and that you deliver your donations to NeighborImpact. NEIGHBORIMPACT can deliver the bins to your food drive site, and pick up at the end of the event. To schedule this service, call the Food Resource Specialist at 541-548-2380 x 148. If your group is able to pick up empty bins from our warehouse at the start of your drive, saving NEIGHBORIMPACT the trip, it is equivalent to making an additional donation. Please call in advance if you plan to pick up bins. NEIGHBORIMPACT is available to pick up food donations Mondays through Fridays, though some days are better than others. Please let us know as early as possible (a minimum of 24 hours in advance), if you will need a pick up. We will try to schedule a time that is convenient for you. Please note that during the holiday season, our pick-up schedule fills very quickly. First, the basics: FOOD DRIVE CHECKLIST: Decide if you can organize the drive on your own or if you need some help. Decide if you will raise food, money or both. Decide what type of drive you want to stage a party, a competition? then establish a goal. Agree on the drive length. Will it be for one day, one week, etc.? (We recommend 2-3 weeks.) Choose the drive s location. Will it occur at one place or several? Decide on collection method: Boxes or Bins
Foster COMPETITION: Creative Ideas for Food & Fund Drives Pit department against department, classroom against classroom, team against team. Offer rewards to top donors (Examples: pizza parties, gift certificates donated by local businesses, a front-row parking space for a month. Or how about letting employees wear jeans to work each day they donate a canned good? Can Suits! Beans for Jeans ). Assign specific foods from the Most Wanted Foods list to each team. Or give a special prize to the group that donates a well-balanced collection of foods. Encourage teams to choose a mascot, motto, team name, or cheers. The sillier, the better! Encourage cash. Why? It s easier to store, more convenient to deliver & easier to count. For every $1 donated, NeighborImpact distributes over 6 pounds of food. Teams that donate cash get ahead quickly. Make it an EVENT: Kick off your drive with opening day festivities. Be wacky, informational or inspirational. How about a silent auction? Nothing drives up cash donations like the enticement of a massage or airline tickets. Bake sales, pie-throwing contests, car washes all tried & true food and fundraisers. Let your imagination run wild. Have fun! Foods NEIGHBORIMPACT Needs: Most Wanted Foods Check your shelves at home for these needed and nutritious foods: canned meats (tuna, chicken, salmon, etc.) hearty soups and stews peanut butter canned beans & peas (black, pinto, lentils, etc.) pasta, rice, cereal powdered milk canned fruits/vegetables 100% fruit juice (canned, plastic or boxed) Please, no glass, rusty cans or perishable items!
Why Food and Funds Both Matter Food drives provide some of the healthiest and highest-quality food we receive. Donating food also provides a direct connection between the donor and the hungry person who receives the food. Cash donations make transportation of donated food to agencies possible. Cash keeps our freezers running and our trucks on the road. In 2012, our Food Recovery picked up and distributed over a million pounds of locally donated food. (Plus, money is much easier to carry than canned food.) NEIGHBORIMPACT makes efficient use of cash donations. The 6.5 pounds of food we can move for just $1 has a wholesale value of $9. For every $1 donated, NEIGHBORIMPACT distributes 6 pounds of food,, a $9 value.
Food Bank: Central Oregon Hunger Facts Hunger Fact 1: In an average month in 2012, an estimated 20,000 people in Central Oregon are accessing emergency food locations. Hunger Fact 2: Every dollar you donate, NeighborImpact can collect and distribute about six pounds of food through its food distribution program. Hunger Fact 3: Food donated during food drives is some of the most nutritious food that NeighborImpact receives. Most Wanted Foods: Canned fruits & vegetable; hardy soups & stews; canned meats (tuna, chicken and salmon); canned and boxed meals (soup, macaroni and cheese, etc.); peanut butter; canned or dried beans and peas (black, pinto and lentils); pasta, rice and cereal; 100 percent fruit juice (canned, plastic or boxed). Hunger Fact 4: Food collected during food drives remains in the community where it was collected. NeighborImpact s Food Bank distributes food to 45 hunger-relief agencies in Central Oregon. These agencies provide food in the form of meals or emergency food boxes. An emergency food box contains a three-to-five-day supply of food. Hunger Fact 5: Families and children face the greatest need. 40 percent of those who ate food from an emergency food box last year in Central Oregon were children. Hunger Fact 6: Most adult emergency food box recipients are working, retired or disabled. 47 percent of recipient households statewide had at least one working adult. That s up from 43 percent in 2004 and 37 percent in 1996. Hunger Fact 7: NeighborImpact is a nonprofit, charitable organization. It is the hub of the Central Oregon Food Bank Network, a tri-county network of 45 local agencies and programs serving Central Oregon. Hunger Fact 8: You can help in multiple ways. Donate funds Donate food. (Host a food drive, donate fresh produce from your garden) Volunteer (Repack Center, Food Bank Garden, Food Truck Assistant, Special Events) Learn more. Visit www.neighborimpact.org Advocate. Educate others. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help the NeighborImpact Food Bank- Please contact Sandy Klein at NeighborImpact, 541.548.2380x148 or sandyk@neighborimpact.org