September is Hunger Awareness Month
Posted on: 08-30-2010
Check out our Hunger Action Month calendar on ways you can participate daily.
Posted on: 08-07-2010
Come have fun with us and voluteer for a shift at the Red River Revel. You will see old friends... More
TOP TEN MOST NEEDED FOOD ITEMS
Posted on: 08-05-2010
09-06-2010 - 01:00 AM
Purchase a SteinMart Coupon - You can support the Food Bank by purchasing a $5 ticket in return this ticket... More
09-16-2010 - 01:00 AM
Bring canned goods or a donation for admission to the event.
Red River Revel - Pot Painting Booth
10-02-2010 - 04:00 PM
Need Volunteers to help with booth. Come visit our booth and paint a pot.
How to Organize a Food Drive
The Food Bank heartily applauds the amazing community members who coordinate food and fund drives at
- work sites
- schools
- churches and temples
- service clubs
- professional organizations
- and more.
Need help organizing your food drive?
- Target a population that you are trying to persuade to donate. This could be the general public, or a specific group such as patrons of a supermarket, spectators of a football game, voters at an election site, and so on.
- Determine what type of food you will be collecting. This will typically be nonperishable canned, bagged, and boxed goods. Refer to the Food Bank's top ten needed food drive products.
- Choose the dates of your drive. For non-specific events, we suggest holding it for three to five days, so people have a longer period in which to bring their items. No matter what length of time you choose, plan on getting items in after your deadline. You should also plan on the actual deadline being a few days after the deadline that you publicize.
- Coordinate drop-off location(s). Make sure the drop-off point is easily accessible. Announce its presence by putting up "FOOD DRIVE DROP OFF POINT" signs on nearby doors, windows, and walls. You can enhance your Collection Barrels by attaching signs to them as well. Place the collection barrels where people can see them, but where they will not obstruct foot/vehicular traffic, and so that they are relatively protected by weather.
- Call the Food Bank. We will send you a Food Drive Registration Form and can provide barrels for food collections as well as schedule pickups of collections of 1,000 pounds or more.
PROMOTE!
- Make some noise! Publicity is the key to a successful food drive. Spread the word to as many people as possible.
- Distribute fliers, emails, press releases, and get airtime on radio and TV if possible. People like to be informed about ways they can help. When they find out how easy it is to donate and what an impact it will make, they jump at the chance to participate!
- Tell your friends, neighbors, and co-workers!
COLLECT, COLLECT, COLLECT!
Creative Ideas For A Successful Food Drive
Create a competition between classrooms, departments or floors to see who raises the most. Give the winning team an incentive such as a pizza party, casual dress day, gift certificates donated by local businesses and so on...
Encourage teams to choose a mascot, motto, team name or cheers. The sillier, the better! Assign specific foods from the needed items list to each team. Give a special prize to the group that donates a well-balanced collection of foods.
Designate theme days. Fill a playpen with infant formaula on Monday. Plant a "garden" in the lobby with canned vegetable on Tuesday. And so on...
Let your staff or students wear casual dress if they meet their food drive goals.
With the hard part over, it's time for you to sit back and enjoy the payoff for all of your efforts.
See! Holding your very own food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana is as easy as 1... 2... 3... For more information please call Gene Haynesat: (318) 675-2400 ext 115, or by email at ghaynes@ foodbanknla.org