Sponsoring a Food Drive
Thank you for wanting to join the fight against hunger in our community. Your efforts are essential to CEA’s mission of helping our neighbors in need. This section can guide you through having a successful food drive.
Getting Started
- Decide if you or your group will partner with any other groups or businesses.
- Identify a person in charge.
- Before you pick a date contact CEA by email at admin@catonsvillehelp.org so we can schedule the receipt of your food and make sure it we have staff/volunteers on hand to receive it.
- Determine how long the food drive will be. It can be as short as one day or as long as one month.
- Decide on a collection method. Medium size boxes are ideal as they can easily be transported. Check with local grocery stores as they may have boxes you can use.
- Set a goal for pounds of food you’d like to collect.
Publicize Your Event
- Once you’ve gotten the details nailed down, it’s time to start getting people interested your event.
- Use our flyer template. Just click here for a flyer you can customize and distribute on line and in person.
- Use email and social media to let people know about the drive and as a way to distribute the flyer.
Get Creative for Your Food Drive
- Give out empty grocery bags to food drive participants and ask them to fill them.
- Use a holiday such as Valentine’s Day or Halloween as the reason for a food drive.
- Have an event such as a birthday or anniversary party and have participants bring food.
- Have a hunger awareness day and give some information about hunger as you kick off the drive. See the Maryland Food Bank and Feeding America for good information.
Keep a Few Things in Mind
- Remind people to only donate items they would eat or use.
- Please ask for healthy and nutritious food items that are not more than one year old.
- Here’s what we cannot use: rusty or unlabeled cans; perishable items; homemade items; open items.
After The Drive Is Over
- Bring the food to CEA as you have scheduled. Again, please call in advance and schedule an appointment to drop off your food so we have volunteers ready to help!
- If your group would like to give an additional hand and sort the food you’ve collected that would be a huge help to CEA. Click here to see a list of how we sort and organize the food on our shelves. You can sort it before you bring it, or consider arranging with CEA to have some folks come here to sort the food.
- Thank the coordinators and participants.
- Share your success! Tell others in a newsletter and post photos on social media.
And THANK YOU for your support.