Food and Fund Ideas for Schools or Youth Groups:

Collect food and funds through the following themed drives and donate to a Food for People or a local Food Pantry

 

Food Drives:

·       “Peanut butter and jelly drive” - Collect only different kinds of peanut butter and jellies in plastic containers

·       “Is Dinner Ready” - Collect combinations of food that can be used to prepare a meal. Use your imagination to think of meal combinations: Spaghetti Noodles and Sauce or Refried beans, taco shells, salsa and Mexican seasonings.

·       “Preferred Food Items” - Utilize Food for People’s list of “Most Needed Foods” and designate “items of the day” for people to donate each day.

·       “Admission to Events” - Students are asked to bring a canned good as their admission to a sporting event, dance, party, or any school activity.

·       “Kids Snack Bag” – 1) decorate paper bags according to the holiday closest to the time they are doing the project ( i.e. Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, etc.), 2) Fill each with the following food items: 100% juice pack, granola bar, cheese crackers, a box of raisins and/or a fruit cup, napkin, plastic spoon (if necessary) and a straw, 3) add one of the following : a note/card to say “Hi”, a school supply ( i.e. pencil, eraser) or a joke/riddle the student made up.

·       Some schools and camps grow vegetable gardens.  Grow an extra row to donate to a local food pantry. 

·       “Food Drive and Field Trip” - Have a food drive and deliver the food to the Food Bank and receive a “behind the scenes tour” of the warehouse.  It is amazing to see.

·       “Caring Year Round” - Instead of having food drives once a year at the holidays, spread them out during the year. Have each school (interdistrict or intradistrict) sign up to adopt a different month for holding a food drive, with the result being at least one food drive taking place each of those months. Signing up to pursue a food drive in one of these months should not preclude any school from holding other food drives throughout the year, but it will ensure that the flow of donations into the Food Bank will be more steady throughout the year.

 

Fund Drives:

·       “Empty Bowls” - Kids create ceramic bowls in the art studio and raise awareness of hunger by selling them to parents or other community members to raise money for the Food Bank.  Kids can also host a meal using the “Empty Bowls” to raise awareness of hunger; sell tickets to the meal and offer the bowls as a gift to take home.

·       Does your school or program have a talent show or other event for parents or community members?  Donate the admission fee or offer a donation can and let parents know that they can bring money to help the Food Bank.  Have the MC of the event talk about the service and learning the kids have done.

·       “24-hour fast” - older kids can participate in a full-day fast to raise awareness and money to fight hunger.  Participants ask families and friends to sponsor them for each hour of the fast and donate the money raised to The Food Bank to buy food for people in need.  The day of the fast can be spent doing activities to learn about hunger or to spread awareness to others while kids are experiencing first hand what it feels like to go without food.

·       “Penny Wars” - Find large glass jars, place in rooms and have a race to see who can fill up their jars with pennies. Adding bills to an opposing team’s jar requires them to subtract money from their total amount (if you put in a $5 bill, the other team takes $5 off their total).