If you want to hold a food drive to benefit the Kansas Food Bank and want some helpful hints on how to go about it, we're here to help.

Corporate food drives and employee food drives have always been a tremendous source of support for the Food Bank. We thank you for your efforts and enthusiasm, on behalf of the many Kansas families that benefit from your generous work!

The creativity of our fellow Kansans always inspires us. The ideas for food drives range from: Donating a percentages of sales in a month, BBQ lunches, Dress-down days, Can-stacking contests, Pie-throwing booths, Inter-department competitions, Candy sales, Donating your product in return for canned goods, etc...

Food drive collections added almost 300,000 pounds of food to the shelves of the Kansas Food Bank. These food drives are not just a valuable source of nutrition to Kansas families in need, they are a wonderful and visible show of support for the work of the Kansas Food Bank!

Food Drive support

The Kansas Food Bank has a number of items available to you to help make your food drive easier, and more successful:

• Donation Checklists
• Food Drive Posters
• Collection Signs
• Collection Bins
  

Contact us, and let us know how many of each you¹ll need for your upcoming food drive. Call 316-265-3663 and ask for Kevin, or e-mail kevinenz@swbell.net

Food Drive Tips

Holding a food drive? Here are some helpful hints on how to go about it:

HOW to hold a food drive and WHAT to donate

Special Events! -- Food drive events can be a very fun way to support the work of the Kansas Food Bank. if you have a creative idea for a new food collection event, give us a call, we'd love to hear it! Call 316-265-3663 and ask for the Events Coordinator, Lynette Ritterling or e-mail her: lritterling@ksfoodbank.org.

Getting your food drive started

• Appoint someone to organize your food drive.
• Develop a name for your food drive.
• Think of ways to promote your food drive.
• Make your drive fun and easy to participate in
• Place collection bins or boxes in easy to spot locations.
• Hold competitions between departments or individuals to see who can the collect the most food per person.
• Use incentives - a party for the winning department, an extra break, or paid day off for the individual collecting the most food.
• Allow employees to give cash or take a payroll deduction and donate it to the Food Bank. The monies can be converted to pounds of food.
• Have themes for different days of the week like: "Tuna Tuesdays" or "Wheaties Wednesdays".
• Ask the Food Bank for help - we can provide materials to build awareness on hunger in our community.

The YES's and NO's of food drives

Yes -- The Food Bank accepts non-perishable foods.
Yes -- Donate food you would eat.
Yes -- We accept cash donations.

No -- Cans without labels. The Food Bank cannot distribute this product.
No -- Home canned or jarred product.
No -- The Food Bank cannot distribute opened product.
No -- Try to donate retail size items. Large bulk items do not work for small families.

Most needed items

• Canned meats: tuna, Spam, chicken and ham
• Fruits & Veggies: canned fruit, canned vegetables, jelly, fruit juice
• Protein: peanut butter, dry beans, canned beans, bagged rice, pasta
• Other Items: macaroni & cheese, meal helpers, canned soup, muffin & cake mixes, cornmeal, dry cereal, spaghetti sauce, Bisquick

Questions? Don't hesitate to contact us!