Holding an Emergency Foodshelf Network (EFN) Food and Cash Drive is a way for community organizations to work together, reach out to community and have fun. On average, only 25 percent of food available at a foodshelf comes from community Food and Cash Drives. The rest of the food is purchased by foodshelves to supplement the need. Saving a foodshelf money, through an EFN Food and Cash Drive, will allow the foodshelf to assist more hungry people.
Food and Cash drives begin with one person looking to reach out, who then rallies their organization to host a drive. EFN provides all the information and materials you need. Your drive is what you make it, and there are endless ways for you to get people involved. Organizations turn a pot-luck lunch into a fundraiser. Theaters invite the public to their shows at a discount with a donation. Corporations have competitions between departments to see who can raise the most food. Big or small, EFN will make sure you enjoy coordinating and holding your Food and Cash Drive.
Important questions to think about when you plan a Food and Cash drive:
- When will your drive run?
- Do you have a specific goal you’d like to achieve?
- How will you create awareness about your drive?
Then you're ready for the next step:
How to Sponsor an EFN Food and Cash Drive
Here is how you can help your organization share the invaluable gift of food with those who are hungry:
1 . Recruit a core group of people who can help coordinate and promote the drive.
· Identify a primary and secondary contact person.
· Come up with ways to promote the drive--email or call Elisabeth Miller for ideas or incentives at 763.450.3870 . We'll be happy to send you the EFN logo as well as other helpful materials.
· Determine a goal for your group, and decide how many collection containers you'll need to request from EFN.
· Engage your organization's leadership in promoting and supporting the drive.
2. Determine the promotion and collection details.
· Fill out the Food and Cash Drive Form , and email it to Elisabeth . If you have any problems emailing the form, please email Elisabeth
3. Determine the types of food to donate (suggested items flyer online). Please avoid collecting food in glass containers, as they can break during transportation. EFN's network of participating agencies would benefit from the following:
· Canned and boxed food
· Dental and hygiene products
· Culturally specific food
· Restricted diet food
· kid's pack food items
4).Determine the date you would like barrels and/or totes delivered. One barrel holds roughly 10-12 grocery bags (or approx. 125-150 items), and the totes will hold about 50 grocery bags (depending on the contents). Depending on the size of your drive, EFN can drop-off and pick-up food collection containers. Drives of all sizes are encouraged, but Food and Cash Drives gathering less than 250 pounds (less than 2 barrels) will need to be delivered to EFN's warehouse. Once the drive begins, remember that EFN will be happy to replace the full containers with empty ones. EFN can deliver and pick up food collection containers Monday through Friday with notice in advance.
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If you have any questions about hosting an EFN Food and Cash Drive, or are ready to get yours started, please contact Elisabeth at 763.450.3869 or Elisabeth. Not only will your organization experience the enjoyment of "doing good," co-workers will be doing a fun, team-building project to benefit a great cause!
Food and Cash Drive Request Form