How to Organize a Food Drive

Despite the bounty of food in the United States, many of our friends, families, and neighbors are hungry.  The Tri-City Food Pantry has seen record numbers of clients in need of food this year and the groceries on our shelves are continually in need of replenishment.  The goal of a food drive is to fill grocery bags with non-perishable foods which are then distributed to residents of the greater Sarpy County community.  Food drives can be highly rewarding so encourage your friends to participate as well.

Step 1.  Contact the Pantry

Please contact us ahead of time so we can coordinate drive dates and delivery times and plan for storage and distribution of your donated items.

Step 2. Pick a time frame to run your food drive

It can be during a special event( a holiday party, etc.) or over a period of time, such as several weeks.  Be sure to let the pantry know you are running a food drive and when it will be complete.  You can reach the Tri-City Food Pantry at 402-552-7061.  If no one is there to take your call, please leave a message on our voicemail and we will call you back.

Step 3. Ask the pantry for the list of most-needed food and toiletry items

Many times the pantry can provide a list of food items that are most needed at that time and which you can then share with the food donors.  Tri-City Food Pantry can email you a flier that is easily copied for distribution.

Step 4.  Get boxes for collecting donated items

The Tri-City Food Pantry can also provide you with empty boxes to collect the donated food items in just before you start your food drive (the day before or the day it starts).  More boxes can be dropped off as the food drive progresses.

If your group is collecting both food, toiletry and hygiene items, please DO NOT place toiletry and cleaning items in the same box or bag with food items.  Many times food collected is unusable because shampoo or dish detergent has leaked all over boxed food items.  Please keep all toiletry and cleaning items separate from food items!

The absolute best boxes to use to pack food drive items into are paper ream boxes. They hold about 40 cans (20 cans each layer) and are not too heavy to pick up when fully loaded. A properly packed box has a lid on it and is not overloaded, allowing them to be stacked easily. With this method, vehicles can be packed neatly and no one hurts their backs!  We can provide these boxes for you to use.

Step 5.  Schedule a delivery time

When you contact the pantry, be sure to let them know when the food drive will be complete and set up a time and date for delivery of the food items.  At this time, the Tri-City Food Pantry does not have a van or truck to pick up donations, so transport of the donated items will need to be arranged by the organizers of the food drive.

Running a food drive can be highly rewarding, so please contact us and let us help you with fliers and boxes.

THANK YOU!