The holidays are a wonderful time to make joyful memories with friends and family. Unfortunately, some families go through rough patches where their holidays aren’t so cheery. About 54 million Americans face food insecurity during the holidays. In Utah County, 14 percent of people live in poverty and may be worried about how to put food on the table this holiday season.
Hosting a food or donation drive can be an excellent way to help people in need and spread the holiday cheer. Community Action Services and Food Bank (CASFB) provides easy opportunities for anyone to host a food drive and deliver food to people all over Utah.
Here are the steps you can take to host a holiday food drive.
1. Plan the Food Drive
Whether you are part of a business, school, club, youth group, or any other organization, you can host a food or donation drive. The first step is to plan the dates the drive will run—usually, two weeks is a good amount of time. Plan to deliver food donations to the food bank at least one week before the holidays. Monetary donations can be directly through the donation page on the CASFB website. Then, identify who is invited to participate in the drive, and assign a committee to help plan and promote the drive. With the committee, identify goals of how much food or money you want to collect.
Use this QR to donate directly to CASFB:
2. Schedule with CASFB
Scheduling a food drive with CASFB is easy. Simply fill out this online form, including contact information, dates, and collection goals. You will also request the number of barrels CASFB should provide and the support you will need to have those barrels picked up.
Donation drives to do not need to be coordinated with CASFB, however, a heads up is always appreciated.
3. Get the Word Out
Promote, promote, promote. Most people are willing to give; they just need enough reminders to do it! Spread awareness of the food or donation drive in a variety of ways: Send out emails, place posters throughout the building, share on social media, and more. Be clear on the dates and what participants need to do to donate.
4. Have Some Fun with It
A food or donation drive gives people the opportunity to experience the joy of giving, so have some fun with it! Here are some creative ideas to incorporate into your plans:
-
- Display progress: Let people see the progress being made toward reaching the goals with a decorative holiday display board. This will help them know how much more is needed and remind them to donate if they haven’t.
- Make it a competition: Who doesn’t love a good, friendly competition? Have a competition between teams, departments, or organizations to see who can collect the most food or money. Offer a prize, such as a pizza party, for the winning team.
- Decorate: Have teams or departments decorate their own collection boxes or display boards with a holiday theme.
- Change it up: Each day, choose a different item to focus on (e.g., Macaroni Monday, Tuna Tuesday, etc.). This will give people ideas of what they can donate and encourage multiple donations.
This holiday season, make Utah a little merrier and a little brighter by hosting a food or donation drive. Follow these easy steps to ensure the drive is as smooth as possible and everyone can have fun spreading goodness and cheer.