food/fund drives
Food and Fund Drives are fun, positive team building experiences that can help your group feel more connected to the community. Each year, hundreds of local businesses, school and church groups, state agencies, individuals and many others sponsor fund and food drives that benefit Second Harvest Heartland.
Your efforts make an enormous difference in the amount and variety of foods we are able to distribute. Even a small team can make a big difference.
Most Needed Foods
Five Steps to a Successful Food Drive
Why Add Funds to Your Food Drive?
Second Harvest Heartland's Food & Fund Drive Manual 
(124 KB) is full of tips designed to increase your success.
Download Food and Fund Drive Promotional Posters » (1.38 MB)
Additional questions about Food and Fund Drives may be directed to the Events Manager or by calling 651.209.7929.
Meats, Fish and Protein – canned tuna, ham or chicken, beef stew, chili, peanut butter, canned/dried beans
Fruits and Vegetables – 100% fruit juice, canned fruits and vegetables, instant potatoes, fruit preserves
Complete Meals – pasta & sauce, boxed meals, hearty soups
Grains – cereal, rice
Hygiene products – shampoo, deodorant, soap, diapers, toilet paper, feminine hygiene, toothpaste
Cleaning Supplies – laundry detergent, paper towels, kitchen and bathroom cleaners
No glass containers, perishable items or home canned foods, please!
- Register Your Food & Fund Drive
- Set a Goal
- Set a goal for the amount of food and financial contributions to be raised. Setting a target allows you to build momentum. The goal can be based on the amount raised during the previous drive, or you can set a goal based on the number of participants. For purposes of comparing dollars to pounds, count each dollar donated as equaling 5 pounds of food.
- Promote Your Food and Fund Drive
- Share information throughout your community and/or organization to raise involvement early in the process. Publicize, publicze, publicize! Posters, flyers, e-mails, newsletter articles, payroll inserts, and public service announcements are all effective ways to let people know about your food drive. It's helpful to provide a contact person within your organization who can answer questions.
- Decide between BOXES and BARRELS
- When to use your own boxes
Small to medium-size boxes (copy-paper boxes) work well for food drives. We encourage you to use boxes for any drive generating fewer than 300 pounds of food.
When to use Second Harvest Heartland barrels
Second Harvest Heartland can provide barrels for food collection. However, we do ask that you limit their use to large events where more than one is necessary. If your group can pick up empty barrells from our warehouse at the beginning of your drive, that's even better. This keeps our transportation costs down and is another way you can help the Food Bank. Saving Second Harvest Heartland the delivery trip is equivalent to making an additional donation!
- Completing Your Food and Fund Drive
- Your Food and Fund Drive has ended. It's a success! It's time to tally up the numbers and bring the donations to the Food Bank.
Increase the value of your donation by delivering it directly to the Food Bank. However, if you are unable to donate the transportation for your food drive, you can arrange to have Second Harvest Heartland pick up your donation. Due to the demand for agency order deliveries, large donation pick-ups and other regularly scheduled operational trucking functions, your flexibility is needed and appreciated. Deliveries and pick-ups occur between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Please note that during the holiday season, our pickup schedule fills quickly.
We encourage fund drives for individuals and organizations who are interested in the best way to help Second Harvest Heartland fight hunger. For every $1 donated, Second Harvest Heartland is able to distribute more than $9 worth of food to hunger-relief agencies.
Monetary donations provide the greatest benefit to the hungry families, children and seniors in our community. Even if you are already committed to doing a food drive, consider the option of adding a fund drive. Many individuals would rather write a tax-deductible check than pick up extra food at the grocery store for a food drive. A $50 cash donation can help us distribute approximately $450 worth of grocery products to those in need.