Bonus Tips Food Banks And The Coronavirus Pandemic
Giant Food Stores & Martins Food Markets
The supermarket chains Giant Food Stores and Martins Food Markets donated both cash and food products to various charities in the states where they have their stores. For example, in 2010 they totaled $19.1 million, which was impressive. They did it thanks to their theme, Living Here. Giving Here. Among the charities that benefitted we can count United Way, Childrens Miracle Network, as well as other hunger relief organizations.
Tie Donation Amounts To Outcomes
When fundraising, its essential to show potential donors that your food bank is a good and efficient steward of funds.
When donors are able to clearly see what their donations will enable, its easier for them to visualize the impact. This, in turn, makes them more likely to give.
To accomplish this, add a sentence to your fundraising appeal or to your donation form about what the donation amount will buy/provide/supply/enable.
Five families with food for a week? Is a month worth of food for a family? 100 individual meals?
Remember, if you dont want to do this in the main body of the text of your fundraising appeal, you can set these up in your donation form.
Pro tip: Consider highlighting the importance of monetary donations. For example, you could highlight how your food bank buys food items in bulk and receive charity discounts which means their money can go a longer way than if they purchased the food themselves.
Pro tip: Share how moving food items takes a lot of time, money, and volunteer effort to sort, store, and distribute. Underline how in-kind gifts do not support your important operating costs, educative programming, or efforts to effect policy change.
Don’t Miss: Food Bank Of North Central Arkansas
We Serve The Communities Of Midland Penetanguishene Tiny Tay As Well As Christian Island
WELCOME TO THE GBFN COMMUNITY. Georgian Bay Food Network is a non-profit, store-front-style food bank. We are located in a business park in the town of Midland, Ontario. Our goal is to assist individuals and families with food support and food security in our local community. We hope to meet the growing demand of accessing enough food, as well as healthy and nutritious foods. We will allow walk-in registrations for services with proof of ID and the number of household members. Thank you for visiting our website.
WE ARE SEEKING DONATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
Non-perishable items:
Neighbours helping neighbours with food support and stability.
Our nonprofit organization is in need of more volunteer delivery drivers for the food bank service. If you were a career driver or are able to volunteer for our charity providing food deliveries, please us.
If you are visiting our website today, please consider making a monetary donation if you are able. Giving makes all the difference.
The Feeding America Network
Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that provides food and services to people each year. Together, we are the nations largest domestic hunger-relief organization. When you contribute to Feeding America, you are joining our efforts in nearly every community in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Engage With Supporters On Social Media
With so many social media networks available now, its important to clarify that you dont need to be active on every single platform to have a successful social media strategy that boosts donations. Find those platforms where your target audience is most active, and then focus on those networks.
Spread the word on your targeted social media networks . Whether you choose to use paid ads or not, give your audience a reason to share your post and your organic reach will soar.
Provide updates to your network regularly depending on your capacity and your audience. Tell them how the campaign is going, and remind them to donate. Make sure your donation page is shareable!
Pro tip: Make it very clear on your website and on your social media that youre still operating and distributing food to those who need it despite the coronavirus outbreak. Share that you need support from donors to continue providing services.
Heres how Food Bank of North Alabama has done it front and center in a pop up on their website. They share their coronavirus preparedness, and also created a COVID-19-specific donation form to raise funds, stay open, and serve the community.
Food Bank of NEA is using their social media to link directly to their donation page and The Trussell Trust is using social media to answer questions and engage in conversations with their supporters.
Work With The Government
If you have not yet made contact with your local/regional/national government, we recommend that you consider doing so soon so you can liaise on relief efforts.
And working with the government is great at all times, not just during the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2019 the Canadian federal government unveiled the Food Policy for Canada the first-ever comprehensive food policy of its kind in Canada.
The government launched the new Local Food Infrastructure Fund a $50 million investment over five years to support organizations such as food banks to build up their infrastructure and capacity.
Currently, with the coronavirus pandemic, food banks are being actively assisted by government agencies who view food bank operations as critical to providing emergency services during the health crisis. Make sure youre not missing out on available government support!
Pro tip: Given the economic impacts of COVID-19, many governments are discussing bail-out/relief packages generally targeted towards consumers and small businesses. Engage with government funding decision-makers to encourage support for nonprofit services like yours.
Highlight The Most Needed Items
When fundraising, specificity almost always beats generality. People respond better to appeals that make it clear what is needed and/or what will the money be used for.
Consider highlighting the Most Needed Items on your food bank fundraising page. Your Most Needed Items could be items like canned legumes, canned fish/meat, peanut butter, fruit and vegetables , cereal, rice, and boxed macaroni and cheese, baby food, and personal care items
In the image below, Trussell Trust encourages its readers to support their local food bank if theyre able to by checking what items are most needed in the search box, and donating those if they are able to.
Create A Fundraising Campaign And Tell Stories
Reduced to its bare essence, an intensive fundraising campaign can be defined as an effort to raise a specific amount of money, for a specific purpose, over a specific period of time.
Why is creating a campaign important for food banks?
As mentioned briefly in Tip #1, a specific dollar goal provides a measure of success. Having a goal can also help you determine how much each prospect should be asked to contribute .
Furthermore, having a specific project gives your team a focus something to be working for that has a beginning and an end.
Campaigns are by definition specific they help the donors visualize what theyre giving the money to. They are important because they mobilize donors to give.
Theres a lot to planning and executing a successful fundraising campaign, but one of the key elements of success is storytelling.
Storytelling plays a huge role in developing an emotional connection with your donors. Essentially, a compelling story is much more effective than any stat could ever be.
Pro tip: Whenever youre sharing stories, dont forget about using emotion. Emotion is what sets the scene, leads the potential donor through a story, and helps them empathize. If your readers are not emotionally engaged, theyre less likely to be moved to act.
Companies That Donate Food To Nonprofit Organizations That Serve As An Example
One of the biggest problems the world faces today is world hunger. After it has been declining for a decade, global hunger has been rising again. According to a United Nations report, in 2016 global hunger affected 815 million people. In 2017, there were 38 million more that suffered. In this context, its time to stop and see what are the companies that donate food to nonprofit organizations to help the less fortunate.
The Need For Feeding America
As the number of food banks began to increase, van Hengel created a national organization for food banks, and in 1979 he established Second Harvest, which was later called Americas Second Harvest, the Nations Food Bank Network. In 2008, the network changed its name to Feeding America to better reflect the organization’s mission.
How Are We Different
Traditional human food banks are not funded or mandated to provide pet food. If they do provide it, often it is not consistently offered, and they have their volunteers break down pet food from larger bags into smaller bags. This presents a number of challenges for the pet guardian and the pet. The person is their client, not the pet. The pet is our client and we are mindful of allergies, we want the pet to be on a consistent food as much as possible, and we want to ensure we are providing enough dry food to last four weeks or more. This is best for the pet, best for their owner, and best for us. Because we choose to service animals and not people, we do not qualify for any food bank funding federal, provincial or otherwise. Because of this, without your support, pets will go hungry.
Raise The Needed Startup Capital
Financing a business like this is relatively easy because if you know where to look, you would find a lot of willing partners to support you. For this type of business, you would need three major things:
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The Food
There are a number of ways to get food on the shelves. Some of them include:
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Purchasing Food
If you have the cash or can raise enough from donors, you can purchase food or cook the meals for your clients yourself.
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Food Rescue
Rather than allow the surplus they have to waste, grocery stores, farmers and local restaurants donate their leftovers to food banks. You can set up an arrangement with those in your community.
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Food Drives
Another popular way to get food is by organizing food drives that would allow community members, churches, businesses or private individuals to donate foods and grocery items to your food bank from time and time.
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Volunteers
You would need staff to help out with serving out food and managing the business. Make sure you have an existing volunteer program in place and create enough awareness for it so that other people can regularly volunteer. You can also reach out to organizations like the Food Bank of Corpus Christi, Create the Good and Second Harvest Heartland as they have a large network of volunteers that may be able to assist you. You can also reach out to churches, community groups and schools around you for help.
Cash
- Grants
- Donations from businesses as part of their community outreach programs
Volunteers Needed Please Contact Us Today
Our community is growing and so are we.
Our community is growing and so are its needs. At GBFN, we value respect, compassion, diversity, accessibility, and inclusivity for all members of our community. We are seeking caring individuals who will uphold the values that we have at GBFN. Volunteer opportunities include sorting and stocking shelves, inventory control, reception, cleaning, and maintenance at our location. We also need volunteers who are willing to deliver food and hygiene items to those without transportation or health capacity. Non-perishable items are available to our users, donated from the community. Perishable items are also available at GBFN, promptly donated from our local grocery stores, farmers, and other food-giving programs. Our community sponsors and donations mean the world to GBFN.
Food Pantry Support Agencies
Across the United States there are nonprofit organizations like The Food Pantry that are dedicated to ensuring that economically disadvantaged people are able to access healthy food. One of the objectives of these organizations is to provide grants to assist in organizing new food banks as well as to provide funding to sustain ongoing operations.
Know Your Major Competitors In The Industry
The food banking industry has two major business categories. The first category is the food banking network which operates mostly like a franchise. The food networks usually have branches of their food banks in different communities in the USA.
The most popular food bank networks in the U.S include:
- The Global Food Banking Network
- Feeding America
- Thorne & Moorends Food Bank Group
- Renewal Food Bank
Economic Analysis
Starting a food bank is a huge financial undertaking hence the most important economic factor you would need to put into consideration is how to raise the initial capital required for setting up a food banking structure.
Sustainability is another important factor that needs to be put into consideration because you would need to be able to consistently put food on the table for the people you service. Any downtime for your business means that the people you service may need to go hungry and since most of the food would come through donations, nothing is guaranteed. The solution to this is to create multiple donation sources and also establish a solid emergency donation system so that you can always guarantee access to food supply.
Write A Marketing Plan Packed With Ideas & Strategies
For your food bank to be successful, you need to have a specific plan for getting word out about the business to other people. Remember that the more popular your food bank is, the more donors, volunteers and clientele you would get. Some of the most effective ways to promote your food bank include:
- Word of mouth.
- Creating social media pages to enable members of your community become aware of your food bank.
- Distribution of flyers and posters to strategic places such as churches, schools, libraries, post offices, banks and local shops.
- Partner with community groups and civic organizations around you.
- Organize food drives regularly.
- Host public events centered around feeding the poor as often as you can.
- Create a website for your food bank business and register on Online business directories like YELP to allow more people to find you.
After setting up your food bank, it is important to manage it as carefully as you would manage a regular profit oriented business and keep adequate record of the donations you receive and how you utilize them. This would not only help to keep your food bank on its feet for a long time, it would also help you avoid problems with government agencies charged with monitoring the affairs and operations of non-profit organizations.
Top 9 Food Bank Fundraising Ideas And Strategies
With the coronavirus pandemic crisis well underway, were all reminded of the essential role that food banks play in our communities.
Food banks feed some46.5 million people in need across the United States alone, including 12 million kids and 7 million seniors.
Food banks often act as food storage and distribution depots for smaller front line agencies. They capture and collect surplus or donated food and deliver it to the people who need it most.
In essence, food banks acquire donated food, much of which would otherwise be wasted. They acquire it from farms, manufacturers, distributors, retail stores, consumers, and other sources, making it available to those in need through an established network of community agencies.
At the moment, food banks across the United States and worldwide are squeezed between short supplies and surging demand from needy families as the coronavirus pandemic has put more than 26 million out of work in America alone.
In New York, more than a third of the citys food banks have closed for lack of supplies, donations, or volunteers, who are harder to recruit because of infection fears, according to the New York Mission Society. In San Diego, a local food bank waits on a $1 million order it placed weeks ago. Chicago and Houston food banks say they are nearly out of staples.
Yet, a lot of food is being wasted across farms, grocery stores, and shut down restaurants.
Ner For Discounts And Special Deals
Successful food banks are excellent networkers. Through partnerships with organizations of all types and sizes, food banks can effectively reach their fundraising goals and serve more beneficiaries.
Donorbox is offering a lowered price of only 0.5% of a months donations, specifically for Food Banks during the months of June and July.
Its standard practice that food banks get special deals and discounts with producers, farmers, and retailers.
But, now is the time to get even more creative with partnerships and deals.
For example, foodbanking.org shared a few great best practices submitted by their member food banks:
Here is how some organizations are utilizing partnerships:
- After seeing a significant decline in retail and manufacturer donations due to panic-buying, Foodbank Australia in collaboration with the countrys largest retailers Coles and Woolworths, arranged for a dedicated supply of products for Foodbank Australia to distribute to those in need.
- A food bank in El Salvador reached out to Unilever who gave them cleaning and personal hygiene products to take to the shelters.
- Some foodbanks in Colombia are approaching airlines asking if they have surplus food available given the sudden and drastic reduction in the number of flights.
You could also work with schools, organizing competitions between classes, or having students pay off their library fines by donating.