How to Host a Food Drive
Food drives are a powerful way for individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and community groups to come together to support our Waukesha County neighbors facing food insecurity. Hosting a drive is a simple yet meaningful way to support the mission of The FOOD Pantry.
In 2025 alone, 220 organizations and individuals hosted food drives that collectively donated more than 164,400 pounds of food to help stock our shelves. These community-led efforts are essential in helping ensure we have the food needed to serve our neighbors.
If you’re interested in organizing a drive of your own, here are a few easy steps to get started:
- Pick a Date and Location
Choose a time frame for your drive—many people run food drives for one to two weeks. Decide where donations will be collected so that you can communicate that with participants.
- Contact The FOOD Pantry for Support
The FOOD Pantry will share items that we need donated.
Staff will arrange for drop off/pick up of food collection barrels.
If your food drive is in a public location, we can help advertise your drive on our social media.
If you want money donations to be part of your food drive, The FOOD Pantry can work with you to create a fundraising page to track monetary donations for individuals who would prefer to donate money.
- Decide What to Collect
For the greatest impact, focus on items that The FOOD Pantry would normally need to purchase in lieu of donations. High demand items include: shelf-stable, nutritious items that families can easily prepare such as:
- Canned vegetables and fruit
- Canned tuna or chicken
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Pasta and pasta sauce (no glass please)
- Rice
- Cereal and oatmeal
When there are too many items to choose from for a food drive, it can be overwhelming for participants. Many successful food drives have a theme to let participants know what to bring. Some creative drives include:
- Spread the Love with a PB&J drive
- Baby item drive in celebration of Mother’s or Father’s Day
- Souper Bowl or Soup-er Hero drive to encourage soup donations
- Breakfast Bonanza to support cereal donations
- Spread the Word and HAVE FUN!
Promote your drive with flyers, emails, social media, or word of mouth. Be sure to include the dates of the drive, the food drop off location, and items needed. Friendly reminders during the drive help keep the momentum going. Competitions are also a popular way to encourage participation. Consider having a prize like lunch for the winning department or additional PTO if a food drive goal is achieved.
- Once your Drive is Over, Celebrate Your Impact
The FOOD Pantry will share how many pounds of food were collected during the drive so that participants know their impact. Communicate your results to participants and keep those results handy for your next food drive to see if you are able to continue to build on your success.
Every donation helps us continue our mission of providing food, hope, and dignity to our neighbors in need. Thank you for helping to make our community stronger.
Interested in hosting a food drive?
Getting started is easy. Contact Jeremy Otte at jeremy@waukeshafoodpantry.org and we will help you plan a drive that works for your group.
Tags in this Post: Food Drive , Tips
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