Creative Ideas to Enhance Your Food Drive

Healthy competitions bring out the "best" in food drive donors.

A variety of challenges are possible:

• We can raise our weight in food.
• We can raise our IQ's in food.
• We will donate 25 pounds for every employee in our group.
• We will fill the CEO's office with food.
• Our building will collect the most food in just one day.

Award prizes for most pounds or most pounds per capita (number of donors divided by number of pounds), biggest donation, most unusual food, etc.

Set up cross department teams or have department challenges.

Oracle and Cypress have had successful "Cans Festivals."

Teams work to build the best sculpture out of cans. It can be a great kick off event or the finale of your drive.

Another fun competition would be a game, such as Pictionary. At one company the winner paid $15 and the loser paid $20 to the food drive.

A theme can add a lot to the excitement of your drive and/or re-energize sagging donations. Think of creative ideas to advertise your theme and use it to bring in more donations.

Examples of themes and slogans:

Peanut Butter Week
Tuna Tuesday
Macaroni Monday
Helping Hands Day
Spread the Cheer This Time of Year
We've Gone All Out For The Holidays
Dare to Care
A Handful of Coins Creates a Heartful of Love
Take the Mystery Out of Giving
In The Spirit of Giving
Catch the Spirit
Auctions (both in person and on-line) have been successful in raising funds.

Consider holding a raffle.

The price for the ticket can be a canned good. Raffle Items that have been successful:
Donated executive ties
Use of a VP Porsche
Running shoes from employees and/or celebrities
Vacations Time-shares
Executive art
Box theater or sporting event seats
A paid vacation day