Written by Patte Widerschein
We join you in missing life before COVID was in our vocabulary. Without our traditional drives and fundraisers, we are experiencing more urgent needs for food, funds, and essentials as we continue to serve more neighbors in need.
So many have asked, “How can I help?”
Hosting a food, fund and essential drive would help us meet our immediate needs.
Food and FUNdraisers can be, well, fun! A theme (ideas below), a friendly competition, a team photo of collected items on Facebook or Instagram – all add to the spirit of feeling good while doing good.
While collecting items is helpful, DFP can always stretch a financial donation, for every $9 donated, we can purchase about $90 worth of most needed food.
Receipts are always available and Dublin Food Pantry is a 501(3)c nonprofit. When your food, fund, essential drive is over, please come in for an in-pantry photo. We would love to thank you in person.
Our MOST NEEDED list is regularly updated on our website and every Wednesday we will post our #wednesdaywishlist on Facebook and Instagram while the the urgent needs continue.
▷Some Food, Fund, Essential Drive Ideas:
▶︎ We CAN fight hunger: Since cans of soup and cans or ready-to-eat-food like spaghetti, ravioli, chili, and so on are MOST NEEDED – this CAN be a great food drive.
▶︎ DFP’s 45th: Aiming for $45 or $450 dollar donation or 45 or 4500 pounds of food would be a great way to celebrate DFP’s 45 years of helping our community.
▶︎ Tie in with National Days: (like collecting on October 24th which is National Food Day) Click here for some upcoming National Days:
▶︎ DFP Pantry theme tie in: October: stock up for Holiday Helpings, November?December:Holiday Helpings …and so on.
▶︎Create Day-of-the-Week themes, such as:
Mac n Cheese Monday
Toothbrush/Toothpaste Tuesday
Wishlist Wednesday
Three dollar or Three CAN Thursday
Feel-Good Friday or Fill-Up Friday
▶︎ Single item collections: Ask for just one thing for your drive such as $10 or any one item from our most needed list – such as we CAN help Drive to collect cans.
▶︎Personal inspiration: Name your drive for a friend, family member, or co-worker or anyone who inspires you. Who wouldn’t appreciate being honored with a donation in their name?
▶︎Neighborhood collections: Neighbors helping neighbors is one of our themes – and recent neighborhood drives have shown us just how wonderful it can be to get to know your neighbors in this way.
▶︎ Birthday giving: We are so thankful for those who share all or part of their birthday celebration with Dublin Food Pantry. Some ask for donations instead of gifts or ask friends and family to bring DFP donations to birthday parties.
▶︎ Online drives: Take your food + fundraiser online, some ideas:
- Online Facebook fundraisers have been successful – find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/help/990087377765844
- Create an online donation drive: Cash/Checks/Online-Donations are (of course) welcomed. Sites like GIVE BUTTER www.givebutter.com can facilitate your fund drive for our pantry – in fact – we use this for our pantry events.
▶︎ More ideas? We’d love to help. We are happy to share our logo and updated information that might be of help when you plan your food and/or fund and/or essential drive.
We would love to post a photo of your completed drive. Just give us a call 614.889.6590 or send an email to jim@dublinfoodpantry.org to let us know when you can come by the pantry.
Donation Drop-Off:
If your collection is under 10 boxes:
Donations may be dropped off at
81 W. Bridge St. Dublin, OH 43017
In the lower Level of Dublin Community Church (enter under orange awning)
⏰ Donation Drop-Off Hours:
7AM – 6PM WEEKDAYS and on Mondays until 7:15pm
If your collection results in more than 10 large boxes (wow!) please set a time to deliver the collection to Dublin Food Pantry’s Warehouse located at 7032 Perimeter Loop by calling 614.889.6590 or by emailing our Director of Operations jim@dublinfoodpantry.org
If you need boxes for your collection, we usually have boxes available.
Thank you for your help #fillingheartsandcarts