The New Hampshire Food Bank has been a leader in the fight against hunger for the past 20 years.  We procure and distribute food for over 350 agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters throughout the state, which in turn provide that food to the nearly 80,000 New Hampshire residents at or below the poverty level. 

Nutrition is a growing concern here at the Food Bank and we are constantly searching for new ways to provide our agencies with a diverse and healthy selection of products. Producers and distributors can make a very valuable donation by sharing their supply of product with the Food Bank. 

We boast an 18,000 square foot facility, with walk-in and drive-in coolers and freezers. Our fleet of trucks are refrigerated and dock-height for ease of pickup. Our newly updated inventory software provides greater accountability for the tracking of our products, so donors can learn exactly where their product goes.

The following steps and ideas will help guide you and trigger your imagination for other creative ideas to raise food and money.

1. PLAN AHEAD. Select a leadership committee to plan your strategy and theme. Determine the start date and length of your drive. Call the Food Bank as soon as possible to arrange for food pickup or delivery. Surprise pickups and unexpected deliveries can mean unexpected costs or a shortage of storage space.

2. SET A GOAL. Decide upon how many pounds you want to collect. For an easy way to do this, set a goal for each participant and multiply this figure by your total head count. If your group or company has a competitive spirit, you may want to have an award structure for pounds collected. An award structure can be a helpful guide before you set your goal!

3. AT WORK, GET MANAGEMENT INVOLVED. Encourage executives to show their support by sending email, voicemail or letters. Have your company match employee donations. For example, your company might give $1 for each pound of food raised.

4. PROMOTE YOUR DRIVE. Organize a kick-off event to build enthusiasm. Structure the event around your food drive theme. Create or obtain posters from the Food Bank. Hand out shopping lists of most needed foods. We can tell you what we need most from season to season. Display weekly or daily totals in high-traffic areas or announce totals using email or PA systems to keep people up to date and involved.

5. BUILD AWARENESS & VISIBILITY. Invite participants to tour and sort food at the Food Bank. Contact us to get information on hunger in your community and publish this information in your newsletter or school paper. Include information about your food drive and final results in your company or school newspaper.

6. MAKE IT FUN & SIMPLE TO PARTICIPATE. Place grocery bags for collection at every employee or student desk. Hold an event (a dance, sporting event, card party, or concert) and charge a can of food for admission. “Sell” dress-down or “casual dress day” passes to your employees in exchange for donations. Hold your own “Canstruction” Contest.

7. ENCOURAGE FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS. Set a financial goal separate from pounds raised. Encourage cash donations by advertising how far your donation goes -- for every dollar donated, the Food Bank can provide 4 meals. Order and distribute donation envelopes from the Food Bank. Encourage participants to make donations online at www.nhfoodbank.org.

8. USE EXCITING COMPETITIONS & COMPETITIVE THEMES. Create competitions with lots of categories - largest individual donation, most protein, most unusual food or match your weight with pounds of food. Have Macaroni Mondays, Tuna Tuesdays, or Peanut Butter Week to encourage donations of high protein foods. Encourage buildings, departments or classes to challenge each other to a competition.

9. CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS! Host a recognition party rewarding competition winners with humorous prizes.