Running a food drive is a powerful way to support your community, bring people together, and make a real difference. Whether you’re organizing it at work, school, your neighbourhood, or with a group of friends, here’s how to do it well:
Set Your Goal
Decide why you’re doing this food drive and what you’re hoping to achieve. For example, number of food items, number of families helped, or a target donation weight.
Choose a time period — how long the drive will run (for example, two weeks, one month, seasonal drive, holiday drive).
Identify what types of food are needed the most (refer to our high-need food list below) and consider whether you want to run a fresh food drive or a traditional non-perishable food drive.
Contact Us!
Connect with Melissa Bain at melissa@foodforlife.ca or 905-635-1106×226 to let her know that you are planning a food drive.
Once your food drive is complete, we will gladly make arrangements for pickup at your location in the Halton and Hamilton area.
Plan Logistics
Choose collection points — easy, visible locations where people will drop off food.
Label and clearly mark the collection bins/boxes, including the kinds of food items accepted and the date by which they must be unexpired. Please find a copy of our Food Drive poster, which you can use to label your boxes, bins.
Provide guidelines for proper food safety and handling (check expiry dates, avoid bulging cans, keep it sealed, etc.).
Set a schedule for pickup and delivery of donated items, including storing donations safely until delivery.
Promote the Drive
Create clear messaging: what the drive is for, where to donate, what to donate, when to donate, and why it matters.
Use posters, emails, social media posts, your website, and word of mouth to spread the word.
Consider friendly messaging reminders: encourage people with stories or statistics about need in your area (without being overly heavy).
Engage and Motivate
Share progress updates (for example, “so far we’ve collected 150 cans — help us hit our goal of 500!”).
Consider small “mini-events” during the drive to boost visibility (for example, a “food donation day” with a special table, photo op, or donation challenge).
Wrap-Up
At the end of the drive, collect all donations and connect with us so we can make pickup arrangements.
Take a photo of what you’ve collected and send it to us so we can ensure we have the appropriate sized vehicle and bins ready for the pickup.
Share the results with your donors and the public: total items, total weight/impact, number of families helped (if known), etc.
Follow-Up and Plan Ahead
Ask for feedback from your partner food bank, volunteers, and donors: what worked, what didn’t, what could be better next time.
Keep a record of good practices (locations, signage, messaging templates, schedules), so future drives can be easier.
Consider turning your food drive into a regular event (annual, seasonal), based on what you learned.
List of High Need Items
Non-Perishable Food Drives
Canned vegetables/fruit
Canned proteins (tuna, chicken, etc.)
Healthy kids snacks
Rice
Pasta/Tomato Sauce
Fresh Food Drives
Any hardy non-temperature sensitive fruit and vegetables, which could include:
