What a great way to increase the supply of food and resources to help those in need! Food drives are welcome throughout the year, at any time. Your efforts make an enormous difference in the amount and variety of foods we are able to distribute to feed hungry people in the Houston area.

People usually want to give money if they cannot give food items....and that is wonderful! Please encourage monetary donations as well. Because of our relations with the food industry and our large volunteer base, $1 provides a full day of meals.

Six Easy Steps for a Successful Food Drive 

1. Plan Ahead!

• Select a leadership committee to plan the food drive, manage the communications and logistics and set goals.
• Determine the timing of the food drive, such as a holiday, special event, etc. to provide a theme. It is best to limit the period of time of a drive to add energy and a sense of urgency....such as a particular day or week.
• Determine the types of food you wish to collect. See our most needed items. Please promote the collection of nutritious foods. Or consider hosting a "special" food drive and collect one type of food, such as peanut butter and jelly or canned beans.  
• Identify your needs. Determine the quantity of the following items you will need:
• Containers for collecting food. The Houston Food Bank has large bins and smaller boxes available.
• Posters, letters, emails, etc. for generating awareness and interest.
• Money cans for participants who may also want to make a financial donation

2. Register with the Houston Food Bank and pick up supplies 
Complete the Food Drive Application Form and submit . For more information, please contact Special Events Cooridnator Rebeca Barvin, 713-547-8670.

Bin and box compared to 6ft-tall man  

3. Set your goal. 
Determine your goal for pounds, number of boxes or even number of cans of food collected and for the dollars collected. Aim high, but be realistic, too! If you did a food drive last year, set this year’s goal above last year’s. For fun, consider a competition among departments, groups, floors, buildings, classes, etc.

4. Get company or organizational management involved.
The support of company and organization executives sets a standard for participation to help motivate employees and members. Consider a “matching program” in which your company will match each pound or dollar you collect with its own donation of food or dollars. Incorporate a volunteer component in which company leadership and employees volunteer their time at the Houston Food Bank to sort food collected from the food drive. 

5. Promote your food drive.
Getting the word out is one of the most important factors in a successful food drive. People must know about it to participate.

• Consider launching the food drive at a special event such as a breakfast, lunch or afternoon cake break.
• Hang up signs, send letters or e-mails, post it on your web site, in company newsletters or bulletins.
• Identify or decorate collection containers and place in prominent locations.
• Create a tracking and information system to keep participants updated about progress.

Please let the Food Bank review any use of our logo before production, ajordan@houstonfoodbank.org.  AI, EPS or GIF files are available upon request.
Thank you.

6. Transporting the donation
Since transportation is a significant cost for us and very challenging to arrange around our scheduled food deliveries, we encourage you to bring your donation directly to the Houston Food Bank. Stop by the lobby first so that we can notify receiving personnel of your arrival. Our receiving dock is located on Cavalcade – just look for the gate where the food bank trucks are parked.

Warehouse receiving hours:

9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday

9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday 

If you have collected in excess of two standard truckloads of food and are unable to donate the transportation for your food drive, we will make arrangements to pick up your donation as soon as possible, depending on the availability of our transportation department. Contact Volunteer Services to make arrangements.

Money must be delivered to the Food Bank, or make arrangements with Rebeca Barvin, Special Events Coordinator, at 713-547-8670. Our truck drivers cannot transport financial donations.

For smaller food drives, the Houston Food Bank may arrange pick-up with one of our member hunger relief agencies.