3300 Route 66, Neptune, NJ 07753

Tel:  732 918 2600

www.foodbankmoc.org

Includes:

ü  How to Get Started

ü  Tips for Success

ü  Frequently Asked Questions

ü  Registration

ü  Promotional Flier with Most Needed Items

ü  Container Signage

How to get started:

Thank you for your interest in helping the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and our community by organizing a Food and Fund Drive.

ü     Register your Food and Fund Drive:  Print out the attached Food & Fund Drive Registration Form, fill it out and send it to the FoodBank.

email to lblanco@foodbankmoc.org

fax to 732-918-2660, Attn: Lorie Blanco, or

mail to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties

             3300 Route 66, Neptune, NJ  07753   Attn: Lorie Blanco

Please fill it out completely so we can provide the support you need and properly acknowledge you for your generous donations!

ü     Plan for delivering your donation:  Whenever possible, we encourage you to bring your donation directly to the FoodBank, since transportation is a significant cost to the FoodBank.

ü     Select the date(s) and location of the Drive: A drive can be one specific day, or up to 1-2 weeks long.

ü    Establish a Food and Fund Drive Committee, if needed:  It's a big job - don't do it alone.  Recruit people who are natural leaders to help you plan and organize and who can motivate your community to participate.  

ü     Set a Goal: Setting a target builds excitement and helps to raise more food & funds.

ü     Promote your Food and Fund Drive:  You can personalize the attached Food & Fund Drive Flier (Sign 1) to distribute, and look under Helpful Tips for other ways to spread the word.  If you wish to change the attached flier or create any press releases using the FoodBank's name, please send an email or fax a copy to Lorie Blanco for approval before you distribute it to make sure the details are correct.

Collecting and Delivering Donations

For Food Donations: 

ü     After packing your food donations, please bring them to the FoodBank.  We will weigh your donation, and provide you with a receipt for your records. A letter of thanks will also be sent to you or your organization.

ü     We appreciate your including delivery to the FoodBank in your own cars or vans as part of your donation, whenever possible. We are always in need of food and every food drive is very important to us in helping to feed the need in our communities. However, our trucks are in use daily to help deliver food to charities, and with the high cost of fuel, it becomes overwhelming to also try to pick up every food donation. If you are truly unable to deliver your food donation please contact Lorie Blanco, and we will do our best to try to accommodate your schedule.

ü    Your own collection boxes, bags or bins may be easiest to use, if you plan on delivering the food to the FoodBank yourself.  Containers should be sturdy and not too large for easier lifting. Tape bottoms of cardboard boxes together securely before use. Use the attached container signage.

 For Monetary Donations:

ü     Be sure to note on your promotional materials, that monetary donations will also be accepted. 

ü     Use a secure container to hold monetary donations. 

ü     Financial donations made to the FoodBank are tax-deductible.   

ü     Accept credit card donations from American Express, Visa, and MasterCard, as well as checks or cash (print a Monetary Donation Form from our website, see under How To Help in the main menu). 

ü     Make all checks payable to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. 

ü     For cash donations, please collect the donor's contact information that would normally present on a personal check (name/address) so we can acknowledge their donations. A thank you letter will be sent to all donors.

Helpful Tips

Promote your Food and Fund Drive*.

Dress the office or halls with fliers or posters, use office email, send memos, announce it at meetings. Use church and community bulletins, neighborhood grocery store bulletin boards, school announcements and newsletters.

Collection sites should be easy to find.

Central locations usually work best, such as reception areas, break rooms, or meeting rooms.  Be sure the area, the boxes or barrels are visibly marked.

Ask your organization to make a matching grant or challenge grant. 

For example, an organization could donate $1 for every pound of food donated by the participants.

Competition works.

Set up competition between departments or groups, and then announce those individuals or groups that made the highest contributions, publish them on your website or newsletter.

Make it part of a larger event.

For example, include a food drive during a holiday party. The FoodBank can send a speaker to come out and share information about our programs and hunger issues in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.  You can also ask colleagues to skip lunch and donate the money they would have spent on food.  This will also give them perspective on how hunger impacts daily activities.

Involve the Media*.

For larger food drives, you can fax a press release to local papers or radio stations.

* Please be sure to send or fax a copy of any print materials you wish to use which include the FoodBank's name, before you distribute it, to make sure alls details are correct.