Food & Fund Drives

Food Drives FAQs

Who can host a food drive?

Anyone that wants to help end hunger can host a food drive. Individuals, families, groups, clubs, organizations, churches, businesses, schools, etc…

What kind of items do you accept for food drives?

We accept all types of nonperishable food items that are shelf stable and do not require refrigeration.

Dry goods such as: rice, beans, pasta, cereal, oatmeal, etc…

Canned goods such as soups, vegetables, tuna, chicken, beans, etc…

Pop-top canned goods and easy open items are highly appreciated

Do you accept non-food items?

Yes, we also accept personal hygiene items such as;

toilet paper
paper towels
laundry soap
bath soap
shampoo
toothpaste
toothbrushes
diapers
etc…

What items are not accepted?

Open packages
homemade food items
perishable foods that require refrigeration
items with expired dates
items that are dented or damaged.

What are best practices for hosting a food drive?

Designate a coordinator to oversee the food drive.
Select a Goal for how much food you’d like to collect.
Select Dates you’d like to run your food drive.
Choose Your Location for collecting items, high-traffic area that are secure.
Register with GCFB by submitting a completed Food & Fund Drive participation form.
Promote Your Drive to inform others of your event through letters, email, flyers, and website.

How do I get started?

Download the Food & Fund Drive packet

What are some ways to run a food drive?

Create a theme:

Breakfast Items: cereal, oatmeal, cereal bars, instant breakfast, pancake mix, etc.
Kids Favorites: juices, peanut butter, granola bars, macaroni & cheese, Chef Boyardee, cereal
Dinner Time: Pastas, Marinara sauce, canned meats like chicken or tuna, “Meals-in-a-box” such as Tuna Helper, Betty Crocker Helper Complete Meals, etc.
Brown Bag Lunch: Encourage your group to bring in a brown bag lunch and donate the money they would have spent on the lunch out.

Make it a competition:

Use some friendly competition to get your group even more motivated to give. Create teams between classrooms, departments, groups, floors, etc. to see who collects the most food. Make sure the “winners” receive special recognition for their contribution.

Company match:

Inquire if your company can match your food donation to the Galveston County Food Bank by setting up a dollar amount donated per pound of food collected. Contact your company’s Human Resources Department about a financial match program.

How do I publicize my food drive?

Share your food drive through social media, newsletters, bulletins, announcements, flyers, memos, e-blasts, and posters.

There is a high resolution official GCFB logo on this page available for download. Please included our logo on any marketing materials you make for your food drive event. For more tips on creating marketing materials download the Food & Fund Drive packet.

We’d love to support your event! Make sure to share your flyers with us, so we can promote your event on our social media platforms as well.

Make sure to tag us on social media!

Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn – @galvestoncountyfoodbank

Twitter – @GalCoFoodBank

#GCFB

#galvestoncountyfoodbank

Publicity is the key to a successful drive!

Where do I take my donation?

All donated items are accepted at our main warehouse located at 624 4th Ave N, Texas City, TX. 77590. Monday – Friday 8am to 3pm.

Does GCFB pick up donations?

Donation food pickups become cost prohibitive when we schedule small pickups. We ask that if the amount of food collected is less than what can fit in the back of a full size pick-up truck, please deliver to our warehouse at 624 4^th Ave N, Texas City, Monday – Friday from 8am to 3pm. (Please call prior to delivery to notify staff) For larger donations, please contact Julie Morreale at 409-945-4232.

Fund Drive FAQs

What is a fund drive?

A fund drive is where you collect monetary donations to gift to the food bank to help support the many programs aimed at providing food to those in need.

Is it better to donate money than food?

Both money and food greatly help support our mission to lead the fight to end hunger. With GCFB being a member of Feeding America and Feeding Texas, our buying power allows us to provide 4 meals for every $1, which gives us the ability to purchase more food than individuals can going to the grocery store.

How can money be collected for a fund drive?

Money can be collected as cash, check or online at our webstie, www.galvestoncountyfoodbank.org.

For cash, if individuals giving cash would like to receive a tax deductible receipt, please include their full name, mailing address, email and phone number with the cash amount.

For checks, please make payable to Galveston County Food Bank. Note your organization/group name on the bottom left of the check, so your event will get credit. See Food & Fund Drive packet for example.

For online, when you submit your completed Food & Fund Drive inform us that you’d like to encourage online donations and a special tab can be added to the drop down menu, so your food drive event will get credit for the monetary online donation.

How can I start an online fundraiser?

It’s easy to start an online fundraiser by visiting our JustGiving page here . Customize the page, set a goal and then share the link to your online fundraising page by email or on facebook and twitter to spread the word.

Please make sure to tag us on social media.