Think Bigg

The end of Thanksgiving is unfortunately not the end of hunger. With another round of holiday festivities coming up, PBS Kids offers these great suggestions on how to help your kids prepare for a neighborhood food drive!

1. Get some people to help you. You can work with friends, an after-school group, or your class at school. Remember to ask permission from a parent, leader, or teacher first.

2. Find a food bank. Visit Second Harvest, a Web site that lists food banks in each state. (You can also collect food for a local shelter.)

3. Ask an adult to help you call the food bank. Ask to speak with the Volunteer Coordinator. Explain that you are planning a food drive. Ask lots of questions, like: How many people are hungry in your area? What types of food do they need? When and where you should bring the food after the collection? What happens to the food after you deliver it?

For more of the step-by-step guide, read on!

4. Make a plan. Decide where you will collect the food. How long will you collect—a day, a week, a month? Set a goal for how much food you want to collect.

5. Advertise. Make signs to tell people when the food drive is happening and where the food will go. Help people understand why the food is needed by talking about the number of people who are hungry in your area. Tell people to bring food that won’t spoil, like canned vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, powdered milk, and cake mixes. Remind them to bring in healthy food that they would like to eat. Check out these other food ideas.

6. Set up and Start Collecting. You’ll need lots of collection boxes (copy-paper boxes work well). Put signs on the boxes so people know to put the food inside. Then put the boxes in places that are easy to see.

7. Deliver the food. Ask an adult to help you bring your food to the food bank. Add a note that lists the names of all the people who helped you.

8. Keep helping. Food banks and shelters can use other things besides food. Start a new collection around a new theme. For example, you could have a “Back to School” theme and collect school supplies, like notebooks, paper, pencils, and book bags. Or try a “Clean” theme and collect things like shampoo, soap, lotion, toothpaste, toilet paper, and tooth brushes. You can even have a “Baby” theme to collect things like diapers, bottles, toys, powdered formula, and socks.

Share This