How to Start a Food Drive

A man and a woman standing with three children

Organizing a food drive is a great way to fight hunger and raise awareness for Feeding San Diego.

Whether you run a virtual drive to unite your community or work with others to collect non-perishable items, you can make a difference.

Some of our most needed items are:

  • Ready-to-eat meals like canned soup or pasta
  • Meal ingredients like hamburger helper
  • Cooking oils, condiments, and spices
  • Canned protein like tuna, chicken, and spam
  • Peanut butter

Read on to find out how to start a food drive and help feed San Diegans facing hunger.

Start a Food Drive
Start a Virtual Food Drive

What Is a Virtual Food Drive?

A traditional food drive involves collecting canned food and other non-perishables. With a virtual food drive, you collect funds online instead.

So why would you choose to go virtual instead of collecting cans?

In general, virtual drives make a bigger impact. Feeding San Diego works with manufacturers, retailers, and farmers to secure healthy food. Since we aren’t paying retail prices, each dollar donated helps provide two meals to the community. Plus, virtual drives are easy to set up and can reach a larger portion of your network!

Start a Virtual Food Drive
Girl holding an orange and smiling

Did you know…

You can donate some of our most-needed food items from the comfort of your own home using Instacart Community Carts. Simply purchase the items through your Instacart account and they’ll deliver everything for you!

Learn More

Steps for Starting a Food Drive

The first step to organizing your drive is to contact Feeding San Diego. Before you launch, fill out our Food Drive Request Form with all the relevant information. Our volunteer team will contact you with more details about getting started.

Do you want to collect food for one day or multiple days? Will all food be collected at a single location? Or will you set up collection sites at multiple places? Do you want to tie your drive to an event like a sports game, concert, or party? There are lots of ways to organize your drive to make it right for you and your participants.

We have a short list of items that we prefer, specifically ready-to-eat meals like soups, chilis, and canned pasta. Challenge your supporters to focus on one of these items instead of a random assortment.

The best way to make your drive successful is to get your network involved. Make flyers. Tell your friends and family. Post on social media. Make sure people know where to drop off their donations and the best items to contribute.

Some people may not want to purchase and donate food but still want to support your efforts. Offer them the opportunity to donate funds instead! You can set up a virtual food drive for those who want to support digitally. Every dollar your supporters donate helps provide two meals to the community.

Once you’ve collected all your donations, you can deliver hem to Feeding San Diego’s Distribution Center located at 9477 Waples St., Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121, Monday through Friday, 8 am- 4:30 pm.

Submit this request form if you need support coordinating your food drive!

Let the people who participated know how much food they helped collect and thank them for their support! There are lots of ways to let your supporters know you appreciate their efforts. Send thank you emails (or, better yet, a personal note). Post photos of the food collected on social. Tag us (@feedingsandiego) and we may share your success too!

Get Started

Jars of peanut butter on a trolley
A girl holding a box of cheerios