Fighting hunger, One store at a time.

Holidays inspire all sorts of feeling in a community, many want to spread cheer and give back, but that is not always an easy task for a store, especially in the midst of one of the busiest consumer times of year. Well here is a traditional idea so easy, kindergartners can not only manage it, but are successful with it… a food drive!

Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza, winter holidays just are not holidays without a good meal. A few cans of food may not seem much to everyone, but it is a great way to spread the holiday cheer and give back to those in your community. As a store owner, manager, or employee, there isn’t much up-keep to this kind of project, as it mostly includes a sign of some sort, and a container to collect the food in! Although you may want two containers, one for canned goods and one for boxed goods.  A local charity should not only provide you with a location to drop off the food, but also provide you with a list of needed items to post for your customers.

For those of you that may want to be a bit more proactive and involved, there are several options to tie into this idea. Many organizations dedicated to fighting hunger offer several different donation avenues, you may be able to collect a certain amount to sponsor a family for the holidays, for example: Donate $35 to feed a family of 4 for four days, etc.

You could make it promotional within your store, for instance; make a $40 purchase and the store will donate a can of food. If you wanted to get creative you could post somewhere in the store all of the families that have donated!

A great way to drive traffic for your food drive is using your social media. Start conversations, post reminders, and let your customers know what you need the most of. Document your progress with pictures, post ones of customers bringing in food, or dropping boxes off to your local charity. This certainly makes promotion easier, and this is the perfect event to get your customers talking.

Of course, there really are numerous ways to hold a food drive, how you gather is a matter of personal preference and the amount of time available to devote. However the gift of food is a no small feat, and is always appreciated by those in need.  Let the holidays begin!