2009 Canned Food Drive Update

Throughout the month of November, the Boone family organized their annual combined canned food drive called “Give Thanks Give Food” to benefit both the St. Giles Presbyterian and Union County Loaves and Fishes pantry. During this time, five organizations contributed to the overall efforts of this food drive:

South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church (1,455 lbs)

SMPC's Weekday School (844 lbs)

SMPC's Koinonia Kids (681 lbs)
Callonwood Subdivision (2,130 lbs)
Antioch Elementary school (1,000 lbs)

The combined effort provided 6,110 pounds of food for the Loaves and Fishes. (53% increase over the 4,008 pounds donated in 2008). The Boones wish to thank everyone who participated in any way to make this year’s collection a huge success! What an amazing out-pouring of love and support!

Upcoming Food Drive for 2009!

We are currently planning this year's food drive for the month of November and will culminate on Sunday, November 22, 2009. We hope to grow this year's efforts by combining the contributions from the Callonwood Subdivision, South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church, the SMPC Weekday School, Antioch Elementary School and more!

Here are some collection dates to remember:

LOCATION & COLLECTION DATES
SMPC (Nov. 8, 15, & 22)
SMPC WDS (Nov.16-20)
SMPC Koinonia Kids (Nov. 15)
CALLONWOOD (Nov. 22)
ANTIOCH ELEM (Nov. 16-20)

How to Organize a Food Drive

· Select a date, a time and an area in which to collect canned goods. (Weekends and late afternoons/early evenings work best for a food drive, as most people are home. Try collecting on your street for your first attempt at hosting a food drive.)

· Notify your friends and neighbors with posters and/or fliers prior to the date you have chosen. (You can use the sample flier above…just fill in your name, date, time and area for collection.)

· You may choose to distribute paper grocery bags along with your flier so that people may leave their donation of canned goods on their doorstep on the day of the food drive. (This makes it easier for folks to participate and for you to collect the donations. Many grocery stores are willing to donate bags at no cost for this purpose.)

· Invite friends and/or neighbors to help in the collection of the canned goods. Be sure to let them know the time, date and meeting place for the start the food drive allowing for time to gather together and give directions. If you are attempting to collect in a neighborhood, you may wish to print off a map from the internet of the area noting street assignments for your volunteers to use.

· On the date and time of your food drive, take a wagon or drive around to collect the canned goods.

· Contact your local food pantry to find out when they accept food donations. You may wish to schedule a time for your drop off.

· Invite the volunteers who helped with your food drive to participate in the delivery of the food. This is a great opportunity for people of all ages, especially children, to learn the importance of service!