Many community-based organizations lack the capacity or resources to meet the needs of the growing population of hungry Americans. Food pantries and other charitable organizations also often run short on food that is age appropriate (e.g., low sodium for seniors), culturally appropriate and/or fresh. Tight economic times have only further burdened these organizations.
The holiday season is a time for giving and bringing joy to others. One great way to spread holiday cheer in your community is by organizing a turkey drive. Handing out free turkeys to local families in need ensures everyone can have a delicious Thanksgiving meal If done right, a turkey drive can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Here’s how to plan a successful turkey drive from start to finish.
Define Your Goals and Purpose
The first step is deciding the main purpose and goals for your turkey drive Ask yourself
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Who will be the recipients of the donated turkeys? Underprivileged families? Senior citizens?
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How many turkeys do you want to collect? Setting a goal number will help with planning logistics.
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Will you partner with local charities or food banks? Collaborating expands your reach.
Having clear objectives from the start ensures your efforts stay focused.
Pick Convenient Dates and Locations
Choose dates for your drive leading up to Thanksgiving when turkeys are easy to find at grocery stores. We collected turkeys on November 12th and 19th with great success.
Pick convenient drop-off locations like schools, churches, offices or public venues. We had a donation bin at the local community center. Getting lots of visibility boosts participation.
Promote the Turkey Drive
Spreading the word about your event is crucial. Create flyers to hang up around town. Post on social media and local community pages. Send emails through work or school listservs.
Emphasize how the drive benefits the community. Share stats on local families facing food insecurity. This motivates people to get involved.
Plan the Logistics
Work out the logistics to make donations easy:
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Set up a drive-through drop off zone with volunteers to limit contact.
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Provide large boxes or bins for turkey collection.
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Partner with local grocery stores to offer discounted turkeys for drive participants.
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Arrange refrigerated trucks or storage space to keep turkeys fresh.
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Develop a system to distribute turkeys to recipients after the drive.
Attention to details ensures a smooth operation.
Add Fun Touches
Adding interactive elements encourages greater participation. At our drive we:
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Hosted a “Turkey Trot” fun run before donations opened.
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Handed out free cookies, cider, and crafts for kids.
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Played Thanksgiving music and had a donation contest between classes.
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Gave small gifts to each donor like muffin mix or hot cocoa.
Making the drive festive gets the whole community involved.
Express Appreciation
Recognize all contributors through thank you letters, social media shoutouts, and press releases. People want to feel their efforts made an impact.
Highlight personal stories of families getting turkeys. This motivates donors to keep participating every year.
Review and Improve for Next Year
After the drive, examine what worked and what you can improve. Ask for feedback from volunteers and participants. Look at donation numbers and recipient satisfaction.
This information helps perfect your strategy for an even better turkey drive next holiday season. With some creativity and planning, you can ensure no one in your community misses out on a delicious Thanksgiving meal.
Step 7: FINAL PREP ARRANGEMENTS
Touch base with the recipient organization, your team leaders and your contact person at the drive location to confirm all details, including:
- Plans for box/crate drop-off prior to the drive and food pick-up following the drive
- Food sorting instructions (if any)
- Who will supply tables, chairs and refreshments for the volunteers?
- The staffing schedule for the day of the food drive
- 2- to 3-hour shifts are best
- Create 3 or 4 large signs that your teams can post within a block or two of the food drive on the day of the event
- Be prepared with information for people who tell you they need food. Identify the closest food pantry, as well as the closest place people can go to get assistance in applying for SNAP, the food stamp program (see the SNAP Flyer in the ‘Supplemental Materials’ section below).
Step 1: PICK A LOCAL GROUP THAT NEEDS FOOD
Consider both the obvious (food bank and homeless shelter) and the less obvious (faith-based organizations, senior citizen centers, schools). If you want suggestions on food organizations in need, start by contacting your local food bank. You’ll find them listed online at www.feedingamerica.org
Food banks and pantries are all different, so before you start planning, be sure to reach out to learn the best way to meet their needs.
Food banks are warehouses that collect large quantities of food to distribute to local food pantries, soup kitchens, etc. The food bank itself may be interested in benefiting from your drive. Or, they may suggest a local food organization in your neighborhood.
Once you’ve determined what organization will benefit from your drive, use the questions in the Tips for Meeting an Organizations Needs section below to talk with them about your idea and how best to shape it to meet their needs.
Local food organizations often are in short supply of age-appropriate food (e.g., low sodium, low sugar, or easy to open foods) and/or culturally-appropriate foods. Use the Sample Food List in the “Supplemental Materials” section and consider narrowing your requests for donations to these special areas to best meet the needs of the people being served.
If no local organization needs support, consider making a donation to AARP Foundations Fight Hunger Campaign at www.aarp.org/hunger to help those who are hungry.
Here’s how you can get a donated turkeys after Turkey Drive 2020
FAQ
How to set up a Thanksgiving food drive?
- Step 1: PICK A LOCAL GROUP THAT NEEDS FOOD. …
- Step 2: DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO COLLECT FOOD. …
- Step 3: ASSESS VOLUNTEER NEEDS. …
- Step 4: FIND A DROP-OFF LOCATION. …
- Step 5: RECRUIT AND MANAGE VOLUNTEERS. …
- Step 6: GET THE WORD OUT. …
- Step 7: FINAL PREP ARRANGEMENTS. …
- Step 8: EVENT DAY.
How to set up a donation drive?
- Decide on a cause and items to collect. …
- Finalize a location and date. …
- Set goals. …
- Form a team. …
- Find a local partner. …
- Choose an online tool for fundraising and the event. …
- Promote your donation drive. …
- Host the donation drive event in your community.
What is a Thanksgiving turkey drive?
… part of the 19th century, Indians used snares and blow guns to catch turkeys and white people conducted turkey drives to capture their Thanksgiving turkey
How to start a homeless food drive?
A good way to start is by checking with your local food bank. They will likely have a good understanding of what’s necessary to get started. They will also know what other hunger relief efforts are out there so you’re not duplicating services.