Host a food drive fete

September 28, 2009

Get the kids excited about giving back by organizing a neighborhood food drive.

Invite friends and neighbors over to prepare. Supply everyone with t-shirts and reusable tote bags to hold collected food to decorate. Divide the group into teams and use fabric paint and iron-on lettering to distinguish each one.

Bring the group together to make fliers to advertise the fundraiser and invite others to get on board. Use brightly colored paper and metallic or glitter pens to get the whole neighborhood's attention.

A contest may stir up everyone's giving spirit. Set a giving goal and plan to have a party in honor of the first team to reach it. Each team should be able to track their progress on giant cardboard thermometers that you'll provide.

When you've received all of your donations, put them in festively decorated boxes. Write the name of the family or charity you're benefiting, and be sure to give each recipient an honorary team t-shirt and tote bag, too.

At your celebration party, make a meal using the types of food items you collected to remind everyone how fortunate they are. Create a large trophy beforehand and present it to the winning team. Fill it with candy or other tasty treats that will have everyone else jonesing to win next year.