Kaufman Co 4-H Food Drive for Local Food Shelters - June 1-12th

The 4-H Youth Council voted to help local food pantries during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Below is some information on how to contact your local food banks. You can drop off at the extension office but please call ahead to let us know you are coming.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas food banks are serving 88% more clients than this time last year.  Feeding Texas reports that food donations are down at a time when demand at food pantries and food banks has exploded as people have lost jobs and income.  The number of volunteers at food banks and pantries has also declined by more than 70% causing some food pantries to close due to inability to serve clients.  Others are closing due to lack of food available to distribute.   Food banks have increased the number of mobile distributions due to the closure of some food pantries.  Unfortunately, they have had to turn people away from these mobile distribution sites, because they handed out all the food they brought before they ran out of people to serve.

Food shortages at food pantries and food banks have been reported at the State Operations Center.  As a result, AgriLife Extension has been asked to sponsor and organize food drives at the county level to benefit local food pantries or the food bank serving that county when no local food pantry is available or currently open. 

The following guidelines and suggestions are provided to help facilitate the planning.

Identify and contact local food pantries

Identify the food pantries in your county and contact them to determine if they are currently open and accepting food donations.  Inform them of your intent to conduct a food drive and notify them of the time period or ask them when the best time for them would be to have a food drive.  If there are no food pantries in your community, contact the food bank that serves your county.  (See Food Bank Map)

Determine if the food pantries have a preference for how they receive food donations –

·        do they want individuals/families to drop off their donations at the food pantry or do they prefer you have a central collection point and bring the donations to them at one time?  This will help determine how you organize the food drive.

·        If they prefer individuals/families drop off their donations at the food pantry, you will want to get the times when they accept donations.  Some food pantries only accept donations during specific time periods.  Donation times would need to be communicated to your Extension network.  (More discussion below)

·        If they want the donations to be made all at once, you will need to determine a central collection point where donations can be dropped off.  This may be at your office, a community center, the courthouse, the local grocery or convenience store, etc.  If the collection point is not at your office, it will be helpful to have volunteers (a great 4-H service project) identified to collect the donations daily during the food drive week and keep in one spot until they are delivered to the food pantry.

Weigh and Report Donations

We would like to track the weight of donations. 

·        Often food pantries have scales they can use to weigh donations.  If families are dropping their donations off, have them record the weight and report to you. You can also drop off at the Extension Office which will serve as a central collection point, and help record the weight of donations. 

·        Please use the following Google form to report food donations https://forms.gle/jJhGEj23ZEEYKBYV7.  

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What to Donate

·        In your conversations with food pantries you may ask what specific items are in greatest need.  The list below is a standard list of foods food pantries and food banks request. 

·        Ask if they have specific policies or requirements for food that is donated or items they do not accept.  This is often the case with fresh produce.  Fresh or frozen meats and home canned/preserved products are generally not accepted. 

·        You can also provide the Food Safety Tips for Donating Food fact sheet to families and volunteers.

·        Suggested Foods

·        Canned meats

·        Canned vegetables

·        Peanut Butter

·        Canned fruits

·        Ready to eat pop-top can goods

·        Shelf stable milk

·        Dry goods – pasta, rice, beans, cereal

·        Some people may prefer to give a monetary contribution.  In your discussions with the food pantries you may ask them how people should make monetary donations or you may elect to include the Food Bank information for any monetary donations.  When possible, track and report these donations as well.

Other Resources

Staying Safe at Food Pantries During the COVID-19Pandemic – AgriLife fact sheet providing tips for safe operations at food pantries for staff, volunteers, and clients during COVID-19

Food Safety Tips for Donating Foods – AgriLife fact sheet providing food safety tips for those donating foods.

Feeding Texas Network of Food Banks - https://www.feedingtexas.org/about-us/our-network/

Questions and suggestions about this project should be directed to:

Carrie Sharp, cl-sharp@tamu.edu