Stories and Ideas

We've collected a list of some fun ways that groups have raised food and funds for Oregon Food Bank, along with some success stories. We'd love to hear your ideas too! 

Fun ideas for raising food and funds

• Organize pledge drives. Ask family and friends to pledge money if you walk a specific distance.
• Skip lunch on certain days and donate the cost of lunch. A class of students that usually has cocoa and cookies on Friday, instead had a symbolic snack, raising $150 for Oregon Food Bank.
• Recycle your junk at a sale: “One person’s junk is another’s treasure.”
• Sponsor bake sales.
• Organize cakewalks.
• Hold taco or chili feeds.
• Organize salad, soup and potato bars.
• Hold pizza parties.
• Sponsor an ice-cream social.
• Hold a potluck.
• Initiate a book sale.
• Sell popcorn.
• Organize a silent auction.
• Auction your managers at a “walk-an-hour-in-my-shoes” auction.
• Create a pop-can collection station.
• Sponsor a craft bazaar.
• Collect food and funds at film festivals.
• Collect food and funds at basketball games, mini-marathons, etc.
• Place donation jars and food bins near break rooms, copiers and fax machines.
• Bag it. Sponsor a brown-bag lunch. Ask staff to donate the cost of a lunch. Or ask people to donate a lunch bag full of nonperishable foods.
• Generate pyramid power. Have teams build a pyramid of food. Or ask teams to bring foods representing the nutritional food pyramid.
• Have groups or teams donate a meal.

How do you raise food and funds?

• Submit ideas that work well for you to the events team at eventscoordinator@oregonfoodbank.org.
• We also invite you to participate in events others have organized.
• Questions? Find the answers to frequently asked questions.

 

Food and fund drive stories

 

• Group gets a kick out of helping others

  Did you know that the Guiness World Record for the longest kickball game was recently set here in Portland? In addition to playing kickball for more than 33 hours, Portland kickball players also raised food and funds for OFB.

• Retirement community raises funds for OFB

  Thanks to exceptional efforts of residents, staff, guests and local business owners, a Washington County retirement community raised nearly $7,600 for Oregon Food Bank.