You can give Hope for the Holidays. As temperatures cool and the holidays approach, many of you compassionate community members are eager to help those experiencing hardship. The holiday season can be magical for some and unimaginably difficult for others. Gifts like warm hats, gloves, food, volunteer hours, or money can go a long way.
You may be asking yourself, “How can I, my church, service group, or business get involved in supporting my community?” An example of giving hope is Helen, “I make hats every wintertime for Helping Hands. I love that they wrap them up and send them to seniors that are homebound.” We are thankful that Helen brings warm hats and scarves for those in need. Community partners like Banner Bank are currently hosting a food drive and collecting funds for Helping Hands in their lobby, “We love connecting with the community and we know the need is great.”
Helping Hands would love to help you and your family and friends give Hope for the Holidays to your community.
Here are 3 ways you can give hope through Helping Hands Food Bank this holiday season:
Become a donor or monthly sustainer
Monthly sustainer donors help us stabilize the organization and are the bedrock of our financial health. With a monthly $25 donation, you can feed a family of 4 for an entire month. The purchasing power of Helping Hands Food Bank, combined with the hours of work by dedicated volunteers, allows us to turn your $25 into enough food that will feed a family for a month.
Your monthly donation might seem like one meal out for you but it makes a direct impact on these families by increasing their access to healthy food. This is especially impactful during the winter season as families face higher costs of heat, food, and other expenses.
You can quickly and easily sign up to be a monthly donor on our website. Then, select “Monthly” from the “Donation Frequency” dropdown menu.
Organize a Food Drive and/or Fundraiser
Your group can give the gift of hope by organizing a food drive and/or fundraiser to benefit Helping Hands Food Bank. If you need help with marketing materials, a receptacle to collect the food, or any logistical support to run your food drive/fundraiser smoothly, please connect with us at Development@HelpingHandsFoodBank.org or 360-856-2211.
Here are some quick tips to have a successful food drive/fundraiser:
- Set your dates. Have official start and end dates.
- Get many people involved! Recruit other organization members or coworkers to spread the word and encourage participation.
- Make it clear what you’re asking for. Are you asking for non-perishable food items to be dropped off at your office or a separate location? Are you accepting cash or check donations? Do you want people to donate via our website and indicate it’s for your fundraiser? What food or nonfood items does the food bank need?
- Repetitive marketing. Whether you do your own or have us help, post flyers, hand flyers out, create a couple of social media posts, utilize your email list, and don’t underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.
- Reminders. As the food drive/fundraiser end date approaches, be sure to give a couple of reminders.
Come Volunteer!
Helping Hands sees a lot of extra need during the Holiday Season. You can give hope simply by giving your time as a volunteer! All abilities and ages are welcome. Volunteers increase access to nutritious food by sorting produce, repackaging bulk food, delivering, supporting distribution, and more.
If you are an individual or family, you can apply to volunteer through our website. Once the application is complete, our staff will conduct a background check and contact you. Children of any age are welcome to volunteer with a parent or guardian, volunteers older than 16 may not need a parent.
Larger groups and organizations make big impacts in a short amount of time! If your organization would like to volunteer in the warehouse, you can contact us directly at Volunteer@HelpingHandsFoodBank.org or 360-383-8339 so that we can schedule a time for your group to come. Please give us at least one week’s notice before your desired volunteer date.
How are you planning on Gifting Holiday Hope?
When you support your neighbors by giving your time or treasures to Helping Hands, you give more than volunteer hours or a donation. You are making it easier for seniors to eat nutritious food and feel connected to their community and young working families to get relief from the stress of this economy. We say thank you to your barista, the senior at church, the veteran you know, and thousands of children who choose to use the services you help provide here at Helping Hands. Please share with us how you plan to Give Hope this Holiday on our Facebook. You can also reach us at (360) 856-2211 or Development@HelpingHandsFoodBank.org if you have any questions or want to connect.