Food and Fund Drives are an integral part in helping Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank provide meals to our neighbors in need. Hosting a food and fund drive is a way for neighbors, coworkers, friends and families to come together and give back to their community. Food and Fund Drives not only help increase the food supply that the Food Bank has on inventory, but they also help raise awareness about hunger in our area. Additionally, they help us provide a wider variety of food items which means that the families we serve have more choice in the food they receive when they visit the Food Bank or one of our partner agencies. Last year, more than 124,000 pounds of food was donated to the Food Bank through community food drives.
To meet the needs of the community during the pandemic, we introduced virtual food drives. Hosting a virtual food drive is the best way to positively impact the people we serve. For every $1 raised, we can provide up to five meals for the children, families and seniors we serve. Monetary donations allow us to purchase food in large quantities directly from manufacturers and quickly re-distribute to those in need. They also allow us to source the specific items we need to fill any gaps in our supply, including fresh produce and dairy. Virtual food drives are a great way to celebrate your birthday or anniversary, honor a loved one, create a challenge in your office or bring your network together for a special event.
For nearly three decades, Carnegie Mellon University has run one of the highest grossing food drives in the City of Pittsburgh, contributing more than $128,000 and almost 76 TONS of non-perishable foods to support those in need. Last year, CMU decided to combine their annual Food and Fund Drive with a virtual food drive. By creating teams for different departments, clubs and organizations, CMU was able to raise nearly $83,479.63 and collect more than 2,400 pounds of food last year to help serve our community. This is truly an incredible way to bring people together while helping those in need.
Your virtual food drive does not need to be huge to be impactful. Most community virtual food drives raise between $500 and $5,000. In 2020, virtual food drives provided nearly 2 million meals alone! No matter how big or small your drive, we are thankful for your support during this time of increased need!
If you are interested in hosting a Food and Fund Drive or a virtual food drive please visit pittsburghfoodbank.org/get-involved/food-drive/ or contact Maria and Juliana at events@pittsburghfoodbank.org or 412-745-FUND (3863).