Community

9 Food Drive - Want To Get Involved

Anyone can participate by purchasing non-perishable food or canned goods during the 9 Food Drive. If you would like to help as an individual, you can bring your donation to any of our donation locations by using our donation location map.

A 9 Food Drive collection is an easy way to have a huge impact on local families in need. The 9 Food Drive, benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, comes at an especially critical time as area emergency pantries served by Second Harvest Food Bank report increases in requests for assistance in the summer and giving is at a low point for the year.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Collect non-perishable food or canned goods for local children! With school no longer in session and over 265,000 area children currently receiving a free or reduced lunch during the school day, many children will not receive the once guaranteed two meals a day. Make an individual donation or, even better, organize your own 9 Food Drive collection. There are many great reasons to do this project, including:

  • Feel great about ensuring that local children who rely on free or reduced school lunch will receive meals during the summer.
  • Provide a fun way to engage your friends and colleagues to work together for an important cause.
  • Help spread the word about the issue of hunger in our community.

GET HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS

Whether you organize the drive on your own or make the organizing a group effort, you will need to reach out to a lot of people in order to make the food drive a success. So go ahead and recruit your family, work colleagues, neighbors and others in your community.

MAKE A PLAN

You will need to develop a task list and plan for the following:

  1. Determine drop-off dates and locations.
  2. Consider local community locations such as faith organizations, libraries, community centers or schools.
  3. Ensure that someone will be at the location at all drop-off times.
  4. Make sure each drop-off location has a receptacle to place the food donations.
  5. Schedule the drop-off deadline a few days before the date you plan to drop off your donation. Consider keeping an estimated tally of collected foods. It's helpful to know what you achieved when you celebrate your success.
  6. Divide your tasks — don't do it all yourself.

PROMOTE IT

Do the following to promote your food drive:

  • You can download our 9 Food Drive flyer here to promote your event.
  • Provide the date, time and location for donation drop-off.
  • Tell all of your friends — word of mouth is a great promotional tool.
  • Reach out to PTAs, community organizations, faith organizations, libraries, etc., and ask them to help you promote the food drive. They could promote through bulletins, email blasts, social media, mention at public meetings and/or allowing you to post your flyer in their buildings.
  • Post the 9 Food Drive collection on social media and send out messages to your network.
  • Post signs near the drop-off location to make it easy for everyone to find you. Use large construction paper or poster board so people can read the signs from their cars.

DROP OFF YOUR FOOD DONATION

  • Once you’ve completed you collection you can bring your donation to any of the 9 Food Drive donation locations.
  • Even better, join the WSOC-TV during our special collection day on Wednesday, June 13 from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. at 235 W. 23rd St., Charlotte, NC 28206.

The 9 Food Drive relies on the generous support of our community. If your organization or business would like to get involved or help with any WSOC-TV community campaign, please email your inquiry to Kevin Campbell, Public Affairs Manager at Kevin.Campbell@wsoctv.com.