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10 Food Gives Perfect for Community Groups Who Care

We Love food gives! Creating and completing food gives with a community of people just brings a whole lot of happiness. Having a community is like having a large extended family. Your community can be your group of friends, your apartment building or condo, your neighbourhood, or your city. The feeling you get when you are and feel connected to your community is unlike any other. Here are some ways you can connect with your community through food gives.

Donate to Your Local Food Bank – Community Food Gives

A lot of people in our communities rely on Food Banks. A great give, and a great way to connect with your community, is to go through your pantry and donate whatever non-perishable food you can offer. You are not limited to food – a great food give or donation can be a can opener or other essential kitchen goods that may get overlooked.

Community Donation to Local Food Bank

Make it a community effort to donate food to your local Food Bank. If you live in an apartment or a condo, leave a bag or box outside your door and let your neighbours know you are going to the food bank – your neighbours can pitch in what they can for a bigger donation.

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Photo by Courtney Bachar

Food Mailbox For Fabulous Food Gives

Plenty of people have a library box outside their homes – the idea is give a book, take a book. The same can be done for non-perishable foods. Have a second mailbox so anyone who needs food can take some, and anyone who has food to give can some!

Community Fridge – Food Gives That Keep Giving

Another option for a food give is to begin a community fridge! If you have a spare fridge, you can set it up outside and store perishable food for people to take as needed and leave as wanted. Maybe you can set up a schedule with some neighbours or friends, and take turns making meals to leave in the fridge. Toronto, Canada communities have been the driving force behind community fridges for those who need to access food during the pandemic.

Volunteer As  A Community For Your Food Gives

A great food give is volunteering at a soup kitchen or Food Bank. This food give not only helps those in need of food, it also helps the organizers of your local soup kitchen or food bank!

Buy a Snack or A Meal

If you live in a community where you have homeless neighbours, a great food give is to offer to buy a homeless neighbour a couple snacks or a meal. In my experience, they will have a specific request or ask to come in the store with you to choose. It is a great way to give food to your neighbours and to connect with the people in your community.

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Community Garden

In your front lawn, grow a vegetable garden. Let people know they can pick what they need. This food give is great for anyone with a green thumb. A community garden does not require too much money or effort but the amount of joy it can offer to your community is priceless!

Run a Bake Sale

A fun food give is to run a bake sale and give returns to your local food bank. You can get a group of friends to bake a few goodies and set up a table on a busy street. Whatever money you make you can donate to your local community’s food bank or soup kitchen.

Make a Meal for a Friend

Giving food is a great way to show love, condolences, or connect with people. If you know a friend is going through a hard time or just needs some love, make and deliver a meal to them! If they live too far away to deliver a meal directly, order them something to eat right to their door from a food delivery app like Uber Eats or Skip the Dishes.

Donate Food to an Animal Shelter

This is a great food give for any animal lovers out there. This animal food give can help cats and dogs living in shelters. If you have any cat or dog food, or can afford to buy some, donate it to your local animal shelter.

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Food Gives Rock Everyone’s World

Do you have any good food gives that we didn’t mention? We would love to hear from you.

Please add some more ideas in the comments! If you try out any of the food gives we suggested or the gives suggested in the comments, we want to know about it! Become a member of the 365give community and submit your experience on our webpage or post about it on social media – don’t forget to tag us @365give.

 

What people are saying about 365give

“I wanted to express my gratitude for the teaching you provided today. Your message was delivered eloquently, compassionately, and without judgment. The kids were engaged, and now have knowledge with which they can change the world. We all appreciated how you took the time to help us learn to build positive mindsets and practice happiness.”
Shelley Gardner, Grade 6 Ridgeview Elementary (West Vancouver)
“Actions really do speak louder than words, which is why I believe the 365give Challenge has resonated throughout my community. Every give we do is so important to us and leaves us happier and appreciating our lives a little bit more than before.”
Mahina Niyozova (Tajikistan)
“After watching the 365give TEDx Talk, I was inspired to join and begin a daily giving program in India. Today, along with 12 other volunteer women, we provide 100 meals to local underprivileged children in Bangalore for school every day.”
Deepika Ahuja, Mom (Bangalore, India)
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Cristina Peters, School Counselor (New York City, USA)
“I have seen a huge shift in energy throughout my classroom since doing the 365give Challenge. The Challenge has empowered my students to make a positive difference in the school’s community and beyond.”
Cella Adriana, Special Needs Educator /The Holliswood School (New York City, USA)
“The 365give Challenge helps students understand their impact on others. It opens avenues for introducing and discussing global and local issues in classrooms. It is powerful to watch students of all ages think about how they can make a change in another person’s life with one small act.”
Jessica Hall, Primary Teacher, French Immersion at École Pauline Johnson (West Vancouver, Canada)