During the holidays, many businesses want to give back to their communities. Often, the first thought when wanting to help food banks is to host a traditional, non-perishable food drive. Food Bank of the Rockies accepts food drive donations and encourages people to clean out their pantries and donate unwanted but still nutritious items, especially during large food drives through 9Cares Colorado Shares in the fall and summer and the National Association of Letter Carriers in the spring.
But because Food Bank of the Rockies can shop at wholesale or less through the Feeding America network and procure large donations from generous grocers, manufacturers, wholesalers and the agricultural community, we strongly encourage organizations to host virtual food drives rather than going out and purchasing food on our behalf. Hard earned funds can go much further when you let us do the “shopping.”
Every dollar raised allows our food bank to distributed five pounds of food, including perishable items like produce, dairy and meat. We’re good stewards of donor funds, receiving a BBB accreditation and 4-Star (highest) Charity Navigator rating. 96 cents of every dollar we receive goes to food distribution.
And virtual food drives are easy for organizations to host – just ask Slalom Consulting!
Slalom Consulting, a business and technology consulting firm, has had tremendous success hosting virtual food drives, raising nearly $15,000 over the past three years – enough to provide almost 60,000 meals and 75,000 pounds of food!
The Slalom Consulting team lives and works in the communities they serve, and strives to make them better and stronger. Knowing that many people along the Front Range struggle with hunger, they decided to focus their efforts on helping Food Bank of the Rockies.
Since the team serves clients across the Front Range, and often doesn’t make it back to the office on a weekly basis, they decided to utilize the virtual food drive service provided by Food Bank of the Rockies. Through the virtual food drive, they were able to actively engage their team and clients to contribute from any location with an internet connection. Their team found the ease of contribution through the virtual food drive a key factor in their increased donations year over year.
It has also lead to increased awareness and participation in their onsite service days volunteering at the food bank warehouse. The added benefit of the virtual food drive is that Food Bank of the Rockies, in conjunction with their community partners, is better able to source and meet the needs of those struggling to put food on their tables within our community.
“Based on Slalom’s experience with the ease of setup, maintenance, and contributions through the virtual food drive, I encourage businesses and organizations to take advantage of this opportunity,” says Joseph Kennedy, client service lead at Slalom Consulting. “We can all have a direct and lasting impact on food scarcity across the Front Range community.”
Food Bank of the Rockies is grateful for Slalom Consulting and the tremendous results they’ve achieved through hosting virtual food drives!
If your organization would like to learn more about hosting a virtual food drive or partnering with us, please visit our Community Partners page. And if you’re ready to get started on your drive, here’s the link.
