Come Spend Your Day With Us!
Volunteers are an integral part of our food distribution and help bring our mission to life! Whether you have a half day or a full day to spare, we could use and appreciate your help.
FOOD
Give
Are You Looking to Host a Food Drive?
One of the best ways to give back to our community is by hosting your very own food drive! Sign the form below and get started today. Grab your friends, colleagues, classmates, and family to make the biggest impact you can. For every 1.2 pounds you collect, that's equivalent to 1 meal for our neighbors in need. We can't wait to see your impact!
Useful Resources
Whether this is your first time hosting a food drive or you're a seasoned professional, you can use these helpful resources below to ensure that you're bringing in the most requested items for your neighbors. Click the links below to access usable flyers for print or digital marketing to boost your donations, and a full breakdown of how hosting a food drive works from start to finish.
Food Drive FAQs
How do I start a Food Drive?
Sharing your goals with your target community and networking is the way to go. Community members and businesses like to partner with causes that have openly shared the purpose for their food drive collection.
When can I host a food drive?
You are welcome to host a food drive anytime of year! There is always a need for food, with a higher demand from November - March.
What items can be donated?
Dry shelf stable goods are preferred as they are able to keep longer than perishable donations. Please see the food drive flyers on our website for detailed information.
What if I have perishable donation items?
We understand that sometimes community members like to donate cold perishable items. But due to food safety concerns, such as maintaining consistent temperatures, we strongly advise against these types of donations.
Can we donate nonfood items?
You are welcome to do so, but please keep in mind that these should be provided directly to our Community Partners, as they have the volunteer staff available to sort and better determine the best use for those donations.
Additional FAQs
What containers do I use for collections?
You are welcome to use any box, bags, or totes for your collections. It depends on the space and or locations which you have collections staged at. We also have food drive boxes available for pick up at our Jefferson Warehouse.
Where do I pick up boxes from? When?
Boxes can be picked up from 2950 Suite B Jefferson St. Riverside, CA 92504 Monday - Friday 8 am-2 pm daily, an appointment or phone call is not necessary. Just ask the office for them and a team member will grab those for you.
What do I do with my food donations?
If you have a certain pantry or community partner in mind, feel free to contact them directly ato coordinate the donation drop-off. If you’re unsure about resources in your area, use our pantry locator to find food pantries near you, and contact them to see if they can accept your donations.
Can I donate my food directly to Feedng America?
We don’t often take direct food donations due to the volume of food flowing through our warehouse. Food drive donations are usually redistributed to other community partners. By connecting our food drives directly to our community partners, food gets in the hands of community members in need more quickly.
Can someone come and pick up the donation?
Unfortunately, we are unable to schedule direct connect donation collections. We strongly encourage utilizing our Find a Pantry on our website to connect with a local distribution center/pantry to receive those food drive donations.
How do we know a pantry is associated with Feeding America?
By using our Find a Pantry locator, you can confirm that a partner is indeed affilaited with us.
Do you work with schools directly for food drives?
Unfortunately, at this time we are not working directly with schools for food drives. We encourage that they host a food drive and make it available to their immediate school community or connect with their Districts for advanced direction.
When can I drop off the donation?
Hours will vary depending on which community partner you connect with. Be sure to contact the pantry directly to coordinate a dropoff time that works for both parties.
How can I get a receipt for my donation?
All of our community partners can assist with a weighted donation receipt should you drop if off directly with them. Be sure to let them know that you would like a receipt.
Are food drives the only way to support Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino?
Food drives are not the only way to directly suport our work here at Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino. We have many volunteer opportunities available for those looking to contribute in other ways. Monetary donations can also make a direct impact though our insitituional buying power. Visit our Get involved page to learn how you can impact our work.
Ready to Donate?
Drop-offs will be delivered directly to FARSB's closest Community Partner, which can be found using our Find-A-Pantry interactive map. Please coordinate with the partner pantry directly for donation drop-offs.
Ready to get started? Register your food drive below to get additional assistance.