Food Bank of Delaware kicks off Thanksgiving food drive  

October 11, 2021

Thanksgiving will be here soon! To prepare for the holiday season, the Food Bank of Delaware kicked off its annual Thanksgiving holiday food drive on October 11. This year’s Thanksgiving food drive will be held in a hybrid fashion with opportunities for both virtual and in-person food drives.

According to Feeding America, more than 114,000 Delawareans are expected to be food insecure in 2021. The community’s support is needed now more than ever to ensure that Delawareans have hot holiday meals on the table this season.

“Far too many families in our community struggle to make ends meet,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky. “No family deserves to go without a hot holiday meal. Our neighbors can help us bring hope this season by hosting a virtual or in-person food drive. Food collected from the holiday food drive will be distributed through our incredible network of partners, the on-site Healthy Pantry Centers at the Newark and Milford Food Bank warehouses and mobile food pantries.”

Two options are available to support those in need this holiday season.

  • Virtual food drive: An interactive virtual food drive fundraising tool allows donors to create a personalized virtual food drive page and invite friends, family or coworkers to donate. The virtual food drive mirrors an online shopping experience where shoppers can select food items and place them in a shopping cart to check out and make a secure tax-deductible donation to the Food Bank. Thanks to the Food Bank of Delaware’s wholesale purchasing power and efficient distribution model, food donations through the virtual food are stretched even further. For every dollar donated, the Food Bank can provide three meals to Delawareans in need.

To host a virtual food drive, please visit https://fbd.fenly.org.

  • Physical food drive: For individuals and businesses interested in conducting physical food drives, collection barrels may be picked up (participants may also use their own collection boxes!), and donations may be delivered to the Food Bank of Delaware in Newark (222 Lake Drive) and Milford (1040 Mattlind Way) Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Contact-free donation zones have been set up at both the Newark and Milford facilities. Newark donors may drop off nonperishable donations to collection boxes set up under the Food Bank barn on the far side of the front parking lot, and Milford donors may drop off to the collection box by the door marked donations and agency pick-ups. To ensure your donation can be distributed in time for Thanksgiving, please be sure to deliver by Thursday, November 11. Items delivered after that date will be distributed through the remainder of the holiday season.

Most-needed holiday items include:

  • Applesauce
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Oatmeal
  • Cold cereals
  • Pudding mix
  • Canned pumpkin
  • Graham cracker pie crust
  • Canned gravy
  • Rice
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Stuffing
  • Hearty soups
  • Corn muffin mix
  • Canned sweet potatoes and yams
  • Canned peas and green beans
  • 100% fruit juice
  • Hot chocolate
  • Coffee and tea
  • Evaporated milk
  • Turkey pans
  • Frozen turkeys (must be dropped off to Newark or Milford warehouses)

More information about the holiday food drive can be found by visiting www.fbd.org/food-drives or contacting Sue DeNardo, Community Development Manager, at sdenardo@fbd.org.

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