Save the Date: "Virtual Food Drive Challenge" Is Coming in May
Operation Feed's "Friends & Family Fundraising" (a.k.a. the Virtual Food Drive) is back for 2012. To generate enthusiasm around this tool, the Kitchen Cabinet's Marketing Committee is presenting the "Virtual Food Drive Challenge." - During one week in mid-late May (TBD), groups of all sorts
 (current Operation Feed organizations & others) are invited to join a focused, spirited online effort to raise meals. - This quick & easy way to raise funds is the perfect chance to extend the reach of your drive, and it gets friends and family involved in the fight against hunger.
- The credit card donation site is secure, and all meals raised count toward your campaign effort. Each dollar raised = 3 meals.
- To get started, all you have to do is log onto the web site, create a page, and email the link out to others. They can make a one-time donation or create their own page for reaching out to personal contacts.
- It can easily go viral, and everyone can see real-time how the effort is progressing.
Stay tuned for more information about the challenge, and learn more about using Online Donation and Fundraising Tools with your campaign. |
Operation Feed Has a New Bank Lockbox
Our lockbox address has changed! Please use the updated address below as the new location to direct all monetary contributions (checks and/or money orders). Remember to include a Financial Donation Form with each batch. This will ensure that all donations are properly credited to your campaign. The new address will be updated on all 2012 materials, but please double-check your records (and recycle any outdated materials) to prevent returned mail.
Operation Feed P.O. Box 715547 Columbus, OH 43271-5547
Also, remember that there are several Cash and Coin Processing Resources for monies generated by your campaign activities. Converting all cash and coin to a check or money order and mailing directly to the lockbox with other contributions provides a tremendous administrative benefit to Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Thanks for your cooperation!
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RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: Thirty-One Gifts
 Being the new kid on the block isn't easy, but the Operation Feed team at Thirty-One Gifts proved that being new doesn't mean you can't hang with the veterans. Clara Valentino and her team at Thirty-One Gifts launched their campaign in February by visiting the Foodbank to take a tour, complete a volunteer shift and to pick up campaign materials.
Charged with a tall meal raising goal in a recovering economy, they persevered. Using their Operation Feed campaign as a chance to unite employees and build morale, Thirty-One Gifts raised a total of 5,973 meals. Clara's secret: follow the Step-by-Step Campaign Checklist. This failsafe tool provides everything you need to remember as a coordinator, so you don't forget important steps to a successful and easy campaign.
Thanks to Thirty-One Gifts for a great first season with Operation Feed! |
Borrow a Banner!
What better way to promote your campaign than with a large, attractive banner? Operation Feed continues to offer loaner banners for use at activities and events. The 2.5 x 6 foot vinyl banners--generously sponsored by the Graphic Technologies print shop in Groveport, Ohio--are a great way to highlight and endorse your efforts. We ask only that you return them in a timely fashion (8 banners are shared among 200+ organizations) and treat them well by using zip ties rather than adhesives for hanging. Use the Operation Feed Materials Request to place your reservation.
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Coordinator Training: Final Session Is May 1
Our Campaign Coordinator training program has been a great success this year, with some 150
individuals from 65 organizations participating (click here to see photos). For groups running later drives, one final session is scheduled for May: - Tuesday, May 1, 8:30-10 a.m. (Mid-Ohio Foodbank).
Attending a Training & Information Session is a great way to kick-start your Operation Feed effort! Join us to learn about Operation Feed and gather strategies for holding a successful drive. Food collection boxes and print materials for your meal-raising efforts will be available, and there will be opportunities to network and share ideas with coordinators from organizations across the community. Sign-up at http://operationfeed.eventbrite.com/, and please feel free to invite others involved with your campaign. Hope to see you there! |
SHELF LIFE: Lutheran Social Services Westside Food Pantry
 After 100 years of service, Lutheran Social Services (LSS) opened its second food pantry in West Columbus. Located on Wilson Road, the newest LSS food pantry debuted on April 2.
The Foodbank partner agency operates on a "choice" model where families can visit twice a month and are able to choose the food they receive, similar to shopping in a grocery store. This is an example of LSS' underlying goal: to not only serve people in need but also provide dignity and respect.
The pantry also provides donations of toys and books, and it works with the Ohio Benefit Bank to support clients in job searching and filing taxes. So far in 2012, about 690 tax returns have been processed and more than $1.2 million returned to clients.
The vast majority, about 85 to 95 percent, of the food distributed to the LSS pantries derives from Mid-Ohio Foodbank. On an average operating day, it takes about a dozen volunteers to run the pantry efficiently, and an average of 1,100 families are served each month. In March alone, 211 volunteers contributed more than 1,000 hours of hard work serving the community.
The LSS Food Pantry is open Monday to Friday, 1-5 p.m. For more information about the LSS programs and volunteer opportunities, contact Brad Draper at 614-586-1350. |
It's Time to Post Your Photo Contest Entries!
Show how you "Rally to Tally" in the fight against hunger by entering your organization in the Operation Feed photo contest. Start right now by capturing photos of campaign planning & meal-raising activities and posting them (with a caption that includes the name of your organization and "Operation Feed") to the Foodbank's Facebook wall. Fans will have the opportunity to "like" their favorites, and photos with the most "likes" will be chosen as finalists. The winner will be determined by applause-o-meter at the Campaign Finale event and will be used in Operation Feed 2013 marketing & materials. Start posting now! We already have some great March entries (check them out here). For complete details, see our Photo Contest Guidelines. |
Support Mid-Ohio Foodbank This Spring
Spring FLEA (Sunday, May 6)  With warm weather comes the FLEA season, and Columbus FLEA is again springing into action to fight hunger through Operation Feed. This year's first open air-market features a variety of local goods such as jewelry, antiques, clothing, artwork, records, crafts ... and much more! Join the fun on Sunday, May 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fireproof Storage parking lot, located at 1024 N. High St. in the Short North. Event proceeds benefit Operation Feed. For more information, visit Columbus Flea on Facebook.
"Stamp Out Hunger" (Saturday, May 12)
Mark your calendar for the 20th anniversary of the "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive on Saturday, May 12. Residents can place bags of non-perishable food items near their mailboxes; letter carriers then pick up the food contributions and deliver them to local food banks. Hosted by the National Association Letter Carriers, it is the largest one-day food drive in the nation and has raised over 1 billion lbs. of food nationally since its inception in 1991. Click here for more information. Kid's Company Annual Spring Show (Friday, May 18)  Kid's Company Performing Group, Ltd. presents its annual Spring Show to benefit Operation Feed. Join Kid's Company performers as they sing and dance through the decades, performing songs from Elvis, The Beach Boys, Olivia Newton-John, Adelle, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and More! The show is scheduled for Friday, May 18, 7 p.m. (doors, 6:30 p.m.) at Hilliard Bradley High School Auditorium (2800 Walker Rd., 43026). Tickets are $5-8, and all proceeds benefit Operation Feed. Click here for more information.
BusTown Music Benefit Concert (Tuesday, May 29)
 The Columbus music scene is fierce, and with the BusTown Music Month of Mayhem approaching in May... you'd better get your dancing shoes on! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 29th, 6-10 p.m. BusTown Music, in partnership with The Hot 17, will be hosting Operation: FEED-a benefit concert at The Ohio State University (exact location TBD). This is sure to be one of the biggest music events of the year with a complete local lineup of bands, including LES Crew, Post Coma Network, The Smoking Guns and many more! Click here to learn more. Additional Events and Promotions To learn about upcoming events and promotions, you can always visit the Foodbank's Events page at www.midohiofoodbank.org/news-events/events. |
Key Campaign Dates
- Ongoing Workplace/Organizational Campaigns - March-June
- Coordinator Training & Information Session - May 1
- Letter Carriers' "Stamp Out Hunger" Drive - Saturday, May 12
- FOODFIGHT "Eat Out To Fight Hunger" - Wednesday, June 20
- Official End of Campaign - Thursday, June 30
- Deadline to Submit Contributions for Awards Consideration - Tuesday, July 31
- Campaign Finale - Thursday, August 23
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Next Steps
- Make your "Virtual Food Drive Challenge" plans.
- Utilize contribution forms and cash & coin processing resources to process donations.
- Reserve a banner for your campaign event.
- Sign up your organization for a Coordinator Training & Information Session.
- Form a planning committee, and schedule time to discuss campaign plans with your leadership.
- Document your activities by snapping pictures for the photo contest.
- Confirm your campaign time frame with the Operation Feed team.
- Bookmark/favorite the "Campaign Coordinator Resources" web page.
- Talk about Operation Feed with your friends, colleagues, neighbors ... and encourage them to get involved.
- Rally your associates for an outstanding 2012 Campaign!
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