This month, Twoshirts.org is spotlighting a non-profit organization called the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. They partner with United Way to do Operation Feed. For 27 years Operation Feed has provided food for needy families in central Ohio. Every year, local businesses, government agencies, school children, and civic groups team up to donate critically needed food items and dollars during this community-wide food drive.

To help support Operation Feed, Twoshirts.org is running a city-wide food drive during the month of June! Our goal is to collect 25,000 items and $2,500 dollars by June 25th!

We have several opportunities for you to help with this food drive:

1. Coordinate a Food Drive with your small group – At your next small group meeting, offer to coordinate a food drive. Food drives could be as simple as asking each group member to bring in a bag of non-perishable food items at your next group meeting. Or, if you want something a little more challenging, coordinate an outreach into your host home’s neighborhood. Check out "How to Plan a Door-to-Door Food Drive with Twoshirts.org" for more information!

2. Coordinate a fundraiser with your small group – At your next small group meeting, offer to coordinate a fundraiser. Fundraisers could be as simple as asking each group member to bring in money at your next home group meeting. Or, if you want something a little more challenging, coordinate a bake sale, car wash, or some other creative activity with the proceeds going to Operation Feed. Click here for ideas.

3. Get your employer involved – Many companies are really excited about giving back to their community. Do not be shy about asking your company to help! For example, on May 30th I asked the administrative assistant of the Owner of our company if I could setup a cardboard box and poster in our lunchroom so we could accept food donations. As the conversation progressed, I asked if our company would be interested in helping out in any other way and they suggested they might be interested in making a financial donation! To top it off, they encouraged me to send an email to everyone in our office to encourage them to donate food. All of this came about from a 5 minute conversation with the right person. What’s the worst they could say?

4. Get your friends and family involved – We need you to spread word! Pass out bags and grocery lists to everyone you know. Remember, if you pass out a bag, please become the point person for collecting the food!

5. Donate materials – Our supply of paper bags, boxes, and flyers may need to be replenished. If you can help us collect bags and boxes or print high-quality color flyers, email me at baghunger@brianstevenson.com to be put on the “reserve” list. As of this writing, medium-sized boxes (18” x 18” x 18”) and printed material are our greatest need.

6. Lend us your garage/basement – We need storage space! Ideally, we would like to setup drop off points all over the city. Logistically, it would make sense to have a local drop off point for small loads of groceries. At the end of the food drive, use a pickup truck to move large loads of groceries directly to Mid Ohio Food Bank with just one trip. It will help save us time and gas with this arrangement. If you can donate storage space, please email baghunger@brianstevenson.com and let me know your name, telephone number, email address, and your street address.

7. Sign up as a volunteer – We need help! I am gathering a list of people who we can call on at any time to help out in a variety of ways. We have jobs such as: Passing out bags, picking up food, delivering materials to people, transporting large amounts of food in your pickup truck, loading and unloading, and more! If you would like to make yourself available, please email baghunger@brianstevenson.com and let me know your name, telephone number, email address, zip code, days you would be available, hours you would be available, and what you would like to do to help!

8. Pray! – Ask God to bring in a bountiful harvest of food, the wisdom to coordinate such a large event, and for lives to be touched with the love of Jesus Christ.

I've reserved this section below to help answer any questions:

Which foods does the Mid-Ohio Food Bank need the most?
Check out our Grocery List.

How can I get copies of your posters and flyers?
All of our flyers can be downloaded and printed from our web site! Remember: If you pass out a flyer, please become the point-person for arranging pick ups. We have six files that you can download:
1. Let’s Bag Hunger Poster – 8 ½” x 11”, portrait, single-sided. This can be hung up on a wall.
2. Let’s Bag Hunger Flyer – 8 ½” x 11”, landscape, double-sided. You will need a printer that can print on both sides of a piece of paper. The front describes what we are doing and the back has a grocery list.
3. Let’s Bag Hunger Grocery List – 8 ½” x 11”, portrait, single-sided. Print a basic grocery list.
4. Let’s Bag Hunger Grocery List – 8 ½” x 11”, landscape, single-sided. Two grocery lists per sheet.
5. Operation Feed Poster - 8 ½” x 14”, portrait, single-sided
6. Operation Feed Flyer - 8 ½” x 11”, landscape, double-sided.

Also, we have a small reserve of flyers if you are unable to print these files. Please email baghunger@brianstevenson.com to make arrangements to pick up these flyers.

How do I get materials like bags and boxes?
Twoshirts.org will do our best to provide these materials for you. However, we’ll need to find a practical way of getting these materials to you. Please email baghunger@brianstevenson.com to with your name, address, the quantity of materials that you would need, how you plan on using those materials, and what day you need those materials. We’ll make arrangements for pickup or delivery of the bags and boxes.

What if someone offers me money instead of food?
We can accept money. Have them make their checks payable to the Mid-Ohio FoodBank. When your food drive is complete, please email baghunger@brianstevenson.com to let us know you have money to turn in.

Where do I drop off my groceries?
Please do not take the bags directly to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. We have made some numeric goals for the Twoshirts.org food drive and we would like to officially count the items before bringing in our collective donation. Please email baghunger@brianstevenson.com with your name, address, and how much food you have so we can make arrangements. As a side note, if you can lend us your garage or basement as a drop off point, please let us know!

What do I do with money I have collected?
Please covert all monies to a check made payable to: Mid-Ohio FoodBank. Please email baghunger@brianstevenson.com when you are ready to turn in your contribution.

How do I plan a food drive?
We have written up detailed instructions for you here!

How do I plan a fundraiser?
Click here for some ideas from the Mid-Ohio Food Bank!

When does all the food and money need to be turned in?
June 25th

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Tell us about it using the “Share a Twoshirts story” link!