News You Can Use - Food Insecurity

How to Help in the Fight Against Hunger in our Community

Supplying food for MARCH emergency sites is an ongoing challenge. It is rare for a location to have enough food that lasts through the entire month. Hungry people who request emergency food face tough choices every day, not just around the holidays. Back-to-school, winter fuel expenses, unavailability of outdoor day jobs, and children at home in summer pose seasonal hardships on families and agencies.

Food donations help tremendously and provide a hands-on mission or service project.

If you hold a food drive, your food donations may be taken to any MARCH location, or you may call Ellen Reaves, MARCH Coordinator, at 775-6482 or 346-2651 to find out which location is most in need of emergency food.

Successful Food Drive Ideas

Place a year-round collection barrel or shopping cart in a prominent area
of your church or business.
Collect donations through children's programs.
Use a MARCH donation as the "admission" to a children's play or a family night dinner. MARCH could be the Bible School offering designation.
Hand out paper grocery bags, with a list of useful items stapled to it, to everyone as they leave church or a meeting. Families can fill the bag and return it the next week.
Fellowship groups can use MARCH as a project or mission focus. Most recipients of MARCH are mothers with children, so the emphasis could be on powdered milk, baby food and diapers.
Have a non-food drive to collect toilet tissue, cleaning products, paper products, and personal products. (Please buy smaller containers and plastic bottles.)

Suggested Ideas

Peanut butter

Crackers

Cereal of all types including oatmeal, cream of wheat and grits

Canned fruit of all types

Canned vegetables of all types including tomatoes and potatoes

Canned beans

Rice

Spaghetti and sauce

Canned meats of all types--tuna, chicken, ham, turkey, Vienna sausage

Canned spaghetti

Canned soups and hearty stews

Packaged macaroni and cheese

Powdered milk in small boxes or in boxes with individual servings

Individual juice boxes

Bottled or canned juice

Baby food

Individual snack items such as granola bars, muffins and fruit snacks

Coffee, tea, drink mixes

Small bags of flour and sugar

Ensure and other highly nutritious drinks or bars

Paper grocery bags for the food the recipients carry home

Note: This list is meant to give suggestions. MARCH gratefully accepts all non-perishable food items.