If you are able, you may want to donate to a food bank during COVID-19. As the year comes to a close, food banks across the country are facing new challenges. You can help by donating to Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. All funds will be sent directly to food banks nationwide. In addition to monetary donations, you can donate non-perishable food items.
Excess meals from canceled conferences and events can be donated to food banks
If a conference or event is canceled, you should donate any leftover food to a local food bank. There are many ways to get the food that you can no longer use to help people in need. The Capital Area Food Bank is one place where you can donate any extra food that you have. Many of its clients are in the service industry, which means that canceled events and conferences can decrease their paychecks. However, the food bank has no plans to cancel upcoming markets and distribution activities.
When you plan a conference or event, ask your food service partners if they can help you find a food bank in your area. Often times, these organizations can store excess food in their own facilities until they can pick it up. You can also inquire with your local food bank about how to properly store your donations.
If you are a restaurant owner or a hotel manager, you can donate food to food banks. You can find food banks in your area on Feeding America, and the Mid-South Food Bank has started to assemble boxes of non-perishable foods for people who are quarantined due to the COVID-19 outbreak. There are also food banks that accept donations online.
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act protects food donors from liability. Most food banks have a certified food manager to ensure that your donation is tax-deductible and does not create additional waste. These guidelines and legislation make it possible for more people to donate excess food.
Online donation tool available for #GiveHealthy drive
An online donation tool is a vital part of your fundraising strategy. Without one, you risk missing many donations. Luckily, there are several excellent tools available to help you get started. First of all, there is Donately, which is a web-based platform that lets nonprofits accept donations. This platform features a user-friendly dashboard for nonprofits to manage donations and track their progress. Furthermore, it includes mobile payment processing, which is particularly helpful for nonprofits that are on the go.
In addition to accepting credit cards, the tool offers several other payment options. For international donations, you can use iATS Payments, an integrated payment processing solution. The platform supports several payment methods and can process payments in USD, CDN, or ACH. It also offers custom fraud protections and knowledge-based support.
Another donation tool is WildApricot, which offers customizable designs and integrations with WordPress, Quickbooks, and Google apps. WildApricot also offers a 30-day free trial. The platform makes it easy to create a donation website, automate administrative tasks, and run virtual events.
Using #GiveHealthy, organizations and individuals can set up a food drive for food banks or pantries in their area. The food banks and pantries can create free accounts on the platform and specify the types of food they need. Donors then browse through the list of food items, make a payment using standard e-commerce, and wait for the food to be delivered.
Donately also provides reporting tools and donation tracking. It allows nonprofits to gain a comprehensive view of their online fundraising efforts. You can view data on donation forms and pages, and can fine-tune strategies based on this information. Donately also helps you track conversion rates and revenue.
The #GiveHealthy movement is a powerful platform to make a difference in the food donation system. Its mission is to make food donation easy, socially and environmentally-friendly, and to ensure that the food has the greatest impact on those in need. The movement encourages organizations to sponsor #GiveHealthy dives in place of traditional spring food drives. This makes food donation easier, more efficient, and more sustainable.
360MatchPro is a powerful matching gift tool that seamlessly integrates with Donately. 360MatchPro can capture employment information and follow up with donors after their donation. It can boost matching gift revenue by as much as 20%. The 360MatchPro platform offers automated matching gift capabilities and is fully secure. Its firewall protects your organization’s data, as well as the donor information. The platform also runs quarterly PCI scans.
FAQ page created by Lakeview Pantry for COVID-19 donations
One of Chicago’s largest food pantries is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, but the need for food and services continues to rise. To meet this demand, the pantry is relying on volunteers, staff, and a wide network of partners. A recent grant from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has helped the pantry provide emergency food and assistance to the community.
Donations can be made through a form available at the food bank’s COVID-19 response website. The form includes information about the food bank’s current need, a list of ways to donate, and a link to Double the Donation’s matching gift widget.
The Facebook page dedicated to COVID-19 response explains how the organization is responding to the crisis. It includes information for donors to contact agency relations or volunteers. In addition, the food bank created a COVID-19 FAQ page to help the community understand what they are doing and answer questions.