Hunger Walk Food & Fundraising Ideas

Here’s a list of creative ways you can use to fund raise and collect food donations for the Hunger Walk. Try out some of these methods and let us know how it turns out. 

• “Scavenger Hunt for Food.” Youth groups bring a list of food items needed by the food bank, and go door-to-door in a neighborhood (with appropriate adult supervision) to ask for donations. Assign point values to most needed items.

• Place an empty canoe (or other large container of interest) in the narthex and challenge members to fill it up with donations by the end of the month.

• Have the congregation try to match the total weight of the congregation’s council or board in food donations.

• Have the minister, rabbi or youth group leader “perform a stunt” (including shaving beard or mustache, dressing like Elvis, etc.) when the youth group reaches their food donation goal.

• Hold a “Fast for Hope” day or meal. Participants give up a specified meal or habit during the week (Starbucks coffee) and donate the cost of they would have had to the team pledges.

• Hold a “homeless sleep-out,” where members sleep outdoors to raise awareness for the homeless and hungry. Take pledges for the hours spent, and encourage food donations on site.

• Collect spare change for hunger. Encourage group members to bring either all of their change on a given day, or specific coins on specific days. Provide a coin rolling machine.

• Hold “Tacky Outfit” and/or “Tacky Tie” Day: invite everyone to wear their tackiest. Take cash “votes” for the person wearing the tackiest outfit and/or tie.

• Run a putting challenge — set up a single hole, provide a putter and a ball. Participants pay $1per stroke until they sink the ball. Those achieving a hole-in-one are posted for recognition.

• Challenge a neighbor congregation (or another congregation of the same denomination) to compete for the most team members and donations to the Hunger Walk. Weekly updates on progress will keep the competition fueled throughout the month. The “losers” can host a supper or worship service for the “winners,” or the congregational leaders can agree upon a stunt that will be performed by the leader or minister of the “losing” congregation.

• Choose a worship day to collect pledges, cash, and food. The week before, pass out grocery bags with lists of suggested food donations pasted onto the bag. It is helpful to have the food drive promoted from the pulpit, or from the worship leader. On the day of the food collection, have members bring their bags of food and place them in an area in the sanctuary or worship hall. The visual effect of many bags of food gathered in the sanctuary is a powerful symbol of the congregation’s commitment.

• Organize a Battle of the Ages (or “Battle of the religious ed.  classes”) to promote friendly competition. Members collect pledges, cash, and food donations. The group collecting the most gets a special treat, reward or recognition.