Thursday, September 12, 2013

Brainstroming ideas for the Casady Cans Do Food Drive 2013

STUDENTS AGAINST HUNGER 2012 CASADY CANS DO FOOD DRIVE
FIRST PLACE: MIDDLE DIVISION: 3,473 CANS
SECOND PLACE: UPPER DIVISION : 1,040 CANS + $ 863.87
THIRD PLACE: LOWER DIVISION: 1,048 CANS + $153
FOURTH PLACE: PRIMARY DIVISION: 218 CANS

 


 An e-mail to the YAC Executive Board with a bit of history and IDEAS
Thank you for your interest in what  were teens entrepreneurial ideas in the past as they too took as a goal to have the best FOOD DRIVE possible, not just in numbers of cans/dollars collected, but also in raising self-awareness as well as motivating others to learn more about the cause. I dream of a day in which we will have to go to books to find the definition of hunger because collectively we did something to eradicate it.

Resources
Ms.  Dystra is a nutritionist and the PP I sent you all during the summer was what she wants to go over in a workshop setting.  I do not know if we still could be in her schedule, but I could check if you all feel is something you want to provide to YAC in upcoming meetings.  In my summer e-mail, I also stated the dates she had opened and reserved for us in October.  She is training many businesses and non-profits, therefore  she gets booked quickly.  She came to us as a personal favor to the YMCA director of student initiatives.  

For recent food drives initiatives at Casady and a new initiative started by GenerationON, check http://cyclonesagainsthunger.blogspot.com/
In the past two years, since we could not have an out of uniform for 5 cans, $5 (I did not like this idea anyway), we have had Food-4-Food as an incentive.  The YAC chairs either provided donations from restaurant food cards they bought themselves or took the time to write a solicitation letter and got the cards donated.  I preferred the second option because it focuses on YAC chairs being resourceful, not on just asking a relative/friend who has the economic means.  Parents are already donating the cans you bring. 

To give a great incentive at class level for the Food-4-food Initiative, the chairs connected to a donor for a pizza for the winning grade.  Last year, the pizza prize came from Dr. Philipson.  There are always grants at YSA http://casadyacleads.blogspot.com/p/youth-serve-america-briefings.html and Do something.org you can apply to implement a new idea, but you have to apply before the deadlines come.  For example, they are now running grants for MLK Day.
The Service-Learning Service-Learning Committee of 2002 (YAC is the name of the youth service board since 2007) had a collaboration with Camp Fire USA, the art departments at Casady, Heritage Hall, and local pottery makers and hosted a fundraiser at Calvert, called Empty Bowls http://www.emptybowls.net/.  Improvements could have been, having the Food Bank as a partner and getting more school art departments to donate bowls for the silent auction.  People come to see what their children and friends were doing and in return for that satisfaction, some wallets opened generously.  The food was donated by Panera and the entertainment camefrom the Casady students as well as a few artistic connections they had at the time. We did this auction for three years and changed it a bit each year.  Once we even painted bowls on site.

SOMETHING NEW USING TECHNOLOGY
I love how other schools collaborate in our city, especially McGuiness.  Please ask your friends from that school how they conduct the food drive.

Surfing the net I found some creative ideas to motivate via video and perhaps get sports teams involved.  See what a football team and their high school faculty did.  Father Youmans, Mr. Crofton, and Mrs. Thompson could be great resources for a video made by Cyclones.



High school motivating LD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpCFyQisimY;  



The video class could do the filming and editing; the actors, anyone who really loves acting- with Mr. Crofton as a director of ideas- the sky is the limit in creativity.
One idea I had for years is to connect the can sculptures to grocery stores matching or doubling the number of cans brought by students.  It will take coordination and a big team doing things together in an organized way to keep anyone from being overwhelmed. 
Those are all the ideas I have.  Hope the YAC Exec finds them helpful as they set you goals and process for the 2013 Food Drive.    


From Angie @ the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma




I hope that you’re doing well!  We would love to come out and talk to your students about the upcoming food drive.  Additionally, we think your students would be really interested in participating in a hunger simulation.  Which dates and times are you available?

This year we have updated the resources available for your food drive.  Click on the links below to download tools for a successful food and fund drive!

Food Drive Information
Food Bank and Hunger Information
Videos
Photos
  • A photo is worth a thousand words! Use any of our photos atflickr.com/regionalfoodbank to help promote your food drive.
  • Participate in the Food Bank’s Photo Contest in October (link coming soon). 
Activities
Communication and Promotion
Recognition

Thank you for your support!

Angie Gaines
Director of Marketing and Communications
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

405-604-7109 (W) 619-347-4057 (c)
3355 S. Purdue
OKC, OK 73137
Facebook.com/regionalfoodbank
Twitter.com/rfbo

 A social media initiative resource



What will you bring to the table?  In a country that wastes 40% of its food, 1 in 5 children are affected by hunger. Some children are given every opportunity to reach beyond the stars and achieve their fullest potential while others suffer--often silently--from empty, aching stomachs. Going to bed and waking up hungry affects a child's education, well-being, happiness, and long-term health. Child hunger in the United States is a complicated, prevalent and hidden problem striking in communities across the nation. Finding a solution requires boundless compassion and creativity--like those of a child.

What Will You Bring to the Table? engages and empowers this country's greatest asset, it's youth, to bring their ideas, skills, friends, and time to the table to make sure each child grows up stronger, healthier, happier, and always reaching higher.

GenerationOn provided mini-grants to support 'What Will You Bring to the Table?' service projects.  Projects will bring youth to the table to conduct service activities that address the issue of child hunger in the United States.

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