The Coupon Cupboards Virtual Food Drive- Coupon For Others

[Barb]

We were so inspired today by President Obama's speech and the whole climate of change our nation is entering that The Coupon Cupboard decided that we would like to use our couponing skills to help make a small difference in our local communities. I have long said that as couponers we have the ability to help others in two very profound ways, we can donate portions of our stockpiles and we can teach people how to save money.

We believe that the most significant way to help bring about a change is to work within your local community. That is why our virtual food drive will be a little different than most. We want YOU over the next few weeks to affect change in your area. That can be as simple as gathering items from your stockpile and donating to a local shelter or as complex as organizing your office to do a larger drive.

In order to participate in the virtual food drive, we would like you to donate a box of food (hopefully that you can get free or very cheap with coupons) to one of your local food pantries or shelter. In order to encourage as many donations to local pantries as possible, we are going to run a contest for people who donate. The winner of the contest will receive a wii fit!

Want to win the Wii Fit (or a $50 GC) and help your local pantry/shelter? Here are the rules:



If you need to find a food bank in your are go to Feeding America (http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx) and put in your zip code.
Put together a box of at least 20 items. Here is a great list of What Food Banks Need Most (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/10-donations-food-banks-need-most.aspx?page=2)
Mark the box with a sign that says, The Coupon Cupboard Virtual Food Drive and take a photo (see below if you do not have a camera available)



http://thecouponcupboard.com/001.JPG




Deliver the box and get a receipt. Pictures of you delivering will count as both the box and receipt. (if you cannot get a picture of the box or delivery, we can call and verify your donation. PM me with your Full name, Name of your Pantry and their phone number.)
Come back to this thread and write a post about your experience.
On Feb 28th we will stop accepting stories and our staff here will pick 5 of their favorite stories. EDITED BY Toni-Lynn: I am extending this to March 2nd because we did not realize 2/28 was a Saturday and 90% of places are closed and people will not be able to drop off!

Everyone will have a chance to vote on their favorite story of the five staff picks.
The winner will receive the WII FIT (yes, we already have it!), a $50 giftcard to Amazon, or $50 PayPal (winners choice).


Additional Ways to Enter:
You can enter this contest by teaching a couponing class for your local food bank or shelter as well. PM me if you would like to do that instead.

Donate at least $20 to a food bank in your area. You will need a receipt if you are entering the wii contest.

Food drive runs from 1/24/09 to 2/28/09

Spread the word. Get others involved:

We hope that you will get in the spirit of the drive with the prize being just a small motivator. We would like to see people affect change by making this a school, sports, church or work drive. Download the flyer attached to help us spread the word! There is also a flyer for you to attach to a donation box.

If you are a blogger, we would so appreciate you posting about this and helping us spread the word!Grab a button to post on your blog.

http://thecouponcupboard.com/TCC_FoodDrive_Join.jpg http://thecouponcupboard.com/TCC_FoodDrive_Helping.jpg

[Toni-Lynn]

Rules posted!

[bargainbriana]

Looks great ladies!! I've posted about it on my blog!!!

[skyesmom]

Here is a list of what my local food pantry is requesting right now. I forget that they prefer not to receive the glass jars of pasta sauce, jelly and baby food until I check the list.

Beef Stew
Black-eyed Peas
Breakfast cereals (hot and cold)
Canned Chicken
Carrots
Chili
Cooking Oil (small plastic bottle)
Corn
Dry Beans
Fruit (canned)
Green Beans
Green Peas
Instant Potatoes
Jelly (plastic jars)
Macaroni & Cheese
Margarine (we freeze sticks)
Mixed Vegetables
Peanut Butter (small to medium sized plastic jars)
Pork & Beans
Rice
Mayo/Miracle Whip (small plastic jars)
Saltine Crackers
Soups
Spaghetti/Pasta (dry)
Spaghetti Sauce (canned)
Tomato Sauce
Tuna Fish

Hand-operated can openers and single-serve canned meals for transient families

Also consider donating:
Body Soap
Dish Soap
Laundry Detergent
Shampoo
Tooth Paste/Brushes

[Barb]

Thank you for posting that. I would not have thought of glass. Here is also an excellent post by one of our members on items needed by shelters/food banks (http://thecouponcupboard.com/showpost.php?p=4809&postcount=6).

[Barb]

Some other requested items:
Diapers, wipes, pads/tampons, laundry detergent, non-canned goods (bread, cereals)

[heathermama]

Great idea! I'm excited to be a part of this!

[Toni-Lynn]

Great idea! I'm excited to be a part of this!
YEA!!! So happy to have you join in! Don't forget to print out some flyers :)

[Toni-Lynn]

OKAY! I started!! http://www.grocerypricebooks.com/grocerypriceblog/virtual-food-drive/the-coupon-cupboard-virtual-food-drive-and-mom-it-forward

[stockpilesrus]

We are all about donating! Great sweeps :)

[skyesmom]

How is everyone doing on collecting for their local charity? There are 2½ weeks left to collect and donate AND turn in your story!

[oldsgt24]

How do you compete for the Wii fit. I give every month to charity several thousands. Yes I am that goo at couponing and it makes a difference in my life.

[Toni-Lynn]

How do you compete for the Wii fit. I give every month to charity several thousands. Yes I am that goo at couponing and it makes a difference in my life.
Please read the first post for how to enter :)

[heathermama]

Well, I made my first (of many more to come!) donation to our local food pantry. I was surprised to find out they are only open one day each week and then only from 9a-1p. I think that makes it pretty difficult for those who need help to receive it, but its all volunteer-based, so I guess one day a week for a couple of hours is better than none at all.

Anyway, I got the kids involved, told them what we were doing and they all 3 helped pick thru our pantry and add things to our donation box. I also told my cousin (another avid couponer) about the virtual food drive and she gave me a box of canned goods to donate too!

I didnt get a photo, couldnt find my camera (later it was found in my youngest's bedroom filled with pics of the dogs wrestling over a bone, lol). And I cant PM my info because my post count isnt high enough. :-( So I hope it is okay to post the info here so my donation can be verified.

My donation was made to the New Life Food Pantry in Forney, Texas. Theresa, the director met me on a Saturday since I work fulltime and couldnt make it out during their only operating day which is during the week. Her # is 972-552-2011. I included a flyer stating the donation was part of this Virtual Food Drive. I am not sure if I gave her my name or not, but if I did, I just told her it was Heather. So when you call you may need to refresh her memory about meeting me on a Saturday and the flyer that was in the box. :-)

Anyway, THANKS for inspiring me and so many others to participate in helping out our communities. It feels great!!!

[skyesmom]

Great job Heather! I know that Irving Cares has the option to drop donations off at the management office at Irving Mall if you can't make it to their facility and that may be what I have to do with mine unless I can make arrangements with the director.

If you need to PM something and can't, you can always email it to me and I will get it where it needs to be. OR you could just post more here!

~Dawn aka Skyesmom

[cravingthesavings]

I finally dropped off a box and several bags of food to the North Texas Food Bank today. I've been getting the items together for a week or two, so I'm glad they're finally delivered!

MY TRIP

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is open M-W from 9AM - 4PM.

I used my GPS to guide me to their South Dallas location, and it took me through Downtown Dallas (instead of around it), through neighborhoods and through a somewhat scary part of town. I wasn't sure if the GPS was even directing me to the right place! It took an hour to go about 20 miles. I looked at Googlemaps after I got home and there's a more direct route, so I guess I need a new GPS.

Once I finally made it, it was nice to see the NTFB after hearing about it for years. I wasn't sure whether to go in the front door or to "receiving" in the back. There was a bus from a private school parked out front with lots of kids wandering around, so I decided to go to receiving. I asked a man in one of the NTFB trucks where I could deliver the food, and he offered to help me get it inside. Even though he didn't say it, I think I should have gone through the front door, but by going through the back, I got to see the warehouse.

Wow! I really didn't know what to expect, but the NTFB was impressive...from the warehouse to the people.

The warehouse was very large and full of food from the floor to the ceiling. They had areas where food had been sorted and a few bins full of miscellaneous random products (maybe expired stuff?). I saw produce, canned goods, cereal, beverages and large boxes of bubble gum, which I didn't expect to see there. There were quite a few people moving items around and holding meetings at tables in the warehouse. Even though it was a warehouse, there was something about the painted walls (with names of donors?) and the outside of the NTFB that made you forget you were in a warehouse.

The men who helped me carry in the bags took them to a scale. The items weighed in at 99 lbs.! I knew the bags and box were heavy, but I didn't realize they were that heavy. One of the men then led me to the front to get a receipt. Everyone along the way through the warehouse was so friendly and appreciative. My donation felt very small compared to what they had in the warehouse, but they made me feel like I was making a difference. I hope I am.

Since it took me longer than I expected to get to the NTFB, I wanted to unload the bags and get back home, so I didn't ask the guys who helped me if I could take a photo or if they'd take one of me. I did take these photos of the outside from my car when I was trying to figure out where I was supposed to deliver the items:

http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/foodbank4.jpg http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/foodbank1.jpg http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/foodbank3.jpg

and I got a receipt (I hid signatures and contact info, but can send a copy if needed):

http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/receipt.gif


WHAT I DELIVERED

I pulled together several items that I got for free or inexpensively by using coupons with store sales. Here are some photos (1st one is everything bagged, 2nd one is of the same items, but on display):

http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/food1.jpg http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/food2.jpg

http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/food3.jpg
I added a few items just before I left for the NTFB, but I didn't get a photo of them. Below is everything that I delivered:

11 Quaker Oats Quakes rice cakes
2 packages of Sunsweet raisins
3 EAS protein bars
4 Aunt Jemina syrups
3 Kroger brand Spaghettios
12 cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 Healthy Choice Fresh Mixer meal
6 French's Classic Yellow Mustards
2 French's Honey Dijon Mustards
8 Sweet Ray's Barbecue sauces
5 Lawry's marinades
2 KC Masterpiece Barbecue sauces
6 cereals (Cheerios, Special K, Raisin Bran)
3 boxes of oatmeal
2 four packs of EAS protein drinks
6 cans of refried beans
1 can of Del Monte green beans
8 bottles of Gatorades
6 bottles of Powerade
1 package of infant formula

I tried to get free Ritz Crackers and Wheat Thins at CVS, but my coupons beeped and the cashiers at two stores I tried wouldn't take them, so I gave up. I had hoped to have those to deliver with everything else, but I was still able to pull together more than I had expected.

I am glad I was able to take part in The Coupon Cupboard's Virtual Food Drive! It got me motivated to collect all the personal care items I have accumulated over the past year, as well as pull together a bag of diapers to donate. Here's what I will be donating to a few different shelters and the Ronald McDonald House this week (gray bag of diapers is in the back, but not visible):

http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/toiletries.jpg
There were so many items, I had to take two photos and merge them (not done very well unfortunately, but you get the idea).

http://www.cravingthesavings.com/images/foodbank/toiletries3.jpg

I don't know how I managed to accumulate or store all of these things, but I'm glad that by using coupons and saving money for my family, I'm also able to give more to those in need. Thanks again for organizing this!

Susan

[Toni-Lynn]

Texas girls are rockin it! Great job ladies!

[skyesmom]

Great job! I have not been down to the NTFB, but I know the neighborhoods you were going through. VERY scary! Guess I had better check the donation times for Irving Cares before I plan my trip!

[cravingthesavings]

I hadn't heard of Irving Cares. Good to know about! I bookmarked their site for the next delivery.

[Barb]

You girls are rocking it!!! :tccrocks:

[heathermama]

You are awesome! Great job!

[Barb]

Just a few more days left to enter.

[cravingthesavings]

I posted a reminder on my blog. I hope we get some more participants and their stories!

[skyesmom]

Went and dropped things off at Irving Cares today. I picked this particular charity because they are here in my town and I know quite a few people who have needed their assistance. This is also the group that most of the schools in our District support when we do our holiday food drives. They are always greatful for our support and provide other forms of assistance to families other than just food. For more information, their website is Irving Cares (http://www.irvingcares.org/).

Today's donation included: (And yes I crammed it all into those few boxes!)

9 Spaghettios (cans)
27 Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (cans)
41 Red Gold tomatoes (canned)
18 Hormel Chili (canned)
6 Hunts Spaghetti Sauce (cans)
18 Chef Boyardee Pastas (cans)
4 Nestle hot chocolate (boxes)
36 Starkist tuna pouches
2 Lawry's Marinades (bottles)
4 French's Mustard (bottle)
1 Minute Rice Brown Rice (box)
1 Franks Red Hot Suace (bottle)
1 Quaker Instant Oatmeal (box)
4 Chex Cereal (box)
4 Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (box)
3 Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats (box)
3 Captain Crunch Cereal (box)
1 Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies (box)
18 Beechnut Let's Grow Meals

6 Dial hand soap
9 Suave hand lotions (tubes)
3 Hello Kitty Bandaids (10 ct)
12 Suave Shampoo & Conditioners (reg bottles)
10 Johnson's Buddies bars
6 Suave Deodorant
1 Arm & Hammer Essentials Detergent

[Toni-Lynn]

UPDATE! I am extending this to March 2nd because we did not realize 2/28 was a Saturday and 90% of places are closed and people will not be able to drop off!

[Save_N]

This is a very cool contest as it will definitely help make a difference.

Good luck to all who entered :)

[Barb]

Voting has started. Go vote and help campaign for your favorite!

Virtual Food Drive Poll (http://thecouponcupboard.com/showthread.php?t=1964)