Welcome to Our Food Drives FAQ

Donations of any kind make a tremendous impact for our hungry neighbors. While Food Drives offer vital support through donated shelf-stable goods, Fund Drives help Gleaners put each gift to use where it is needed most.

Monetary donations allow Gleaners to use our purchasing power to acquire our most needed items at deeply reduced rates. Delivering nutritious food to our neighbors also requires equipment and transportation. Nearly 45% of Gleaners food distribution is fresh produce and dairy, and we need your help to keep our freezers and trucks running. With 92 cents of every dollar going to work for our programs and services, your gift provides direct relief to children, families and seniors.  

Hosting a Virtual Food Drive is also an efficient way to donate funds, allowing your audience to quickly and easily donate online. Learn more.

There is no limit on how long you can host a Food/Fund Drive. We suggest two to three weeks to help maintain excitement and momentum while keeping your audience engaged. 

Most food donations can be dropped off at our Detroit warehouse location between the hours of 7 am and 4 pm Monday through Friday. If you have a donation too heavy to lift by hand, please contact us at 313-688-6100 to schedule a drop-off.

All pick-ups are scheduled in advance, and can take up to two weeks (depending on the season).  For more information please contact our Food Drives Team. If you are able, dropping your donation off at our Detroit Distribution Center saves us transportation costs and time, allowing us to utilize our resources to serve the community most efficiently.

Setting a goal is a great way to motivate donors and keep track on your progress. Your goal can be based on the size of your organization and how long you will be hosting your drive. We suggest a minimum goal of $500 for fund drives and Virtual Fund Drives.

Food & Fund Drives are hosted by organizations of all sizes. Hosting a drive is an engaging and community-centric opportunity for your audience to give back.

Virtual Food Drives offers an easy and more accessible way to raise more support by engaging a wider audience. With no boxes or collection of cans, individuals can donate food from anywhere through an online shopping experience. Visit our Virtual Food Drives page to see it in action.

A Gleaners’ Food Drive Coordinator will help every step of the way, including help with promotional materials and messaging. Please see our Food Drives Handbook for more information or contact a member of our Food Drives Team.