Organize a
Food Drive
Food drives bring in more than hundreds of thousands of pounds of food a year to the Burlington Food Bank. Together, dozens of communities organize events, gather food, and deliver it to us to distribute among our clients. It’s incredible efforts from members of our community that help us to feed our neighbours.
Register Your Event
Food and fund drives provide the Burlington Food Bank with the necessary resources to sustain our programs and ensure that a supply of food is available to those who may need it.
If you would like to organize a Food Drive on behalf of the Burlington Food Bank, we encourage you to start by registering your event. This helps us to coordinate the physical resources, any food pick-ups needed, and the social media coverage to help you promote your event.
Event Tool Kit
We encourage you to run your own event in support of the Burlington Food Bank, and we are happy to provide you with materials to help. Note: We would love to see how you use our logo and other images before you distribute them, so please send any collateral you have created to Stacey s.allencillis@burlingtonfoodbank.ca.
Most Needed Items
The Burlington Food Bank provides fresh and non-perishable food, as well as supplies such as diapers, toiletries, and cleaning supplies to its own clients and to over 20 emergency food programs across the city. This is our current list of most-needed items:
Cereal (Hot and Cold)
Large Soup
Juice (Boxes and 1 Litres)
Granola Bars (Peanut Free)
Peanut Butter
Crackers
Canned Fruit
Canned Tomatoes
Canned Vegetables
Canned Meat
Legumes
Pasta Sauce
Personal Hygiene products
How to Run a Successful Community Event
If you’re running a food drive as your event, or as part of your event, there are sections on the Community Event Registration Form where you can let us know your goals, whether you need food collection bins, specially marked boxes, or a food pick-up.
1. Decide on a place and time
2. Set goals for your event
- How much are you aiming to collect? Set a goal in pounds, or aim to fill a lobby, lunchroom, office, or corporate vehicle.
- Generating 100% participation is a great goal. Your event can be a team-building activity!
- We recommend sorting food in the designated boxes that we provide. This way, your donors can see what items are needed most.
- We pick up collections greater than 300 pounds (about 30 grocery bags), but we always appreciate collections being dropped off at our warehouse or a local fire station.
- Schools and Community Groups, consider requesting our Theme Food Drive Kit in the notes section of your online event form.
- Consider sponsoring our Montly Special to increase access to items that are not regularly donated.
3. Promote your community event
- Encourage people to donate our Most Needed Food Items and check expiry dates.
- Tell people about your food drive, including your friends, co-workers, neighbours, and classmates.
- For corporate events, find out if your company will match food/monetary donations.
- Use facts about the Burlington Food Bank to promote your drive by visiting our ‘Learn’ page.
- Advertise your drive on Instagram, Facebook, or other social media sites. Be sure to tag us in your posts @burlfoodbank.
- Let us know about your event so can post about it on our website and social media.
- Send a description of your event (including who, what, where, when, contact information, and a link to your website, if applicable), at least two weeks before the event. We’ll post it on our website and social media.
- Send us photos or videos from a previous event.
- Your description and formatting may be edited to fit our requirements.
- Track your success, send out emails, and post updates to keep everyone excited and involved. Drop off your food and fundraising donations at:
4. Drop off your donations
Please bring your donations to:
1254 Plains Rd East, Unit 1A
Burlington, ON L7S 1W6
Or, if you requested a specific pick-up date on your registration form, you can expect the truck that day. If there are conflicts, we can make other arrangements. Please note that financial donations CANNOT be dropped at fire halls. Bring them to our Plains Road location.
5. Follow up with your participants and donors
- Let everyone know about your success, either in an email, poster, or announcement.
- After we receive your donation, a thank-you letter or certificate will be sent to the event organizer. We encourage you to duplicate this letter to send it to your donors.
- Contact the Burlington Post and Burlington Today and encourage them to cover the success of your event.
- The more innovative and creative your event, the more the media will want to cover it.
Other Events
Need some inspiration? Browse our News & Events page for some other fundraising events happening in our community.
Gift of Giving Back – Stuff The Bus
Gift Of Giving Back Stuff The Bus Events – November 2025
Holiday Charity Hockey Game
Holiday Charity Hockey Game – Appleby Ice Arena (Rink 1) 🎄🏒 Monday Dec 22, 2025
Aldershot Village Tree Lighting
🎄 Saturday, November 22, 2025
🎄 355 Plains Road East, Burlington, ON
🎄 Tree Lights at 6p
Bundle up, bring your holiday spirit, and join us for a night filled with community, joy, and sparkle.
The Rocca Sisters Fall Gratitude Event
The Rocca Sisters Team is having a Fall Gratitude Event Wednesday, October 8th, 5:30-7:30 pm at 530 Brant Street
INITIATE Physiotherapy Food Drive
This October, we are donating $25 to the Burlington Food Bank for every new Chiropractic or Physiotherapy Assessment
Edo Japan Grand Opening Food Drive
Sept 29/30 – Get a Free Meal when you bring in a cash donation in support of the Burlington Food Bank