Food & Fund Drives
Every donation, big or small, helps provide nutritious meals to families in need.
Your support is vital in ensuring nutritious meals reach those who need them most. Whether you’re interested in hosting a food drive or making a donation, you can make a significant impact.
Host a Food Drive: Gather your colleagues, friends, or community members to collect non-perishable food items. It’s a simple yet powerful way to support our cause and engage others in giving back.
Donate to a Food Drive: If hosting isn’t feasible, you can still contribute by donating to an ongoing food drive. Every contribution helps provide essential nourishment to families facing food insecurity.
Register Your DriveNearby Donation LocationsFind a Virtual Food Drive
TWO FOOD & Fund DRIVE OPTIONS, ONE GREAT IMPACT
Traditional Drive
Collect Non-Perishables, Fight Hunger
Organize a drive to gather non-perishable food items and monetary donations, helping us provide nutritious meals to families in need.
Virtual Drive
Raise Funds Online, Feed More People
Engage your community with a virtual drive. Every dollar raised turns into meals for those facing food insecurity, with real-time progress tracking.
FOOD AND FUND DRIVES BENEFITING THE FOOD BANK
Each month, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada helps to feed more than 143,000 neighbors in need in our community, and food and monetary gifts donated by caring community members are a vital part of making that happen.
Food & Fund Drives have played an important role in collecting donations for food banks like Food Bank of Northern Nevada for decades. However, traditional food drives are changing as food pantries and other Food Bank partners continue to seek out fresh, more nutritious food for our neighbors facing hunger.
THAT’S WHERE VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVEs COME IN
When you host a Virtual Food Drive for Food Bank of Northern Nevada, you are transforming $1 into 3 meals for hungry children, seniors, and families in our community. Better yet, your Virtual Drive will help put fresh foods including produce, dairy and meat, on the tables of those who need it most. The impact is incredible!
Every dollar and every pound of food count, so whether you choose to host a Virtual Food & Fund Drive or want to go the more traditional route, your donations will help us feed those experiencing need right here in our community.
Quick Facts
$1 or 3.6 lbs
equals 3 meals for our neighbors in need.
Most food drives are between
3-6 weeks long
The average food drive collects
150-500lbs
The most successful food drives include
incentives.
Important Updates
Every year, our community shows up in an incredible way during the holiday season. Businesses, schools, faith groups, and neighbors fill barrels, boxes, and bags to help sustain local families. Those donations matter, and we need them now more than ever!
This year, we’re asking our food drive hosts to partner with us in one more meaningful way: helping us get those donations back to the Food Bank.
With our fuel costs up 45% since the spring, transporting your own barrels and donations is a direct, impactful way to help us conserve fuel, staff time, and resources — allowing us to focus our fleet on daily hunger-relief distributions across our region.
Where to Pick Up Barrels
-
Food Bank of Northern Nevada
550 Italy Drive, McCarran, NV
Monday – Friday | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM(Interested in seeing how your efforts help feed over 143,000 neighbors each month? Let us know when you’re coming — we’d love to show you around!)
-
AHA Connects (In-Town Location)
199 E. Moana Lane, Reno, NV
Monday, Wednesday & Friday | 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Drop-Off Locations & Community Events
Once your drive wraps up, you can deliver donations directly to the Food Bank warehouse (M–F, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM) or drop them off at one of our seasonal community drive events:
-
Thanks4Giving Food Drive
Walmart on Kietzke Lane
Friday, November 13 | 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM -
2 News Nevada Share Your Christmas Drive-By Food Drive
Grand Sierra Resort (GSR) Southeast Parking Lot
Friday, December 11 | 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Helpful Tips for a Successful Drive
-
No Barrel? No Problem: You don’t need an official Food Bank barrel to run a great drive. Sturdy boxes or bags from home or the office work just as well, and they are often much easier to transport in a personal vehicle!
-
Aim to Fill Every Barrel: If you do request barrel delivery and pickup from our team, please make every effort to fill them completely before requesting a pickup. If your drive is moving slower than expected, just let us know. We welcome food donations year-round and are happy to extend your drive dates.
-
Go Digital: Prefer a contactless option? A Virtual Food Drive skips the heavy lifting entirely while turning every $1 donated into 3 nutritious meals.
However you choose to participate, please be sure to register your drive so we can support your efforts every step of the way.
Thank you so much for your generosity, flexibility, and partnership in serving our community!
2026 Holiday Food Drive Season: Important Updates
Every year, our community shows up in an incredible way during the holiday season. Businesses, schools, faith groups, and neighbors fill barrels, boxes, and bags to help sustain local families. Those donations matter, and we need them now more than ever!
This year, we’re asking our food drive hosts to partner with us in one more meaningful way: helping us get those donations back to the Food Bank.
With our fuel costs up 45% since the spring, transporting your own barrels and donations is a direct, impactful way to help us conserve fuel, staff time, and resources — allowing us to focus our fleet on daily hunger-relief distributions across our region.
Where to Pick Up Barrels
-
Food Bank of Northern Nevada
550 Italy Drive, McCarran, NV
Monday – Friday | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM(Interested in seeing how your efforts help feed over 143,000 neighbors each month? Let us know when you’re coming — we’d love to show you around!)
-
AHA Connects (In-Town Location)
199 E. Moana Lane, Reno, NV
Monday, Wednesday & Friday | 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Drop-Off Locations & Community Events
Once your drive wraps up, you can deliver donations directly to the Food Bank warehouse (M–F, 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM) or drop them off at one of our seasonal community drive events:
-
Thanks4Giving Food Drive
Walmart on Kietzke Lane
Friday, November 13 | 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM -
2 News Nevada Share Your Christmas Drive-By Food Drive
Grand Sierra Resort (GSR) Southeast Parking Lot
Friday, December 11 | 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Helpful Tips for a Successful Drive
-
No Barrel? No Problem: You don’t need an official Food Bank barrel to run a great drive. Sturdy boxes or bags from home or the office work just as well, and they are often much easier to transport in a personal vehicle!
-
Aim to Fill Every Barrel: If you do request barrel delivery and pickup from our team, please make every effort to fill them completely before requesting a pickup. If your drive is moving slower than expected, just let us know. We welcome food donations year-round and are happy to extend your drive dates.
-
Go Digital: Prefer a contactless option? A Virtual Food Drive skips the heavy lifting entirely while turning every $1 donated into 3 nutritious meals.
However you choose to participate, please be sure to register your drive so we can support your efforts every step of the way.
Thank you so much for your generosity, flexibility, and partnership in serving our community!
DONATE TO A FOOD DRIVE
Food donations from caring community members are an essential part of fighting hunger in our community. We welcome food donations from individuals, commercial businesses, and farmers.
Many companies and organizations host food drives on behalf of the Food Bank and would be happy to collect your food items for donation. Some of them even offer some great incentives and discounts as their way of saying “Thank You” to those who contribute to their drives.
Additionally, the Food Bank has community partners who gather food for us all year long. These are locations that you can drop your non-perishable, non-expired donations anytime:
- Pitts Orthodontics: 4786 Caughlin Pkwy Ste 305 | M–W: 8AM–5PM, Th: 7 AM–4 PM, Fri: 9AM–3PM
- Washoe County Senior Center: 1155 E 9th St | M–F: 8AM–5PM
-
Aha Connects: 199 E Moana Lane | M–F: 9AM–5PM
-
Equality Automotive: 593 Overmyer Rd Unit E | M–F: 8AM–5PM
We are always looking to expand this list of year-round food drive hosts. If this is something you might be interested in, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Erika for more information.
Most needed Items
Access to nutritious food is vital for our neighbors who face hunger, and we ask that those donating food choose the most nutritious items available whenever possible. When making a food donation, please use the list below to determine what foods to donate.
Canned Meals
Stews, Soups, Spaghetti/Ravioli (Low-Sodium Preferred)
Protein
Peanut Butter, Tuna, Salmon, Chicken, Dried or Canned Beans
Grains
Whole Grain Cereal, Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Whole Grain Pasta
Vegetables
Canned (No Salt Added and/or Low-Sodium Preferred)
Fruits
Canned (in 100% Juice or Light Syrup), Dried Fruit, Applesauce (No Sugar Added), 100% Fruit Juice Boxes
Dairy
Shelf Stable Milk
Baby & Infant Friendly
Formula, Infant Cereal, Baby Food, Granola Bars, Popcorn, Crackers
GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR TRADITIONAL FOOD DRIVE
Please register your food drive with our form to get the barrel(s) delivered to you. Once you click submit, the form goes right to the inbox of our Events and Food Drives Coordinator, and they will get back to you within 1-5 days from when you submit the form.
You can host a food drive for as long or short of a time as you would like. That said, most food drives are scheduled to last for 3-6 weeks.
February-August are great months to host a food drive. The holidays are a popular time for hosting drives, with more than half of all food drive donations received in November and December. As we move into spring and summer, donations tend to slow while we continue to serve more than 143,000 people each month.
The Food Bank needs food all year round, so there is no start or end date for food drives, even during the holidays.
That’s wonderful! Please submit the Food Drive Form and indicate in the notes that you would like to keep the barrel all year.
Access to nutritious food is vital for our neighbors who face hunger, and we ask that those donating food choose the most nutritious items available whenever possible. Please post this list to help your food donors determine what foods to donate.
- Canned Meals: Stews, Soups, Spaghetti/Ravioli (Low-Sodium Preferred)
- Protein: Peanut Butter, Tuna, Salmon, Chicken, Dried or Canned Beans
- Grains: Whole Grain Cereal, Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Whole Grain Pasta
- Fruits: Canned (Packed in 100% Juice or Light Syrup), Dried Fruit, Applesauce (No Sugar Added), 100% Fruit Juice Boxes
- Vegetables: Canned (No Salt Added and/or Low-Sodium Preferred)
- Dairy: Shelf Stable Milk
- Kid-friendly Snacks: Granola Bars, Popcorn, Animal Crackers, Graham Crackers
- Baby Products: Formula, Infant Cereal, Baby Food
Please encourage your donors to check expiration dates before donating food items.
For food drives, please donate only non-perishable foods. We CANNOT accept alcohol or alcoholic beverage mixers. Please encourage your donors to check expiration dates before donating food items and to avoid items in glass containers. There are ways to donate perishable food like fruits and vegetables, too. Please let us know if you’re interested in information about perishable food donations.
Donations can be made online or by mailing a check to:
Food Bank of Northern Nevada
Attn: Erika Schiller
550 Italy Drive | Sparks, NV 89437
If you have a cash donation that needs to be collected, please contact Erika Schiller, and she’ll be happy to arrange to pick the donation up from your location.
Food Drive Collection Barrels
Because our delivery routes adjust daily to prioritize hunger-relief distributions across our service area, we do not operate on a fixed delivery schedule.
You can make an immediate, meaningful impact by picking up your own barrels! This ensures you get started on your own timeline, eliminates delivery delays, and keeps our trucks focused on moving food to families who need it most.
Our drivers make their own routes each morning, so we cannot guarantee a time. If you need notice before the driver drops off the barrel we can make a note for the driver to call you 30 minutes or an hour ahead of time. Please specify in the notes section when you register your food drive.
Absolutely. Please contact the Food Bank main line at (775) 331-3663 to let us know you are coming. We can receive food donations between 8am and 4pm at the back of our warehouse. We are located off USA Parkway at 550 Italy Drive in McCarran, NV. If you are interested in touring our facility and learning more about how your donation will be put to use, we would love to show you around when you drop off the food.
Typically, barrels are not able to be picked up in town.
However, during the holiday season, you can pick up barrels in town at AHA Connects (199 E. Moana Lane, Reno) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM.
Barrels are also available for pickup year-round at the Food Bank warehouse located off of USA Parkway (Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–4:00 PM).
Be sure to register your food drive before heading over to make pickup quick and seamless!
Food drive collection barrels are approximately 3 feet tall and have a diameter of 22 inches. Each barrel holds 150-200 pounds of food.
Please contact our Events and Food Drives Coordinator, Erika Schiller, to let her know you need your barrel picked up or swapped out for an empty one. Please call when the barrel is 75% full so we have enough time to pick it up before it starts overflowing!
The ins and Outs of Food Drives
Please see our list of year-round food drives for locations where you can drop off food. You’re also always more than welcome to drop your donations off right at the Food Bank during our regular office hours.
Feel free to download our logo for use in promoting your food drive. (Vertical Format | Horizontal Format) Please note: If you need more hi-resolution files of the logo, we’re happy to provide that to you. Contact Aramelle Wheeler to request this.
Please do! We find that the most successful food drives are ones where the host actively advertises the drive, and social media is a great way to spread the word. If you do share on social media, we’d love to see what you’re doing. Please consider tagging us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. And don’t forget to use our hashtag #iFightHunger.
Our Events & Food Drives Coordinator will send your total pounds and dollars raised to you via email once your food drive is over. Food drive pounds are usually processed within 1-2 days of the end of your drive (can be longer during the holiday season).
Absolutely. You can download a receipt for your records here.
Questions?
Contact Erika Schiller or (775) 785-1432.