#LIGHTtheWORLD By Hosting a Neighborhood Food Drive (+ Free Invitations!)

We can #LIGHTtheWORLD by feeding the hungry.

I was shocked when I learned that more than 750 million people don’t have enough food to eat throughout the world. In the United States, 1 in 6 people face hunger, and 48 million people struggle to put food on their table. These statistics are staggering! And so sad.

But what are we to do with these heartbreaking statistics? We all want to help people. And we certainly cringe at the thought of a child going to bed hungry every night. But we are busy. Life is chaotic. We are barely keeping up with our own challenges and stresses.

But as I have watched my friend, Lisa, and her family host a neighborhood food drive year after year, I have realized how fun, simple, and easy it is to #LIGHTtheWORLD in small ways that have a big impact!

My friends and nieghbors, the Claytons, have hosted a neighborhood food drive every year for the past 10 years.

Whenever I talk to Lisa about their food drive, she always tells me how easy it is. And since my family has gone to their food drive for the past three years, I can tell you that we really look forward to it. It’s so fun to visit with our friends and neighbors and meet new people in such a laid-back environment, all while helping donate food to our local food bank!

Their food drive is truly easy, simple, and fun. It has blessed our community by helping gather much-needed food. It has blessed our neighborhood by helping us to gather together and get to know each other better while we support a great cause. And Lisa tells me that is has blessed their family by helping them develop a holiday tradition of service.

And here’s a quick video showing you how easy it is to #LIGHTtheWORLD by hosting your own neighborhood food drive!

Fun and easy, right?

(By the way, my favorite part of that movie is when they are all in the kitchen baking together and the girls are dancing. So cute! )

The food drive is an open house. People come and go throughout the 2-hour-window.

Kids watch a movie and play in the basement. People eat and chat upstairs. Christmas music plays in the background. It’s one of the best nights of the year for our neighborhood.

And can we take a moment to talk about the food? Now, I know that this is a food drive to gather food for the food bank. But one of the best parts of this neighborhood food drive are the treats that people bring and share. There are dips, cookies, and I brought my mom’s fudge.

But the most anticipated treats are the Clayton’s bacon wrapped crackers. It is sweet-salty perfection. And a beloved part of the Clayton food drive. Needless to say, it’s a tradition we all love. 🙂

And of course, the treats are at the top of the list of why my kids count down the hours until the neighborhood food drive.

But who can blame them?

I love this picture of all the shoes in the entryway. Because the Claytons have been doing this food drive for so long, it’s become a tradition for all us. Even people who have moved away come back for the food drive!

Here are the simple steps to start your own neighborhood food drive:

Register your food drive online with your local food bank. They will loan you barrels for your guests to put their donated food. (Decorating your barrels is optional. The Claytons always decorate their barrels with BYU and UofU. They are two local rival universities here in Utah and we love to see which barrel fills up first!)
Invite your neighbors. You can download free invitation printables below. And don’t forget to let your friends on social media know about your food drive.
Open your home on the night of the event. Your home doesn’t need to be spotlessly clean or perfectly decorated. In fact, no one will even notice those things. Instead, your friends will notice the fun, friendly atmosphere that you have provided.
After the food drive, drop the food and barrels off at your local food bank.

And that’s it!

Who knew that something so impactful for both your community and neighborhood could be so easy?!

I hope you can use these free 4×6 invitations to help #LIGHTtheWORLD by feeding the hungry!

Please share this post with anyone that you think would be interested in hosting a food drive. Food drives can be simple and easy, and they certainly make a big difference for those who face hunger.