Holiday Drive At The Office

With the cold weather approaching, now is the perfect time to organize a holiday drive at the office. Whether it's a penny drive, clothing drive, toy drive, or a food drive, your contributions will be greatly appreciated by those in need.

A drive is relatively easy to organize. It's all about communication and providing specifics. People will want to know where the contributions are going as well as who will benefit and how. It's a good idea to provide some background information about the organization which will be receiving the contribution.

You may even choose to do multiple drives during the holiday season, with each one benefiting a different organization. I'm currently holding a penny drive & clothing drive simultaneously. The proceeds will be split between two of our local shelters.

To boost enthusiasm, you can appeal to your coworkers' competitive nature by issuing a challenge to other departments, branches, or your business competitors. Most people thrive on challenge, so why not put that energy to good use? Here are a few ideas...

Penny Drive

It has been suggested that the quickest way to determine the winner is to weigh the pennies. Unfortunately, in Canada, the newer coins don't weigh as much as the older version, so this isn't accurate. If the competition gets serious, this might not be the best way to determine a winner. Instead, use this to generate some momentum for your drive.

You'll want to set a specific timeline and break it up into 3 weigh in times. Ultimately, the dollar amount will determine the winner, so the competitors will work harder to ensure that they are in the lead. Until the final tally, they won't know for certain where they stand in the competition.

To make things even more interesting, you can encourage "side bets". This typically takes the form of a pie in the face for the team that comes up short. Keep it fun and keep it safe.

Clothing Drive

During the winter months, warm clothing is in particularly high demand. If you are holding a competition for a clothing drive, you'll want to assign points to the various categories, with the highest points being awarded to the most coveted items, such as youth snow suits.

It's a terrific opportunity for people to clean their closets and it gets the clothing to those in need, rather than our landfills. Below are a few item suggestions. The items closest to the top would typically be awarded higher points.

If you're donating to your local shelter, they can probably help you with this, as they know which items are in the greatest demand for your area.

10 Suggested Categories:

0. Youth snow suit
0. Youth winter coat or jacket
0. Youth snow pants
0. Youth winter boots
0. Adult snow suit
0. Adult winter coat or jacket
0. Adult snow pants
0. Adult winter boots
0. Blankets and sleeping bags
0. Mittens, gloves, toques, scarves, and socks

Toy Drive

A toy drive really gives you the "warm fuzzies". You can just picture a child's face when they receive that special gift. Those in need would include children's hospitals, as well as youth group homes and community centers.

Most toy drives include new and gently used toys. It's important to point out that, replacement batteries are not only bad for the environment; but also costly to replace. Try to steer people away from these types of toys, if possible.

I would say that the more happy, smiling children the better, so this competition could be based on the total number of toys donated by each group. If you have children, get them involved. They'll be excited to be a part of it.

Food Drive

Last, but definitely not least, is the food drive. Food banks everywhere are struggling to meet the growing need for food.

If you are hosting a competition, I would go strictly by weight and provide a list of the most needed items. Your local food bank can help you with this; however, the most needed items are typically those listed below.

You can also incorporate this into your office parties, functions, and events by offering discounts to customers who bring a nonperishable food donation. Some office parties require an admission fee for a spouse or escort. This fee could be waived, if they bring a nonperishable food donation to the event.

10 Most Wanted Food Items:

1. Powdered Milk
2. Juice
3. Peanut Butter
4. Soup
5. Canned Meat & Fish
6. Canned Stew
7. Pork & Beans
8. Baby Food
9. Baby Formula
10.Pasta

Take a look at the Regina & District Food Bank website to see the results of the recent "Battle of the Queen Cities" food challenge. 

Let's not forget the wonderful work that the animal shelters and animal rescue organizations do for our communities. You can easily apply many of these drives to benefit animals as well. For example, below is a list of common top ten items for the Regina Humane Society.

You'll note that kibble is not in the list. This is because Horizon Pet Nutrition now supplies the Regina Humane Society with consistent, high quality dry food. Most animal shelters and rescue organizations do still accept this type of food donation.

Towels are also gratefully accepted as, you can imagine, they go through quite a few. That's why laundry detergent is at the top of this list.

10 Commonly Requested Items For Animal Shelters:

1. Laundry Detergent
2. Wet Food (kitten, cat & puppy)
3. Kitty Litter (clay, non-clumping, non-scented)
4. Large Rawhide Bones
5. Medical Scrubs (size S, M & L)
6. Hot Water Bottles, Heating Pads & Pet heating Discs
7. Rubber Boots (women's size 7, 8 &9)
8. Gift Cards
9. Tall Puppy Pens
10. Kuranda Dog Beds

Give till it feels good.

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