Second Harvest Food Bank
Wish List

Staff at Second Harvest gets regular requests for a “wish list” or suggested items most needed by the food bank. This prompted us to develop a year-long list of Food Drive themes and holidays for organizations interested in having a good time while helping to fight hunger. For more ideas, visit Earth Calendar.

Every month, we need cooking oil and salt, diapers, soap and toothpaste.

A Year of Food Drives

January

  • Comfort Foods. What makes you feel good when the weather is raw outside? How about soup, stew, chili, tuna noodle casserole (tuna, noodles, cream of something soup), macaroni and cheese, ramen
  • Chinese New Year. Rice, Asian vegetables like bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, canned main dishes like chow mein, ramen noodles
  • Super Bowl. What else? SOUP!

February

  • Heart-healthy in honor of Valentine’s Day. Whole grain cereals, oatmeal, canned beans, tuna, “healthy” cooking oils like olive and canola
  • Random Acts of Kindness Day. Boxed or canned chicken noodle soup, hot cereal, tea

March

  • School Breakfast Week. Pancake mix, syrup, jelly, cereal, juice
  • Think green! It’s St. Patrick’s Day. Green beans, peas, spinach noodles, things in green packages, lime Jell-o, green soap, shampoo, dish soap

April

  • Easter. Small shelf-stable canned hams. Foods to use with holiday leftovers like scalloped potatoes, beans (for soup), rice, noodles, canned vegetables
  • Earth Day. All kinds of fruits and vegetables.

May

  • Cinco de Mayo. Rice, beans, enchilada sauce, refried beans, salsa, tomato sauce, peas, small cans of ham
  • Memorial Day. First picnics of the year. Think condiments like ketchup, mustard, relish, bar-b-q sauce, baked beans, macaroni for salad, drink mixes (Kool-aid, iced tea, lemonade), pickles

June

  • School’s Out. Easy-to-fix, child-friendly foods like peanut butter and jelly, canned pasta, soup, macaroni and cheese.
  • National Hunger Awareness Day. Help to spread the word! Hunger in America is unacceptable! Donate canned vegetables and meats.

July

  • Independence Day. Think condiments like ketchup, mustard, relish, bar-b-q sauce, baked beans, macaroni for salad, drink mixes (iced tea, lemonade, Kool-aid)

August

  • Back to School. Lunchbox fillers like peanut butter and jelly, tuna, canned sandwich spreads, school supplies

September

  • Labor Day. Last picnics of the summer. Condiments like ketchup, mustard, relish, bar-b-q sauce, baked beans, macaroni for salad.

October

  • Columbus Day. All things Italian. Dry pasta, pasta sauce, canned pasta, tomatoes, tomato paste, rice, chick peas, parmesan cheese, pizza sauce, olives, olive oil
  • National Food Bank Week/World Hunger Day. Fruits, vegetables, canned meats and fish, canned and dry pasta, rice, soup, stew

November

  • World Kindness Day/ National Hunger and Homelessness Week. Soup, stew, chili, juice
  • Thanksgiving. Side dishes. Cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, vegetables. Foods like rice, noodles, cream soup mixes, canned vegetables to make leftovers into meals

December

  • World AIDS Day. Easy to prepare foods like macaroni and cheese, soups and stews.
  • Christmas. Side dishes. Cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, vegetables. Foods to make leftovers into meals like rice, noodles, cream soup mixes, canned vegetables