St. Patrick Church

Welcome to the St. Patrick’s Greg Gannon Canned Food Drive!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2023

This year marks the 11th Anniversary of St. Patrick’s participation!

We are asking volunteers in our surrounding community to collect food with a team in their neighborhoods. We can help you get the word out with printed flyers and wording to send out through your neighborhood listservs. Or perhaps you would like to host your own mini food drive with a box on your front step or at your workplace.

We are looking forward to collecting more CANS OF HOPE to share with our neighbors in need.  Service hours are available.

Previous participants will receive an email in early October with suggestions of how we can use your help this year.

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GGCFDstpatrick@gmail.com has all the answers for you, so please email and let us know that you’d like to help.

Sign Up to Participate

Remember ALL volunteers need to register.
Territory assignments are not lost, we just need to start with fresh contact information.
Complete the form below and add any family members.
Please ask other adults/families on your team to do the same thing.

Sign Up

How It works

Territory Boundaries

Territories have been created by dividing neighborhoods around a parish into about 175 houses. As a Territory Team Member, you will be responsible for the food collection in that area. Please be sure to refer to your territory map to be sure of the streets and "sides" of the streets in your territory. Please stay on the inside of your boundary and only visit houses on your side of the outside street.

Territory Supplies

You will be given all of the supplies you need to collect food in your territory: bags, flyers, thank you door hangers and a map. Instructions to successfully collect in your territory will be provided and can be found below in Helpful Hints and Resources.

Territory Bag Distribution

Between Sunday and Thursday before the collection date, please distribute your bags and flyers. This gives your neighbors enough time to shop or select items from their cupboards for your Saturday collection day.

Territory Bag Collection

On drive day, go back to the same houses and collect filled bags left outside. Please do not collect before the time on your flyer. Hopefully, the bags are prominently set out, but please drive slowly to be sure you don't miss any and don't hesitate to knock on doors to remind neighbors to support those in need. After you have gone through your territory once, please go through again to pick up bags which may have been left out late.

Collection Site and Sweeping

Many volunteers are needed on Drive Day to help at the collection site. We need help directing the food as it arrives in territory leaders' vehicles and as it goes out in recipient organization vehicles. Then of course we need many hands to move the donations quickly and efficiently. No matter how careful territory volunteers are when collecting their items, some bags are missed. Our donors often call to have their bag picked up and we need help organizing these calls and picking up the bags. EVERY CAN COUNTS!

Schedule

Friday October 20

Volunteer Sign Up

Website Sign up is available for volunteers

Saturday November 11 9:45am to 11:00am

Territory Supply Pick Up

Thursday November 16

Distribute Bags

Distribute the bags with stapled flyer any time before Thursday, November 16th to all houses in your territory. We want neighbors to have time to purchase food to participate. Please follow your territory map and do not cross your outside boundary street.  

Sunday November 19 All Day

Prayer Service

Everyone is encouraged to attend 8:00am Sunday morning Mass and come to the Parish Center afterwards for coffee/doughnuts and hot chocolate before picking up bags in assigned territories. Please remember to wear your t-shirts. A group photo will be taken so lets try to get as many volunteers as possible to attend!

Sunday November 19 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Collect the Bags

Bag collection should begin after the time noted on your flyer. Drive through your territory at least two times to be sure you haven't missed any bags! EVERY CAN COUNTS!

Please use the Can Count Sheet to count as you collect. Have all cans counted before you pull into line to drop off cans.

Bring your loaded bags back to the parish center where our Boy Scout volunteers will transfer the cans to the food pantry trucks that will be waiting. Please follow the directions for the flow of traffic around the parish center. Collections need to be returned by 1:00 PM. Remember to make one last run through your territory to make sure you picked up all of the bags!

Contact This Parish

If your family or business is interested in sponsoring our event, please contact us.

Monica Ludwig: 301-924-2284

120000Cans

collected by St. Patrick to date!

Thank You to Our Sponsors