Donate Food

Food Drive Guidelines

As the Food Bank works to meet the demand for food assistance in Rhode Island, a food drive is a great way to get companies, schools, families, colleagues, churches or scouting groups involved, providing healthy staples to those in need.

Here are some guidelines for a successful food drive:

We do not accept items that are open, out of date, or otherwise damaged or unusable. We cannot accept glass packaging, perishable, or prepared foods.

You can run a food drive during an event, or over the course of several weeks. For best results, be clear about the time frame and what you are collecting in your promotions.

Collection boxes and posters are available for use and may be picked up in the foyer of the Food Bank, 200 Niantic Avenue, Providence, RI 02907, M-F between the hours of 8:00am-4:00pm (no appointment necessary).

An 11 x 17 Food Drive poster can also be downloaded here.

Please plan to drop-off your donation at our location, or at one of our agencies. If you need assistance unloading your donation, please arrive by 4:00pm to ensure our warehouse staff is available to assist.

Since our transportation fleet is reserved for food deliveries to our member agencies, they don’t have the capacity to make food drive pickups, unless the donation is over 1,500 lbs (approximately 35 boxes). If your food drive meets the requirement, please contact us to arrange a pickup.

Most Needed Non-Perishable Food Items

Soups & stews: Any variety, canned or boxed
Pasta, Macaroni & Cheese: Any variety, boxed, bagged or canned
Breakfast Cereals: Any variety
Rice: Jasmine, yellow, basmati, white and brown
Canned Fish & Meat: Tuna, chicken, sardines, salmon
Canned Fruit: Pineapple, mango, peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail
Canned Vegetables: Corn, green beans, peas, spinach, okra
Tomato Products: Diced, crushed, sauce, paste
Beans & Lentils: Canned or dried black, cannellini, kidney, fava, chick peas, etc.
Nut & Seed Butters: Peanut, sunflower, soy nut, almond, cashew
Sauces, Spices and Condiments: In plastic bottles or cans only, no glass – sofrito, fish sauce, soy sauce, coconut milk, extra virgin olive oil, rice vinegar, crushed red pepper, paprika, adobo, cinnamon, ginger

Food Industry Donations

The Food Bank is fortunate to receive large-scale food donations from local food retailers and distributors. If you are a retailer or distributor and would like to discuss a donation, please contact Food Donation Manager, Cheryl Powers.