Ready to Start your Food Drive?
Organizing a Food Drive helps keep the shelves at our five (5) no-cost Food Markets stocked throughout the year. It’s also a great way to engage your community members around the issue of local hunger, while providing an incredible service to your neighbors.
Hopelink is here to support your drive. We have collection sleeves and crates, flyer templates, posters, and social media graphics to raise awareness and inspire people to contribute to your drive.
Have questions on how to get started, check out the tools listed below for more helpful tips and resources or email drives@hopelink.org.
Hopelink is here to support your drive!
Resources
You are welcome to use any boxes/bags you have on hand to collect food. But we also have some collection bins that we can lend out. Email drives@hopelink.org to learn more.
Spread the word
Download our media kit to access flyers and other digital assets such as logos, images or banners to help you with your social media posts.
Ready to drop off your donation?
Donations can be dropped off at any of our five (5) Food Markets. Please contact us at drives@hopelink.org or (425)-869-2440 for up-to-date donation drop off hours. We find it helpful if you can let us know when you plan to stop by with your donation so we can give the appropriate food market staff and volunteers a heads up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hopelink’s Food Program operates five (5) Food Markets with locations in Bellevue, Redmond, Shoreline, Kirkland, and Carnation and a mobile market that visits various sites throughout our service area. At no cost, clients can shop at the market as they would in a typical grocery store by choosing the items that best fit their household needs. Donations collected from Food Drives help Hopelink keep our shelves stocked with a variety of free, nutritious and culturally relevant foods.
Please click here to see a full list of our most needed items. Hopelink can’t accept expired, opened, or damaged food; meat that isn’t USDA grade; clothes, shoes, or accessories; home goods or appliances; medicines; or alcohol.
Most Needed Food Items
Canned meals
Canned meat
tuna, chicken, etc.
Healthy cereal/oats
Grains
Pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous, barley, etc.
Fruits & vegetables
Soup and broths
Non-dairy milk
shelf stable (oat,almond, soy)
Cooking oils
Spices
Salt, brown and white sugar (bulk ok)
Flour
(no bulk please)
Most Needed Non-Food Items
Baby items
squeeze food pouches, wipes, diapers sizes 4-7
Hygiene items
Feminine products, toothpaste, toothbrushes
Feminine products
toothpaste, toothbrushes
Household items
Clorox wipes, reusable grocery bags
Yes, collected funds (cash or checks) can be dropped off at the Hopelink center nearest you. You can also set up a team fundraising page to make it easy for drive participants to donate to your drive online.
We find it helpful if you’re able to schedule your drop-off with Debbie so that she can give the appropriate food market staff a heads up. Debbie can be reached at drives@hopelink.org or (425)-869-2440.
Yes and yes! When you make a donation online, you will automatically receive a receipt via email. When you drop off at a physical donation, please ask a volunteer or staff member to provide you with a receipt. We can only offer receipts for the donations that are given directly to Hopelink.
If your group pools together money to purchase gifts for a drive, we are unable to offer individual
tax receipts.
Hopelink is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and your donation is tax deductible. To claim a
donation as a deduction on your federal income taxes, please keep your receipt as your official record. Our Tax ID number is 91-0982116.
You will receive a receipt upon dropping off your in-kind donations, which will include the total
weight in pounds of food. If you didn’t receive a receipt or are inquiring about cash donations, please contact drives@hopelink.org or (425)-869-2440.