Donation Suggestions

The lights are hung, sound checks being conducted, the kitchen is stewing, and everything is falling into place on schedule. Hundreds of people from all walks of life have attended the Ceremony since its inception in 1992 and over 2,700 pounds of food have been donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank through the years. So whether you're seeing your first ceremony or your seventh, this year promises to be no different. It is sure to be filled with old friends and new faces coming together to celebrate the spirit of the season.

The Atlanta Community Food Bank has delivered a tub that will hold 350 pounds of food (which will provide more than 200 meals), and we're hoping to more than fill it! Last year, we collected more than 700 pounds - enough to make 400 meals, and this year, we're hoping to top it.

In the Atlanta metro area, over 240,000 residents are struggling to survive. Only three cities in the US have more people living below poverty level than Atlanta.  Poverty and hunger are growing while the most recent statistics indicate over 137 million tons of food worth $31 billion are wasted annually - enough to feed 49 million people. Your help is needed to take significant steps toward ending this problem.

The food collected at the Ceremony will be distributed to over 700 community-based not-for-profit feeding agencies.  These agencies include senior service centers, community kitchens, day care centers, food pantries, battered women shelters, brown bag lunches, food co-ops and meals-on-wheels programs. Each agency is a registered non-profit organization. We've been in touch with the Food Bank, and here is a list of their most-needed food items.

Meat group

• Canned meat: spam, ham, meat-spread, beef stew, chicken
• Canned fish: tuna, salmon, sardines

Milk group

• Evaporated milk
• Canned cheese
• Powdered milk
• Pudding, custard

Breads & Cereals

• Baking mix, muffin mix
• Dry cereal
• Oatmeal, grits
• Rice, rice cakes
• Spaghetti
• Cornmeal, cornmeal mix

Fruits & Vegetables

• Canned fruit: citrus sections, oranges, pineapple, applesauce, apricots
• Canned juices: tomato, orange, pineapple, grape
• Canned vegetables
• Canned soups
• Dried fruits: raisins, apricots, prunes

Other items

• Macaroni & Cheese
• Boxed juice
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Peanut butter
• Canned nuts
• Jams, jellies
• Sugar, flour

The food bank suggests you plan your donation to feed a complete meal for a family of four. Or think about what it would take to feed a family for a day. Together, we can help eliminate hunger in our community.