Goodman Community Center | Friendly Food Drive Competition
Donate

Help stock the shelves of our food pantry, for honor, glory, and a visit from Bucky!

Local businesses and community groups compete to collect the most-donated items for Goodman Community Center's Fritz Food Pantry during our seasonal Friendly Food Drive competitions.

Sign up to participate in the next Friendly Food Drive competition, then encourage your members, employees or customers to donate any nonperishable grocery or personal care item. Collect the items, count them and deliver them to GCC by the deadline to compete.

Any business, corporation or community group in Dane County is eligible to participate. You don’t have to be part of a large organization to get into the Friendly Food Drive spirit. And community groups of any size are eligible to participate. Every bit helps and is greatly appreciated in the food pantry.

Spring 2025 Competition

  • Use the form below to sign up by March 28, 2025
  • Assign one contact from your workplace to receive and share all communication about your drive.
    • This person will be responsible for getting ALL follow up information, such as the Food Drive Assets Kit and the Item Tally Form.
    • Contact Meghan (mjohnson@goodmancenter.org) if you have questions.
  • Download our Food Drive Kit for posters, shopping lists, and social media / promo assets to support your drive!
  • Collect food from now until April 22, 2025
  • Count your items (!!!) using our End of Drive Item Tally Form before packing everything up to bring it to the Goodman Center.
  • Winners will be announced at the Be the Good event on April 24, 2025!
  • The trophy will be delivered to your business to display with pride!
Sign up to participate

2025 Winners will receive a visit from Bucky!

Thanks to our friends at UW athletics, winners of 2025 Friendly Food Drive competitions will have the trophy presented by none other than Bucky Badger!

“Giving back to our community is a part of our culture at Exact Sciences. The Friendly Food Drive was an impactful way for our employees to give back and get into that spirit of friendly competition, and they really stepped up.”

- Stefanie Berg, Community and Employee Volunteer Manager, Exact Sciences (Fall 2024 Friendly Food Drive winner)

What to give?

While all food or personal care items count, sharing a list of most-needed items or creating themes can energize participants. Themes like breakfast or family dinner items are popular. Click below to view our most-needed items or sample theme ideas. The theme ideas and shopping lists below are just examples, you can make up your own theme or add items to the lists.

Please note: due to food safety issues, the only perishable food item we accept is garden produce. Any other items requiring refrigeration or freezing cannot be accepted.

View the most-needed food pantry items

Sample Food Drive Themes

While all food pantry items are accepted year-round, themes can be fun ways to motivate your staff or community to participate. Imagining how the recipient will use the donated items creates a sense of connection and compassion.

Breakfast Items Theme
  • Cereal
  • Instant coffee, ground coffee, k-cups
  • Pancake, waffle, or muffin mix
  • Gluten-free mixes
  • Juice
  • Cooking oil
  • Syrup or honey
  • Jam or jelly
  • Peanut butter
  • Almond butter
  • Powdered milk
  • Pudding mix
  • Oatmeal
  • Sugar
  • Flour
  • Baking powder or baking soda
Personal Care Items Theme
  • Toilet Paper
  • Diapers: Sizes 3,4, 5, 6 and pull-ups
  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Toothpaste and toothbrushes
  • Body and hand soap
  • Facial tissues (kleenex)
  • Deodorant
  • Moisturizer
  • Lip balm
Family Dinner Theme
  • Pasta
  • Gluten-free pasta
  • Pasta sauce
  • Tomato sauce
  • Tomato paste
  • Rice
  • Salt
  • Canned fish
  • Refried beans
  • Canned beans
  • Chili powder
  • Canned tomatoes
  • Cooking oil
Baby Shower Theme
  • Diapers: especially sizes 3,4, 5, 6 and pull-ups
  • Diaper balm
  • Baby wipes
  • Baby formula (all ages)
  • Baby food (jars or pouches)
  • Baby snacks/crackers/teething biscuits
  • Pacifiers
  • Nipple cream/balm
  • Prenatal vitamins