Governor's Bowl Food Drive

Date: 5/28/2012 TO 7/4/2012
Time:

Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce
1763 Fountain Drive
Reston, VA 20190

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Event Description: Despite being the second-highest income county in the U.S., did you know that nearly 25% of all children in Fairfax County schools qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch? Since the economic downturn began in 2008, there has been an 80% increase in requests to Fairfax County for food and financial assistance. Summer is the most challenging time for food banks in Virginia, with kids out of school and without access to school feeding programs.

The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce is proud to partner with Governor Bob McDonnell to participate in the first Governor's Bowl Chamber of Commerce Challenge Food Drive - a food drive competition among select Virginia chambers of commerce and their member businesses. The drive runs from Memorial Day through Independence Day, and at its conclusion the chambers that collect the most food state-wide will be recognized by Governor McDonnell.
>>Download a flyer on the Governor's Bowl Food Drive

WHO WILL RECEIVE THE FOOD?
The food that we collect will be given to the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), one of the largest food distribution  programs in Virginia. CAFB will then distribute the food to social services agencies that work in Fairfax County,
including member nonprofit Reston Interfaith. From there the food will be given to people in need in our community who are struggling to make ends meet.

HOW CAN COMPANIES PARTICIPATE?
There are three ways your company can participate:
1. Drop non-perishable food off here at the Chamber
2. Collect food at your office. Please contact Karl Meier with the Chamber if you would like to sign your company up to collect food. We will provide your organization with a food drive tool kit that includes:
    -Flyer template to promote the drive internally
    -A wish list of items needed by CAFB
    -Ideas to promote the drive among your employees
    -Large box to collect food (if needed)
You can host your drive between now and July 2, and will need to deliver your final donations to the Reston Chamber by July 3 at 5:00pm.
3. Bring food to Taste of Reston – for the first time ever we will be collecting food donations at the event.

WHEN SHOULD WE START COLLECTING?
As soon as possible. The collection dates run from May 28 (Memorial Day) through July 4 (Independence Day).

HOW CAN INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATE?
You can bring donations to the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce Monday – Friday from 9:00am – 5:00pm
or to the Taste of Reston festival at Reston Town Center on June 15-16 (more details at www.RestonTaste.com).

I WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION
Please contact Karl Meier at KarlM@RestonChamber.org or 703.707.9045.

We would like to thank the following companies for their participation in the Governor's Bowl Food Drive:
Achieve-it, LLC - BEI - Cassidy Turley  - Classical Ballet Theatre - Doug Corbett Voice, LLC - Farmers Insurance Group - Hyatt Regency Reston - Il Fornaio - M&T Bank - Northern Virginia Community College  - Omicron Kappa Kappa - Red Thinking, LLC  - Reston Association - Reston Community Center - Reston Interfaith - The UPS Store at South Lakes - TidWiT - Veatch Commercial Real Estate - Veris Consulting, Inc. - Willow Tree Media - YMCA Fairfax County Reston 
Directions:

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