Matching Donations to Your Local Food Bank

For those of you that don’t keep up with this sort of thing, today is Blog Action Day. If you’re not familiar with Blog Action Day, it’s a day when upwards of 10k bloggers (myself included) band together to write about a topic that needs greater attention. Last year’s topic was the environment. This year, the topic is poverty.

Rather than simply writing about the poverty problem, I decided that I wanted to do something a bit more tangible. So… Like last year, I thought I’d try to raise a bit of money to help combat the problem.

Here’s how it works… My family will match all donations made this week up to $1000 $2000 total (extended! click here for details) with a donation of our own. Note that this will be in addition to our normal annual contributions, so it’s a true match. All you have to do is find your local food bank, make your donation, and then let me know about it. In order to simplify the record-keeping, all of our matching donations will go to our local food bank in a lump sum donation.

Feed the world in four easy steps:

1. Visit Feeding America to find your local foodbank.

2. Make your donation (follow the link directly to your local foodbank, or donate via Feeding America).

3. Let me know via e-mail to ‘nickel’ at this domain (fivecentnickel.com) or via my contact form (specify the amount).

4. Save your receipt… It’s tax deductible, after all.

For the most part, we’ll do this on the honor system, but I reserve the right to ask for proof of any questionable (in my opinion) donations. Proof would constitute a screen shot of your donation (or confirmation e-mail) — you will of course be free to blot out the sensitive parts (name, address, etc.).

Don’t worry, my goal here is to give the money away. I just don’t want someone lying that they gave a large amount and effectively ending the fundraiser early.

Assuming that people actually take me up on this offer, I’ll post a list of donors and amounts (I may post periodic updates, as well, depending on the response).

Fellow Bloggers: Make a minimum donation of $50 and I’ll include a link to your site when I post updates and/or the final list. Again, keep in mind that I might ask for proof, so don’t lie. If you do, I’ll out you in a very public way.

About Feeding America*

Feeding America is the nation’s leading charitable hunger-relief organization:

• A network of more than 200 member food banks and food-rescue organizations
• Serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico

The Feeding America network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually.

The Feeding America network supports approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 70,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, Kids Cafes, Community Kitchens and BackPack Programs.

Each year, the Feeding America network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.

*Feeding America was formerly known as America’s Second Harvest.