Local Fundraisers for your School Lunch Program

When you conduct a fundraiser for your school lunch program, you are sending a message to your volunteers, your supporters, and to your community. That message contains a values statement about your school.

Your fundraising message should be:

· Consistent with your school wellness policy

o i.e., no candy or pop sales, promoting physical activity

· Consistent with a responsible marketing policy

o i.e., no cartoon characters or corporate brands

· Supporting "community tie-ins", not "corporate tie-ins"

o i.e., get involved with your community, not large corporations that are not locally based. Often corporate involvement is viewed as philanthropy, but it is 100% profit driven.

· Supportive of the environment whenever possible

o i.e., don't waste limited resources (water) or create waste.

Fundraising ideas for your school:

• Establish fundraisers involving local food and food-themed merchandise.
• Host Harvest Lunches and sell tickets to the entire community
• Publish recipe cards and cookbook from the school lunch program, encouraging families to eat nutritious meals at home.
• Publish a school calendar with recipes, food purchasing tips, and food safety tips.
• Sell fruit and vegetable themed note cards, postcards, tote bags promoting your school lunch program.
• Sell locally grown flowers for Easter, Mother's Day, Christmas.
• Sell heirloom bulbs and unique plants to gardeners each fall.
• Sell items that promote physical activity such as kites, hula hoops, jump ropes, packages of seeds, window box herb garden kits
• A Dance Marathon is another kid-friendly, physical activity event. Profits are generated from ticket sales and local food "heart-healthy" concessions.
• Have an "earth-friendly" fundraiser. Organizing a community cleanup project, is another physical activity based fundraiser that sends a positive message at the same time. Participants pledge dollars per pound.
• Host a weekend specialty sale of a seasonal item. Examples would be a Pumpkin Patch sale, a Christmas Tree sale, a Spring Flower Bulb Day.
• Host a Pancake Breakfast fundraiser at your school cafeteria, serving healthy beverages and fresh fruit toppings for the pancakes.

Another idea is to collaborate with like-minded community members for creative fundraising efforts. Utilize their resources and membership base to promote your school lunch program.

Consider contacting your:

Local food co-op's education and outreach department.

• Co-host a fundraising event and invite the food co-op's membership.

Local farmers market

• Conduct school food/chef demos using local produce at the farmers market. Hold a raffle during the school food demos.

Locally owned independent restaurants

• Organize a theme night where local restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds to your school lunch program

Downtown Business Authority or your local business association

• Ask for your school lunch program to be the recipient of their charitable event