Food for Families | Knights of Columbus

Overview

Knights of Columbus are committed to helping end hunger through the Food for Families Program which has donated millions of dollars and millions of pounds of food toward this end. Council and parish families will raise funds to support their local food pantries, food banks and soup kitchens. For every $500 or 1,000 pounds of food donated, the Supreme Council will refund $100 back to the council – up to a maximum of $500 per council per fraternal year. Though in-kind donation of food is valuable, leaders of hunger-relief organizations often comment that financial contributions can be stretched even further and allow nonprofits to procure the exact items needed by the organization and its clients. For Food for Families resources, visit www.kofc.org/food.

Featured Program Requirements

For two program credits toward the Columbian Award – Collect a minimum of $500 or 1,000 pounds of food for a parish or community food pantry and contribute a minimum of 100 total man-hours in preparation/distribution/service of meals. Report activity and apply for the refund using the Food for Families Refund Application (#10057).

Please Note: Participating in the Food for Families Program does not satisfy the programming requirements for the Helping Hands Program. The two activities are separate and cannot be double-counted.

Action Steps

Identify a program chairman to oversee all action steps and delegate tasks as needed. If coordinating with the parish, confirm pastor approval with grand knight, and then set up subsequent parish ministry collaboration meetings.
Set an annual goal for your Food for Families Program.
Contact a local food bank, food pantry or soup kitchen to inform them of your intentions and to initiate a partnership.
Conduct various events in your parish and community in order to reach your goal!
Prior to each event, use the sample News Release (#10658) as a model to create and distribute a tailored release to local media.
Build public interest for your program! Promote each event in your parish and larger community through a variety of efforts:
- Prominently display promotional posters
- Bulletin announcements
- Pulpit announcements
- Posting on your council and parish website/social media pages
On the day of each event, wear Knights of Columbus-branded apparel and have the council membership director set up a table with brochures and membership documents (including Prospect Cards (#921A). Do not forget that this event is a recruiting opportunity!
Enlist a fellow Knight or community member to photograph the event.
Once your goal is reached, complete the associated reporting forms.
- Immediately after your program is finished, complete the Food for Families Refund Application (#10057) and the Fraternal Programs Report Form (#10784)
- Remember to provide proper documentation with form #10057, such as a donation receipt or letter from a food assistance organization detailing your donation. Applications will not be accepted and/or processed without supporting documentation. Submit completed application along with supporting documentation to fraternalmission@kofc.org
- At the end of the fraternal year, complete the Columbian Award Application (#SP-7)

Resources

#10511- Brochure

#10057- Refund Application

#10657- Vertical Poster

#10658- News Release

Program resources can be ordered by your grand knight, financial secretary and/or program director on Supplies Online via Officers Online.

Link

http://www.kofc.org/food