December Food Drive — December 6-8

Posted November 29, 2023

McKinley-Thatcher is excited to hold our annual December Food Drive next week from Wednesday, December 6 to Friday, December 8. Our food drive donations will be handed out to school families on Wednesday, December 13!

What Can We Donate & Where Do We Drop It Off?

We are looking for donations of the following items:
Please check expiration dates on all donated food items!

• Nutrient-rich canned and shelf-stable goods
  • Fruit & vegetables; soup, beans, pasta & sauce; cereal & boxed milk; tea & coffee; tuna & crackers; peanut butter, jelly & bread; dried fruit, rice, baking mix, oil & frosting, etc.
• Dishwasher & laundry detergent
• Hygiene products
• $25 gift cards to Target & Walmart (preferred) or Safeway & King Soopers

Donations can be sent with your child or dropped off at the main office in your student’s grade donation box any day from December 6 to December 8! Gift card donations can be dropped off in our main office.

All Families Can Take Home Food Donations Over Winter Break!

All items donated to our food drive will be sorted and packed into reusable grocery bags, then distributed to any McKinley family that would like to take food home for Winter Break! Food bags will be distributed on Wednesday, December 13 at 2:30pm on our playground. Any and all families are invited to take as many bags as they would like home with them on this day. We’ll also have food bags available for Discovery Link (DL) families when they pick up their students from DL.

We Need Volunteers to Help Us Pack & Distribute Our Donations!

We need volunteers to help sort, pack, and distribute donations!

• Sorting & Packing Donations
  • Volunteer Shift #1: Monday, December 11, 7:45am-9:45am
    • Check in at the office and get a visitor badge. Transport food items from main office and bring to gym to sort and pack.
  • Volunteer Shift #2: Monday, December 11, 12:30pm-2:30pm
    • Check in at the office and get a visitor badge. Transport food items from main office and bring to gym to sort and pack.
• Distributing Donations
  • Volunteer Shift: Wednesday, December 13, 2:00pm-3:00pm
    • Check in at the office and get a visitor badge. Transport food items from gym to distribute to families on the playground after school.
• If you’d like to help out, please visit our SignUpGenius to sign up!

The Grade Level That Donates the Most Wins a Special Party!

The grade level that collects the most donations during the drive wins a special Wintertastic Popsicle Party from our PTA! (Our 4th and 5th grade classes will work together to raise donations for their combined grade levels.)

My Family Needs More Help During Winter Break

McKinley-Thatcher is not running our Adopt-a-Family assistance program this year. School families who are in need of assistance during winter break are encouraged to check out the following resources.

• List of December food and gift assistance programs in the Denver Metro area
• Denver Santa Claus Shop: non-profit that provides one gift per child for the holidays
• Food Bank of the Rockies: local food banks for families
• City of Denver’s “Be Supported” resources page

I Have Questions or Need More Information!

Please call our main office at (720) 424-5600 or email us at McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org.