HOW TO HOST A

FOOD DESERT &

INSECURITY
AWARENESS EVENT
DIRECTIONS AND TOOLS

[INSERT GRAPHIC/LOGO HERE]

Mission Statement

What is a Food Desert?

What is Food Insecurity?

2015 Whatever Name I Decide To Give My Organization blah blah blah.. None of the
trademarks may be used without permission of the owner.

W TO HOST A FOOD DESERT & FOOD INSECURITY AWARENESS EVENT Directions & Toolkit

CONTENTS
RAISING FUNDS...........................................................5
PLANNING YOUR EVENT...........................................6
STEP 1: FIND PEOPLE TO HELP YOU.............6
STEP 2: GET ORGANIZED..................................7
STEP 3: RUN YOUR EVENT...............................8
SAMPLE EVENT SCHEDULE11
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION SCRIPT.........................12
EXAMPLE CHARACTER TICKETS..........................13
CONTACT US...............................................................14
TAKE ACTION..............................................................14
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EVENT...............................15

INTRODUCTION LETTER,

[INSERT TEXT HERE]

OLIVIA FUCINARI
fucinaro@mail.gvsu.edu

(313) *** - ****

RAISE FUNDS FOR ORGANIZATION NAME

Increase the impact of your ORGANIZATION NAME Food Insecurity Event and raise money for
ORGANIZATION NAME at your event. Heres how, and why, your donations can help.

TO SOLVE FOOD
INSECURITY, WE NEED
YOUR SUPPORT.
ORGANIZATION NAME
________________
(insert what organization
does)

and helps_______________________________________

(Insert who organization helps and how it helps)

Your tax-deductible donations are one of

the main sources of support for our efforts.
Here are some examples of how your
donation can make a difference:

$50 (What $50 can do)

$100 (What $100 can do)

$200 (What $200 can do)
$400 (What $400 can do)
To learn more about ORGANIZATION
NAMEs work and how your donation can
help, go to WEBSITE URL

MAKE YOUR EVENT A

FUNDRAISER

It is easy to turn your event into a fundraiser. Try

these ideas to help you get started:

Ideas of ways event can be fundraiser

bulleted

into three committees:

PLANNING YOUR
EVENT
To help make your Food Insecurity Awareness
event a success, ORGANIZATION NAME has
compiled some tips and techniques for
planning your event from start to finish.

WHAT HAPPENS AT AN
ORGANIZATION NAME FOOD
DESERT & INSECURITY
AWARENESS EVENT?
When guests arrive at the event, they draw
tickets at random that assign each to high
access, medium access, or low access to food
based on the latest statistics about the number
of people living in a food desert or with food
insecurity in Ottawa County, Michigan. Each
access level receives a corresponding location
to obtain their food and the distance depends
on what level of access is indicated on their
ticket. Those with high access are served
quality, nutritious, and tasty food from a very
near location. The middle access are served
food of a similar quality and nutrition value but
the distance between them and their food is
greater. Finally, the low access individuals
must retrieve their quality and nutritious from
an even farther location. However, all of these
groups have a choice between their quality,
nutritious food and fast food hamburgers and
French fries, which are at the same distance
as the quality, nutritious food of the high
access individuals. A master of ceremonies
(MC) reads a script (see page 10) to guide
participants through the interactive event.
Finally, all guests are invited to share their
thoughts after the meal and to take action to
right the wrong of food insecurity.

STEP 1: FIND PEOPLE TO HELP

YOU
Recruit volunteers and divide them

PUBLICITY COMMITTEE
This group handles publicity and the media.
The purpose of these publicity efforts is to
get people to attend the event.
Your publicity should reflect the nature of the
event, including the themes of social justice
and education. Sometimes organizers keep
their publicity purposefully vague to intrigue
prospective guests and to add an element of
surprise.
Organizing this event is a great opportunity
to take your message about food deserts
and food insecurity in Ottawa County to the
general public through the media
newspaper, radio, and television. By
contacting local media, you may receive
coverage that will reach far beyond those
who attend your event.
LOGISTICS COMMITTEE
This teams responsibilities involve
fundraising, soliciting donations of items
needed for the event, and recruiting
additional volunteers to prepare for and staff
the event. This committees ultimate goal is to
ensure that the event runs as smoothly as
possible.
This event is to raise awareness, however, it
can also be used as a fundraiser for
ORGANIZATION NAME. Therefore, it is best
to spend as little as possible. Whether your
event is a fundraiser or not, you will be
working within a budget, so keeping
expenses down will be important. Your
budget will probably include allowances for
food, publicity, a sound system, decorations,
and possibly the cost of a venue and/or
speaker(s).
It is a good idea to make your own list before
planning your fund-raising strategy. Once you
have a list, you can begin brainstorming for
ways to limit expenditures. Food can be your
biggest expensethough through donations,

it can often cost nothing at all! If you have a

dining hall or cafeteria food service, begin by
asking them to donate food. Or ask for
donations from local restaurants and grocery
stores.
Let potential donors know that they will
receive publicity through your printed
program, through press releases, and at the
event itself. Seek out community stores,
businesses, institutions, and individuals able
to assist you.
When talking with potential sponsors,
emphasize the positive nature of your event.
Many businesses and organizations may
make it their policy to support social justice
or public service efforts as a means of
helping the community and maintaining a
positive public image.
Tip: When seeking outside support, be sure
to write a professional letter or email first
and then follow up immediately thereafter
with a call or a visit.
PLANNING COMMITTEE
The planning committee oversees the
structure and design
of the program and makes sure that your
event effectively conveys its message. This
committee also plans the agenda and content
of the program, including how much time is
allocated to each part. It arranges for an MC,
speakers, etc.
Create a dramatic, interactive event that
enables participants to experience the extent
of food insecurity within their very own
community and the degree of inequality
within food desert. Our suggestions:

Take into account the experiences, values,

and environment of your specific
audience, and plan an event that will
resonate with them.
Consider distributing information to your
audience before the event. Will your
audience members have a better reaction
if they are well-informed? Or will the
element of surprise be more effective?

If you want your event to have a lasting

impact, people should leave not only with a
greater understanding of food deserts and
food insecurity, but also knowing what they
can specifically do to help. See our sample
event script (page 10) for ideas.

STEP 2: GET ORGANIZED

This suggested sequence of events will assist
you as you complete the tasks necessary to
prepare for your event.
FIVE TO EIGHT WEEKS BEFORE
Set a date for the
event. (Logistics
Committee)
Reserve a venue.
(Logistics Committee)
Select an MC and a speaker. (Planning
Committee)
Create a list of important, wellknown people within the
community to invite. (Planning
Committee)
Seek out food donations.
(Logistics Committee)
Print invitations and fliers (Publicity
Commitee)
FOUR WEEKS BEFORE
Send out
invitations. (Publicity
Committee)
Post event online.
(Publicity Committee)
Prepare press
release. (Publicity
Committee)
Determine locations
(Planning Committee)
Decide on decorations.
(Planning Committee)
THREE WEEKS BEFORE
Continue to publicize. (Publicity Committee)
Design map (Logistics Committee)
Purchase or make
decorations. (Planning
Committee)
Put up posters. (Publicity
Committee)
Send out press releases and make
follow-up calls. (Publicity Committee)

Review the suggested

script. (Planning
Committee)
Make follow-up calls to
media. (Publicity
Committee)

everything goes smoothly, assign the

tasks at hand to four people or groups:
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
The Master of Ceremonies (MC) needs
to have a commanding presence to be
able to hold the audiences attention for
the duration of the event. It falls on the
MCs shoulders to get the audience to
participate in the sharing session, one of
the most important parts of the event.
Along with being an effective public
speaker, the MC should have a good
grasp of the events and objectives. Use
our suggested event script on page 10 as
a guide. The MC should be briefed on
what food will be provided and where it will
be served, as he or she will be expected to
give directions concerning the food.

THREE DAYS BEFORE

Make tickets for all access groups.
(Logistics Committee)
Buy food/ pick up donated food (Logistics
Committee)
Check on locations for each
group. (Logistics Committee)
Make last-minute press calls.
(Publicity Committee)
THE BIG DAY
Continue publicity. (Publicity Committee)
Set up and decorate.
(Planning Committee)
Set up information
table. (Logistics
Committee)
Orient volunteers.
(Logistics Committee)
Coordinate food for each income. (Logistics
Committee)

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR(S)
The volunteer coordinator assigns people
to specific tasks and leads the orientation
for all volunteers before the event. Some
volunteers will put up the decorations, set
up the food at the various locations, and
perhaps prepare the food. Others will
greet the guests, have them add their
names to the sign-in sheet and pick their
tickets, serve the food, and clean up once
event is over.

Greet guests and make sure everyone

has a ticket. (Planning Committee)
SUGGESTED LAYOUT
See page 9 for map of Grand Valley State
University as example.
WHATS ON THE MENU?
Undecided

POTENTIAL SPEAKERS
Professors
Teachers
University president
Local elected officials
Community leaders
Directors of area food banks and shelters
Leaders of faith groups
Local celebrities or media personalities

STEP 3: RUN YOUR EVENT

The big day is here! To ensure that

SOUND SYSTEM MANAGER

The sound system is an essential feature
to be sure that the audience can hear
directions at the start of the event.
VIP GUEST RELATIONS
Well-known people shall be invited to
draw other people to your event,
provide insight into social justice
issues, or both.

Speakers need to be briefed on where to

go, as well as when they will speak

during the program and for how long.

They should be introduced to the MC
and other speakers.

To get participants to play their roles

based on what their identity is on their
ticket.

Sponsors, whether individuals or heads

of corporations, should be shown how
their support contributed to the event,
and they should be thanked, both in
person and by the MC as part of the
program.

If people do not participate or eat their

food, point this out. In reality, picky
eating is not a reasonable choice for
hungry people.

Use audience comments to illustrate

the point of the event.

Consider ways to reduce the amount of

waste from your event. Serve water
from pitchers instead of plastic bottles,
recycle silverware, and compost
uneaten food.

TIPS
Do not allow the event to go over
the allotted time (ideally 90
minutes).

Have the MC travel to the different

locations to be interactive within the
event..

CONNECT ONLINE

Niemeyer- Introduction
Location

The Connection- High

Access Quality/Fast Food Location

Kirkhof Center- Medium

Access Location

Kleiner- Low Access

Location

SAMPLE EVENT SCHEDULE

5:006:00
Volunteers arrive.

Volunteer coordinator assigns volunteers to specific tasks.

Volunteers set up and decorate locations, designating an
area for sign-ins, donations, and information.

6:006:15
Volunteers greet guests and have them draw tickets.
Volunteers encourage guests to sign in, donate, and take information.

Volunteers direct guests to introduction location

6:156:20
Host gives welcome address.
Host acknowledges sponsors and people who made the event possible.
6:206:35
MC reads event script and welcomes guests.
6:357:10
Attendees find their
locations and eat
their meals.

7:107:20
Volunteers lead sharing period at each location.
7:207:30
MC concludes and invites attendees to take action or donate.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION SCRIPT

Welcome to the ORGANIZATION NAME Food Desert and Food Insecurity Awareness
event.. We are here today because more 5,000 people within our own county of Ottawa are
facing food insecurity.. In addition, there are many people within our community are unaware
of the existence of food deserts and what they are.

Your presence here today shows that you are concerned. You want to learn more.
You want to make a difference.
Over people suffer from food insecurity within the state of Michigan.
Over people face food insecurity within the United States.
You may think that the only concerns are of food insecurity are those who do
not have any food at all, but that is not the case. If people are hungry or do not
have immediate access, they will find a way to feed their families. Even if that
means eating at a fast food restaurant or eating food items from a convenient
store. With these options, however, it is difficult for these families to lead
healthy lifestyles.
Food insecurity is a problem that is solvableit is a problem rooted in injustice
because there are very few who will advocate for those who are facing limited
accessThis event is a metaphor for how food unequally available to those within our
very own community. We cannot recreate the many complex ways healthy, quality,
affordable food becomes inaccessible and we will not have time to go into all the other
problems associated with lack of access and the realities of the day-to-day struggle of

putting food on the table.

Now I would like to introduce you to the three segments of this community. In simple
terms, these groups are separated by the accessibility of the basic necessity of food.

High Access Statistics

Middle Access
Low Access

EXAMPLE
CHARACTER
TICKETS

HIGH ACCESS
My name is Julia. I and 37 years old
and I live in Zeeland, Michigan. I have
a husband and 2 children. I am an
occupational therapist and my husband
is a business owner.

MIDDLE ACCESS

LOW ACCESS

My name is Thomas. I am 27 years

old and I live in Grand Haven,
Michigan. I have a wife and a baby on
the way. I recently completed my
student teaching and am currently a
substitute teacher for high schools. I
am going to school to receive my
Masters in English and am in search
of a permanent teaching position.

My name is Patricia. I am 42 years old

and I live in Holland, Michigan. I am a
single mother of 3. I am a registered
nurse and a caregiver for my elderly
mother

CONTACT US
Got a good story to tell about your event? Have questions?

EMAIL

WEBSITE
MAILING ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER CONNECT ONLINE

CONNECT ONLINE
Social Media info

Twitter @... guests can tweet #... Tweet pictures, feedback, etc.
Instagram @... add pictures #...
Facebook name
website

TAKE ACTION
Tell us about your event. On page 14, youll find a Tell us
about your event form. Please fill this out and send it back to us.
We would love to hear from you!
!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EVENT

FILL OUT THIS FORM AND SEND IT BACK TO US, WED LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

ORGANIZER / GROUP LEADERS NAME

EMAIL

NAME OF UNIVERSITY / SCHOOL / FAITH COMMUNITY /

ORGANIZATION
STREET ADDRESS
CITY

STATE

ZIP

PHONE

EVENT TYPE / DATE

COMMENTS

# OF PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE

AMOUNT RAISED $