How to Rock Your PB&J Challenge
Peanut butter is one of the most sought-after items at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. Along with being rich in protein, it is also easy enough for children to make a sandwich by themselves if their parents or guardians aren’t available and can be consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And what’s peanut butter without jelly?
With 1 in 6 children in Wisconsin facing hunger, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s 17th annual Peanut Butter and Jelly Challenge gives kids the opportunity to help other kids. When you sign your classroom up for the PB&J Challenge, you are teaching your students about the role hunger plays in our community. View our PB&J Curriculum for activities to engage your students through reading, writing and budgeting.
Local businesses can also get in on the fun and strengthen employee bonds by hosting their own drives to collect jars of peanut butter and jelly throughout the month of February. Here’s some tips to help everyone make their PB&J drive as enjoyable and successful as it can be:
Set a Goal
It‘s helpful to set a goal for your food drive and give regular updates on progress. Keep your number of students and employees in mind when selecting your goal.
To give you an idea of an attainable amount, our friends at Nicolet High School were able to collect 17,716 non-perishable items amongst their 1,076 students during a recent food drive. Hanging a poster with a fundraising thermometer that students and employees can fill in as they collect will serve as a great visual representation.
Advertise
Keep reminding your participants about the PB&J drive that runs the entire month of February. Hang posters around the school and office (we can provide these, but could also be a fun art project for students!), send reminder emails to parents and employees, and put collection bins and your fundraising thermometer in a prominent place with a lot of foot traffic.
Add an element of competition
We all love the feeling of winning. Consider pitting classrooms and different departments against one another to add a sense of urgency with the PB&J drive. You can also add an incentive for the winning team, like a pizza party for the students or an extra PTO day for employees.
Get started by registering your PB&J drive today. Unable to start your own PB&J drive? You can donate jars of peanut butter and jelly at your local Pick n’ Save or Metro Market, or purchase a hang tag at the registers for $1. Last year we raised nearly $30,000 from hang tags alone!
