Charity events are an essential part of generating the resources needed to end childhood hunger.
Whether it’s running a marathon or selling lemonade on the sidewalk, there’s no limit to the ways you can use your strengths to help feed kids through charity fundraising events. You can join one of our existing communities of incredible local fundraisers or come up with your own.
Below are some charity event ideas you can start today to join us in our goal of ensuring every kid in the United States has the three meals they need to thrive. Start fundraising today!
Host a Bake Sale
Hosting a Bake Sale for No Kid Hungry has been a way for individuals, families and businesses to raise money for No Kid Hungry since 2003. Join us in this fun and rewarding event and help raise money to feed hungry children in the United States.
Every $10 you raise can help connect a child up to 100 [BP2] meals. Every cookie and cupcake can make a difference. Our team has tips and resources for hosting a bake sale in your community or even an online virtual bake sale fundraiser. View our Bake Sale Tool Kit to learn more and get started!
Examples of Successful Bake Sale Charity Events:
Macie Bazella, Emmaus, PA
Macie Bazella and four of her friends brought their bake sale to an art in the park fair featuring local artists and businesses. The entire event was hosted safely outside and was socially distanced.
Macie shared some tips for a successful bake sale. For her, social media was essential. “You want everyone to know you’re having a bake sale and how they can support it,” Bazella shared.
She also expressed her enthusiasm for baking and helping hungry kids. “The best part about hosting a bake sale is seeing the difference you get to make!” she said. “Counting your profits at the end of the day knowing your hard work paid off. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to not have food to eat. I get hangry when I miss a snack. Kids need food to do good at school and activities. This is why I bake!”
Louis Remolde - Philadelphia, PA
Louis Remoulde thought outside the box for his bake sale event. He created a cookbook and other items to sell at his bake sale, raising even more money for No Kid Hungry. Remolde also engaged different members of the community.
“I reached out to the amazing people at Tattooed Moms, a bar restaurant that hosts events,” shared Remolde. “I then reached out to a few local bakers and some of my local favorite artists to sell some of their wares! Within a week, I had an amazing list of different artists and two bakeries ready to participate!”
The show, which was heavily promoted on social media, was on December 18th, just in time for the holidays. “The turnout was unbelievable!” he said “People came from all over to shop for last-minute holiday presents and for a copy of the signed book. It was truly magical. A small idea turned into the most amazing event and fundraiser.”
Host a Friendsgiving Party
Friendsgiving® for No Kid Hungry encourages Americans to host celebrations with friends or family and turn them into fundraisers to help end childhood hunger in America.
You can host your event at your own home, a friend’s place or even a local restaurant or bar. Using our easy, online fundraising tools, many of our most successful Friendsgiving hosts have raised just as much money from friends and family in distant locations as they have from their Friendsgiving guests. For more information and ways to get started, visit Friendsgiving.NoKidHungry.org.
Example of Successful Friendsgiving Charity Events:
Alysia Romero, Danville, CA
Alysia Romero has been hosting Friendsgiving charity events for over four years. This event was hosted in 2019 pre-pandemic. We encourage people to follow the CDC guidelines to stay safe hosting events during the pandemic.
“In the past, my husband and I have cooked a main course of turkey, gravy and cranberry, and our friends have each brought a side. This year, because we love to cook and entertain, we decided to make it more of a food and wine pairing dinner and asked our guests just to bring themselves and consider donating a little extra to the cause in lieu of bringing a dish or a bottle of wine. We made a fall salad with arugula, pears, candied pecans and goat cheese, and then cooked beef tenderloins sous vide, seared them and served the fleets with a whipped horseradish cream sauce, roasted asparagus with parmesan & crispy herbed new potatoes, and a pear/apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert.”
“For additional fundraising efforts, I also posted my personal fundraising page to all of my social media pages. Since this is my fourth year, I have established a relationship with some local vendors for small discounts on party rentals/serve wear and flowers, and this year Hestan Vineyards even donated a case of wine for our event. AXR Winery also donated a silent auction item of a VIP tasting and reserve bottle from the owner's personal cellar, which also helped to raise money. I hope to add more of these fun silent auction items next year. Each year, we try to make it a little bigger and better. I was excited to reach just over my goal of $2,000 this year, as it was the most raised ever.”
Use Your Talents to Fundraise for No Kid Hungry
Bring out your inner child and get creative doing the things you love the most to help hungry kids in America. Sign up here to get started https://fundraise.nokidhungry.org/.
From coding to drawing and everything in between, your hobby or passion can made a difference.
Examples of Successful Charity Events Using Kids’ Talents:
Anshu Shinde, 10th Grade, Chester, PA
Anshu Shinde is a sophomore in high school who hosted a fundraiser to support No Kid Hungry. Anshu’s fundraiser was aimed to raise funds for children who suffer from hunger—especially during this pandemic.
“I combined my passion for computer programming and my desire to raise funds and created a summer camp for young kids,” Shinde shared. “In this summer camp, I taught kids how to code using computer software languages like HTML and CSS. At the end, I raised a total of $745. I had so fun doing this fundraiser and gained so much knowledge as well.”
Elle and Enzi, New York, NY
Elle and Enzi, two eight-year-old friends with big hearts, created Petopia Pet Drawing Squad because they want to bring people joy while helping others.
Elle and Enzi were missing each other during quarantine and stay-at-home orders, but they understood that this was a minor concern as they learned about the extraordinary hardships of many families in their hometown of New York City.
To stay connected and make a difference, Elle and Enzi took their love of drawing and of animals to found Petopia Pet Drawing Squad. Since June 2020, Petopia Pet Drawing Squad has offered hand-drawn replicas of your favorite pet photos for a suggested $20 donation.
Enzi's favorite pets that he has drawn so far are Devon the dolphin and Phoebe the dog. His favorite part is “knowing that the pictures help raise money for charity.” Elle's favorite pets that she has drawn are Buster the bunny and Bubbles the fish. Her favorite thing about this is “that we are helping to make the world a better place.”
Lilah Rozek, Shaker Heights, OH
Lilah had to come up with an "invention" as an extra credit project at the end of her first-grade year in May. She liked the idea of creating something with masks, since everyone had just started to wear them all the time and knew this was going to become our new normal.
Lilah used colorful elastic bands to create a "Maskie," like a Croakie for your mask. It clips onto the ear bands of your mask and then you can wear it like a necklace around your neck when it's not on your face. The Maskie became an instant hit.
Lilah delivered Maskies to family, friends, friends of friends, teachers, and medical personnel all over the country who generously contributed to her fundraiser. Lilah, with the help of her family, made over 350 Maskies and doubled her fundraising goal.
Host an Athletic Charity Event
Enjoy running, biking or another sport? Consider hosting a fundraiser while doing what you love. No matter the distance, the funds you raise will help connect kids to the food they need to thrive. Have friends support you while you support hungry kids.
Examples of Successful Athletic Charity Events:
Winty Singh, Elk Grove, CA
After being confined to riding his bike indoors for months due to California’s extended heat waves and smoky air, Winty Singh decided to go on an extended ride outside to raise money for No Kid Hungry. Singh rode his bike 107 miles between Sacramento and San Francisco with the goal to raise $1,000 for No Kid Hungry.
Four weeks before the ride, he blasted his social media with requests for donations. To his surprise, family, friends, colleagues and people he didn’t know immediately started donating. By the first week, Singh’s total donations blew past the $1,000 goal.
Singh did lots of planning before his ride. He mapped out a route between Sacramento’s Tower Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. He also coordinated for his mom and sister to be his support vehicle, driving along his route to make sure he was safe.
By the end of his ride, 39 people donated a total of $2,182.99 for No Kid Hungry (over twice his goal!).
Steve Woolsens, Madrid, Spain
As an uncle of eleven, Steve Woolsens saw his nephews’ and nieces’ classmates having issues with food and a lack of meals due to the pandemic. He felt the need to help in his own small way. So, he decided to run his first marathon in honor of No Kid Hungry and raised 2,562, which was double his goal, to help feed kids struggling during the pandemic.
Shannon Baxter, Annie Baxter, Meg Baxter & Nick Phillips, Indianapolis, IN
Shannon, Annie, Meg and Nick ran one mile every hour for 26 hours straight. Their friends and family sponsored each mile to help them raise funds for No Kid Hungry
Make Your Birthday a Gift for Hungry Kids
By hosting a birthday fundraiser, you can celebrate yourself while giving back to others. Birthday fundraisers are easy to plan. Host a virtual birthday party this year. Just because you can’t gather together in person doesn’t mean you can’t ask your friends to celebrate another year for you. Placing a donation jar at a party and asking in lieu of gifts and asking please donate to fight childhood hunger.
After creating your birthday fundraiser, be sure to link your page to Facebook, by clicking on ‘Fundraise on Facebook.' This is an easy way for friends and family to find out about your fundraiser and donate.
With your help, we can end childhood hunger in America. Use your creativity to create a charity event idea that will support our mission. Get started today and join a community of people sharing their strengths for hungry kids across the United States.
Learn more about the ways you can help hungry kids or make a donation today.
