The Red Bag Program makes it easy for community members to donate food and support local students. Volunteers collect the donations and deliver them to middle and high schools, where they are distributed to students in need.

If you or someone you know needs food assistance, please check out our list of local resources for support.

When you’re at the grocery store, bring your bag along and fill it with the items you’d like to donate. Your shopping list is conveniently attached to the bag. Every item you give makes a meaningful impact!

We also recommend keeping your Food For Neighbors donations separate from your personal purchases at checkout, and keeping the itemized receipt for tax purposes.

Not at all! Simply fill your Red Bag with any items from the grocery list—no need to buy everything. Once we collect the food, our team sorts it and ensures each school receives a well-balanced variety. Every donation makes a difference!

To ensure safety and quality, we cannot accept:

• Anything not listed on our Red Bag grocery list (found on the tag attached to your bag or here)
• Sugary items like candy, gum, and cookies
• Home-cooked foods
• Opened or expired items

Important Reminders:

• Please do not include cash, checks, or gift cards in your Red Bag. If you’d like to make a monetary donation, please donate online instead.
• At this time, we are not collecting family-sized items.

Thank you for helping us provide students with the food they need!

The first few things the kids always ask for are Cup ‘O Noodles, Clif Bars, Beef Jerky sticks and Chocolate Milk.

We also encourage you to add a few toiletries from our list to your Red Bag donation.

We currently operate in Northern Virginia, serving Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun Counties. While we’re unable to pick up donations from apartments, condos, and gated communities, you can make a difference by “filling” a Virtual Red Bag. No physical bag required!

We are always growing and expanding, so we hope you’ll signup. You’ll receive our newsletter and can be a part of our future expansion. And we would love to have you join us as a volunteer!

If your plans change and you cannot donate food, please let us know by noon the Thursday before an event.

We finalize our Red Bag driver pickup routes the Thursday before each Red Bag Event. If your donation availability changes and it is within 48 hours of the event, we will be unable to update your status with the driver.

• If plans changed and you can’t leave a bag, that’s OK! Our driver will still stop by, and they might leave a “missed bag” door hanger. Just put the door hanger in your Red Bag for the next collection.
• If you wanted to leave a bag but we weren’t able to add you to a route, we’re so sorry we missed you. Please save your bag for the next collection.
• If you can’t leave a bag, but still want to help, you can donate a Virtual Red Bag.

If you still have questions, contact us. Please allow 24-48 hours for a response.

If you need to update your contact information, or make any changes to your Red Bag status, please contact us.

Can’t find your bag? No problem! Please use a grocery bag marked “Food For Neighbors” and our volunteer will leave you a new bag for next time.

Please remember to respond to our text or email and let us know if you’ll be leaving a filled Red Bag. It helps our volunteers save time by avoiding unnecessary stops at your house and allows us to send you a reminder so you don’t forget!

• If you are not receiving our texts, contact us to sign up.

Make sure your bag is outside on pickup day before 8:30 a.m. Put your bag in a highly visible location close to your front door. Our drivers stop at 20-30 homes in 2+ hours. They’re working fast and we don’t want them to miss it!

• Remind family members that it’s Red Bag pickup day so they don’t helpfully bring your groceries inside. (Yes, it happens!)
• Please avoid scheduling any other pickups or drop-offs to your front door on Red Bag mornings, as our volunteers may mistake them for FFN donations.

If it looks like rain, please place your bag in a plastic bag to protect it.

When you fill your bag, please check expiration dates and leave items in their original packaging.

If your donation doesn’t completely fit in your Red Bag, please place the extra items in another grocery bag or empty box, and mark it “FFN Donation.” (And thank you for the extra goodies!)

If you are no longer interested in filling a Red Bag, contact us.

We’re friendly folks at Food For Neighbors.  We’d be happy to answer your questions or talk to you about volunteer opportunities.  Just contact us.

Absolutely! The success of our programs comes from engaging and mobilizing the local community to support Food For Neighbors as we collaborate with schools to feed students in need. We provide schools with a sample “Letter from the Principal” to share information about the partnership with Food For Neighbors. Additionally, we offer marketing blurbs and graphics for use in school communications such as e-newsletters, PTA updates, and social media. We also provide fundraising materials to help Food For Neighbors supply schools with Holiday Meals and Grocery Store Gift Cards.

Individuals, companies, organizations, businesses and grantors who donate funds and food to Food For Neighbors want to know the impact we are having. We send out 1-2 Impact Surveys each school year with questions about the number of students served, how often they are being served, and the demographics of the students being served. Our donors also want to know the positive impact our programs are having on the students’ lives. We will ask questions about improvement in areas like attendance, grades, focus, participation in class or activities, etc. When you receive these surveys, we appreciate your prompt attention to them and we are always here to answer any questions you might have.

We also send out mini-surveys quarterly to determine who needs grocery store gift cards. These surveys are brief and have quick deadlines for coordination purposes.

If you have any questions, please contact Lisa at lisa@foodforneighbors.org.

A typical food-sorting event lasts about three hours on a Saturday morning, the same day we pick up donations. We host five events each school year (on Saturdays). The fast pace makes the time fly, and before you know it, you’ll have helped receive and distribute food to local teens in your community!

Volunteer tasks include:

• take pictures during the event
• help set-up and clean-up
• help coordinate the volunteers and drivers as they arrive
• unload vehicles
• empty Red Bags
• sort food
• organize the empty bags for the next event
• move filled bins

Volunteers helping with event setup arrive at 8:30am to arrange tables, get bins, hang signs, etc. All other volunteers arrive before 9:30am. Upon arrival, check in at the volunteer table where a Greeter will explain the various jobs. Volunteers unload Red Bags from arriving vehicles and sort food into large bins. These bins are later transported to school pantries. Some positions require heavy lifting, but there are plenty of other tasks available for all ages. You’ll be amazed at how quickly a focused group can collect and sort so much food!

A lot of them! Each sorting site requires about 30-60 volunteers. It takes a lot of volunteers, but with everyone participating, we are done before it’s time for lunch!

Yes. This is a family event and students as young as nine will enjoy sorting, but student volunteers under 18 yrs old must be accompanied/supervised by their parent or an authorized designee with a signed permission form.

Please note: A student permission form is required for each event.

Yes! Food For Neighbors is a great way to get those community service hours for school. Just ask about this at our event welcome table, and they will direct you to the right person to sign your paperwork. Or you can contact us for help.

If you need to update your contact information or make any changes to your status, please contact us.

If you are interested in being a volunteer, please complete a volunteer form (and check Volunteer Sorter). We will add you to our volunteer database. About two weeks before an event, you will receive an email inviting you to sign up (please check your SPAM folder if you do not receive the Sign Up Genius). You do not have to participate at every event. If you miss an event, no worries! We’ll keep you in the database and you’ll be notified next time.

No problem. We have extra drivers to fill in when someone is not available.

A group of volunteers unloads your vehicle while you check in with the Driver Coordinator. Turn in your scale, door hangers and extra Red Bags.

We’ll send you our driver training materials with instructions to review.

No, these two things are happening simultaneously.

Our driver availability surveys are sent about 21 days before each event and then training materials are emailed about 10 days before each event. If you have not been receiving them, check your message app to confirm you’ve received the first text from us and that you replied “Yes” to give us permission to text you.

If you need to update your contact information or make any changes to your status, please contact us.

Food For Neighbors uses DonorBox as it’s online payment gateway system, allowing us to process a wide variety of payment types to meet the needs of our donors. We encourage you to create a portal account in DonorBox where you can print your receipts, receive annual reports for taxes and update monthly giving. If other nonprofits that you support also use DonorBox, their information will also be available there.

To retrieve your donor account, go to donorbox.org and click the “Donor Login” link at the top of the page.

Yes! Your donation is completely secure. Our website uses Donorbox, a trusted and industry-leading fundraising platform that prioritizes donor security. Donorbox is PCI-compliant and uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect your payment information. Additionally, all transactions are securely processed through Stripe, PayPal, and other reputable payment processors, ensuring your financial details are never stored on our servers.

If you have any concerns or questions about the security of your donation, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your support!

If you are a recurring donor using PayPal, please visit your PayPal account to edit your current recurring payment.

For all other payment options, log in to your donor account by clicking the Donor Login link at the top of the page.

Note: If you haven’t claimed your donor account via the setup email, you can create a password to sign in to Donorbox through the password reset link here.

• Step 1: Click the Active button to the right of the donation plan (or anywhere within the white box for your plan) that you wish to edit.
• Step 2: To change your payment information, click the Payment Method link.
• Step 3: Enter your new payment information, and click Update Card. If the organization has enabled bank transfers on their end, you’ll also be able to switch from card payments to bank transfers, and vice versa.

Once that’s done, you’re all set!

Food For Neighbors is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) public charity and your donation is tax-deductible under U.S. tax law. To claim a donation as an itemized deduction on your taxes, please keep your email donation receipt that we will send you.

Any funds raised in excess of our goal for any particular project will be automatically applied to the other ongoing work of Food For Neighbors.

While we deeply appreciate your generosity, all donations go toward supporting our mission as a whole rather than being designated for specific programs. This approach allows us to allocate funds where they are needed most and ensure the greatest impact.

If you are contributing to a specific fundraising campaign, your donation will help us reach that campaign’s goal. However, any funds raised beyond the campaign’s goal will be used to support other essential programs and initiatives we provide.

Your support enables us to continue making a difference in the most effective way possible—thank you!

Many companies offer donation matching programs, which can double or even triple the impact of your gift! To find out if your employer participates, visit our Employer Matching Gifts page and our Volunteer Grant Program page, both powered by Double the Donation. Simply enter your company’s name and you’ll get details on their matching gift program, including eligibility, donation match ratios, and application steps.

If your employer offers a match, follow their application process—this usually involves submitting a request through an online portal or filling out a matching gift form. If you need any assistance, feel free to contact us.

Thank you for maximizing your impact!

We appreciate your generosity and encourage you to donate securely through our website. If you have any questions or need assistance with your donation, please feel free to contact us.

We do not currently accept donations by wire transfer or stock. If you would prefer to donate by check, please contact us for the mailing address.

Thank you for your support!

At Food For Neighbors, we are committed to ensuring that every donation and resource is used effectively to support our mission of alleviating food insecurity for teens in Northern Virginia.

Our financials can be found here.

Food For Neighbors is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) public charity and your donation is tax-deductible under U.S. tax law.

If you have additional questions, please contact us.

Employee matching gift programs are corporate giving programs in which the company matches donations made by employees to eligible nonprofit organizations.  It’s an easy way to double your contribution to us!

Volunteer grant programs are corporate giving programs in which companies contribute monetary donations to organizations where employees volunteer regularly. If you volunteer with us, it’s an easy way to provide us with additional financial support!

Activities eligible for volunteer grants may include:

1. Event Volunteering
2. Skill-based Volunteering
3. Volunteer Committees
4. Administrative Volunteering

We partner with a company called Double the Donation. If you see anything that should be changed, please email Double the Donation’s team at data@doublethedonation.com.

Requesting a matching gift or volunteer grant is normally a five-minute process that must be initiated by the donor/volunteer. You can do this by filling out and submitting a paper match form provided by your employer or through an electronic submission process.  Please search our database for company-specific information.

1. Donate to Food For Neighbors.
2. Log into your company’s matching gift submission website (if you use the Double the Donation search tool, you will receive a follow-up email linking to this page).
3. Once logged in, search for Food For Neighbors.
4. Select Food For Neighbors.
5. Register the donation.
6. Submit the completed matching gift request to your employer.

For a more detailed walkthrough, you can view  Double the Donation’s example of the submission process using The Home Depot here. Note: Once complete, Food For Neighbors and your employer will communicate to verify your initial donation, and complete the match, if eligible.

If you submit your matching gift or volunteer grant outside of FFN’s online donation form or dedicated matching gifts page, contact us directly to notify us of the request, so we can track the matching funds as needed.

If you forget to submit your matching gift after selecting your company at the time of donation, you will receive a series of auto-generated emails prompting you to submit your match. The majority of companies offer an all-electronic matching gift submission process.

While your donation to a 501(c)3 organization is tax-deductible, your matching gift is not tax-deductible. Only your contributions are eligible for tax deduction. Each party involved (yourself and your employer) can only take deductions for contributions they directly made to the nonprofit.