Thanksgiving Basket Donations

press release: For the past 33 years, GCC’s Thanksgiving Basket Drive has been a tradition, with many long-serving staff, volunteers and their children returning year after year. It takes a village, that’s for certain. This year, we’re planning to register 4,000 families — that’s 25,000 Dane County residents (including 10,000 children!). These families are counting on us for a holiday dinner — and with the pandemic still very much in our lives, we HAVE to deliver. That’s where you come in. Read on to learn how you can help.

5 Ways You Can Help This Year

1. Make a financial gift. Your monetary donation helps us provide fresh foods in each basket. We purchase fresh groceries like veggies, milk, butter, eggs and pumpkin pie, and we’ll purchase items to fill in any gaps, including turkeys.

2. Host a food drive. Food drives are a HUGE help. Could you host on at your workplace, faith community, club or neighborhood? Our food drive kit has posters and shopping lists, as well as a handy tips sheet. Click here for our food drive kit, where you'll find everything you need to host an in-person food drive. Need more info about hosting an in-person food drive? Contact Francesca Frisque at francesca@goodmancenter.org or 608-204-8049.

3. Host a VIRTUAL food drive. We understand a lot of people are still working remotely or not able to gather up food. A virtual food drive fundraiser (collecting donations instead of food) is a great, no-contact way to help us meet our goal. We’ve created a complete kit with everything you need to spread the word about your virtual food drive to your family, friends and coworkers, including a handy tips sheet that will answer any questions you may have. Click here for our virtual food drive kit, where you'll find everything you need to spread the word about your food drive virtually.

4. Give your time. It takes a lot of volunteers to make Thanksgiving Baskets a success – we'd love to have you join us. Volunteers are needed for numerous tasks to ensure we can fill every basket. We’ll be following strict screening, distancing and cleaning procedures to ensure this is a safe experience.

5. Talk turkey! Help us spread the word about our Thanksgiving Basket Drive by sharing information with your family, friends and coworkers. We’ve created a handy kit with everything you need to let your network know about this great community effort. Click here for our social media kit and help us spread the word. If you have questions about the Thanksgiving Basket program, please contact Francesca Frisque at francesca@goodmancenter.org or 608-204-8049.