Ages 5-16 · Book 5, Empathy · 4,299 places
Food Drives
Teaches logistics by default. Whether it teaches empathy depends on whether the children ever met the need.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Helping Hand — “What matters more than earning a Gold Star?” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Pick the need first, from the people who actually have it
- Session 2
Read the story and name why helping cost him something
- Session 3
Plan the smallest useful thing, and do it this week
- Session 4
Do it without announcing it, and see how that feels
- Session 5
Say afterwards what changed for the person, not for us
Questions leaders ask
Is food drives in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is empathy — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 5-16. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
How do we find a real need in your area rather than inventing a project?
Ask the people who have it. The session order is deliberate — the need comes first and the activity is built to fit it, not the other way round.
Does this have to be a big project?
No, and big projects are usually the ones that teach least. One useful thing, done this week, without announcing it, is the whole lesson.
The rules that make it work
Helping has to cost something
Kindness that is free teaches nothing, and children over about eight already know it. The cost is named out loud in every session.
Notice first — it is an attention skill
Empathy gets taught as a feeling children are supposed to summon. It starts as noticing one specific person, which is trainable and testable.
Owning a mistake is the harder lesson
Helping a friend is easier than admitting you were the one who caused the problem. The book teaches both, and this is the one adults skip.
Do not announce it
The moment helping becomes a thing you are seen doing, it becomes a performance. The follow-up asks what changed for the other person, never how the helper felt.
Success is bigger than the award
The gold star is in the title for a reason. A room that only celebrates outcomes has already taught the lesson this book is arguing with.
Adults go first, with a real mistake
An adult naming something they got wrong, at a cost, changes a room faster than any activity in it.
Food Drives by metro area
Northeast
- Food Drives — New York, NY
- Food Drives — Philadelphia, PA
- Food Drives — Boston, MA
- Food Drives — Pittsburgh, PA
- Food Drives — Providence, RI
- Food Drives — Hartford, CT
- Food Drives — Buffalo, NY
- Food Drives — Rochester, NY
- Food Drives — Bridgeport, CT
- Food Drives — Albany, NY
- Food Drives — Worcester, MA
- Food Drives — Allentown, PA
- Food Drives — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Food Drives — Syracuse, NY
- Food Drives — Harrisburg, PA
- Food Drives — New Haven, CT
- Food Drives — Portland, ME
- Food Drives — Scranton, PA
- Food Drives — Lancaster, PA
- Food Drives — York, PA
- Food Drives — Springfield, MA
- Food Drives — Waterbury, CT
- Food Drives — Reading, PA
- Food Drives — Manchester, NH
- Food Drives — Trenton, NJ
- Food Drives — Atlantic City, NJ
- Food Drives — Utica, NY
- Food Drives — Norwich, CT
- Food Drives — Erie, PA
- Food Drives — Binghamton, NY
- Food Drives — Barnstable, MA
- Food Drives — Burlington, VT
- Food Drives — Kingston, NY
- Food Drives — Amherst, MA
- Food Drives — Chambersburg, PA
- Food Drives — Bangor, ME
- Food Drives — State College, PA
- Food Drives — Vineland, NJ
- Food Drives — Lebanon, PA
- Food Drives — Johnstown, PA
- Food Drives — Pittsfield, MA
- Food Drives — Glens Falls, NY
- Food Drives — Altoona, PA
- Food Drives — Lewiston, ME
- Food Drives — Williamsport, PA
- Food Drives — Watertown, NY
- Food Drives — Gettysburg, PA
- Food Drives — Ithaca, NY
- Food Drives — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Food Drives — Chicago, IL
- Food Drives — Detroit, MI
- Food Drives — Minneapolis, MN
- Food Drives — St. Louis, MO
- Food Drives — Cincinnati, OH
- Food Drives — Kansas City, MO
- Food Drives — Columbus, OH
- Food Drives — Indianapolis, IN
- Food Drives — Cleveland, OH
- Food Drives — Milwaukee, WI
- Food Drives — Grand Rapids, MI
- Food Drives — Omaha, NE
- Food Drives — Dayton, OH
- Food Drives — Des Moines, IA
- Food Drives — Madison, WI
- Food Drives — Akron, OH
- Food Drives — Wichita, KS
- Food Drives — Toledo, OH
- Food Drives — Springfield, MO
- Food Drives — Lansing, MI
- Food Drives — Fort Wayne, IN
- Food Drives — Youngstown, OH
- Food Drives — Flint, MI
- Food Drives — Canton, OH
- Food Drives — Davenport, IA
- Food Drives — Ann Arbor, MI
- Food Drives — Peoria, IL
- Food Drives — Lincoln, NE
- Food Drives — Rockford, IL
- Food Drives — Green Bay, WI
- Food Drives — South Bend, IN
- Food Drives — Sioux Falls, SD
- Food Drives — Duluth, MN
- Food Drives — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Food Drives — Evansville, IN
- Food Drives — Fargo, ND
- Food Drives — Kalamazoo, MI
- Food Drives — Appleton, WI
- Food Drives — Champaign, IL
- Food Drives — Topeka, KS
- Food Drives — Rochester, MN
- Food Drives — Lafayette, IN
- Food Drives — Columbia, MO
- Food Drives — Joplin, MO
- Food Drives — Elkhart, IN
- Food Drives — Springfield, IL
- Food Drives — St. Cloud, MN
- Food Drives — Racine, WI
- Food Drives — Saginaw, MI
- Food Drives — Iowa City, IA
- Food Drives — Muskegon, MI
- Food Drives — Eau Claire, WI
- Food Drives — Oshkosh, WI
- Food Drives — Bloomington, IL
- Food Drives — La Crosse, WI
- Food Drives — Terre Haute, IN
- Food Drives — Waterloo, IA
- Food Drives — Kenosha, WI
- Food Drives — Janesville, WI
- Food Drives — Bloomington, IN
- Food Drives — Jackson, MI
- Food Drives — Traverse City, MI
- Food Drives — Rapid City, SD
- Food Drives — Monroe, MI
- Food Drives — Jefferson City, MO
- Food Drives — Niles, MI
- Food Drives — Sioux City, IA
- Food Drives — Bismarck, ND
- Food Drives — Wausau, WI
- Food Drives — Manhattan, KS
- Food Drives — Springfield, OH
- Food Drives — Battle Creek, MI
- Food Drives — Ames, IA
- Food Drives — Mansfield, OH
- Food Drives — Lawrence, KS
- Food Drives — St. Joseph, MO
- Food Drives — Sheboygan, WI
- Food Drives — Muncie, IN
- Food Drives — Sandusky, OH
- Food Drives — Michigan City, IN
- Food Drives — Kankakee, IL
- Food Drives — Grand Forks, ND
- Food Drives — Mankato, MN
- Food Drives — Fond du Lac, WI
- Food Drives — Bay City, MI
- Food Drives — Lima, OH
- Food Drives — Dubuque, IA
- Food Drives — Decatur, IL
- Food Drives — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Food Drives — Columbus, IN
- Food Drives — Kokomo, IN
- Food Drives — Midland, MI
- Food Drives — Grand Island, NE
- Food Drives — Minot, ND
South
- Food Drives — Dallas, TX
- Food Drives — Houston, TX
- Food Drives — Atlanta, GA
- Food Drives — Washington, DC
- Food Drives — Miami, FL
- Food Drives — Tampa, FL
- Food Drives — Orlando, FL
- Food Drives — Charlotte, NC
- Food Drives — Baltimore, MD
- Food Drives — San Antonio, TX
- Food Drives — Austin, TX
- Food Drives — Nashville, TN
- Food Drives — Virginia Beach, VA
- Food Drives — Jacksonville, FL
- Food Drives — Raleigh, NC
- Food Drives — Oklahoma City, OK
- Food Drives — Louisville, KY
- Food Drives — Richmond, VA
- Food Drives — Memphis, TN
- Food Drives — Birmingham, AL
- Food Drives — Tulsa, OK
- Food Drives — Greenville, SC
- Food Drives — New Orleans, LA
- Food Drives — Knoxville, TN
- Food Drives — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Food Drives — McAllen, TX
- Food Drives — Charleston, SC
- Food Drives — Baton Rouge, LA
- Food Drives — El Paso, TX
- Food Drives — Columbia, SC
- Food Drives — Cape Coral, FL
- Food Drives — Lakeland, FL
- Food Drives — Greensboro, NC
- Food Drives — Little Rock, AR
- Food Drives — Deltona, FL
- Food Drives — Winston-Salem, NC
- Food Drives — Palm Bay, FL
- Food Drives — Augusta, GA
- Food Drives — Durham, NC
- Food Drives — Fayetteville, AR
- Food Drives — Jackson, MS
- Food Drives — Chattanooga, TN
- Food Drives — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Food Drives — Huntsville, AL
- Food Drives — Pensacola, FL
- Food Drives — Lexington, KY
- Food Drives — Killeen, TX
- Food Drives — Wilmington, NC
- Food Drives — Corpus Christi, TX
- Food Drives — Ocala, FL
- Food Drives — Savannah, GA
- Food Drives — Brownsville, TX
- Food Drives — Gulfport, MS
- Food Drives — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Food Drives — Lafayette, LA
- Food Drives — Asheville, NC
- Food Drives — Naples, FL
- Food Drives — Mobile, AL
- Food Drives — Spartanburg, SC
- Food Drives — Beaumont, TX
- Food Drives — Tallahassee, FL
- Food Drives — Fayetteville, NC
- Food Drives — Montgomery, AL
- Food Drives — Shreveport, LA
- Food Drives — Hickory, NC
- Food Drives — Lubbock, TX
- Food Drives — Huntington, WV
- Food Drives — Gainesville, FL
- Food Drives — Clarksville, TN
- Food Drives — Columbus, GA
- Food Drives — Roanoke, VA
- Food Drives — Hagerstown, MD
- Food Drives — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Food Drives — Kingsport, TN
- Food Drives — Waco, TX
- Food Drives — Longview, TX
- Food Drives — College Station, TX
- Food Drives — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Food Drives — Laredo, TX
- Food Drives — Slidell, LA
- Food Drives — Amarillo, TX
- Food Drives — Lynchburg, VA
- Food Drives — Daphne, AL
- Food Drives — Tyler, TX
- Food Drives — Lake Charles, LA
- Food Drives — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Food Drives — Macon, GA
- Food Drives — Fort Smith, AR
- Food Drives — Panama City, FL
- Food Drives — Charlottesville, VA
- Food Drives — Gainesville, GA
- Food Drives — Athens, GA
- Food Drives — Monroe, LA
- Food Drives — Punta Gorda, FL
- Food Drives — Jacksonville, NC
- Food Drives — Johnson City, TN
- Food Drives — Lexington Park, MD
- Food Drives — Warner Robins, GA
- Food Drives — Auburn, AL
- Food Drives — Florence, SC
- Food Drives — Charleston, WV
- Food Drives — Houma, LA
- Food Drives — Bowling Green, KY
- Food Drives — Dover, DE
- Food Drives — Midland, TX
- Food Drives — Burlington, NC
- Food Drives — Abilene, TX
- Food Drives — Jackson, TN
- Food Drives — Greenville, NC
- Food Drives — Blacksburg, VA
- Food Drives — Odessa, TX
- Food Drives — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Food Drives — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Food Drives — Decatur, AL
- Food Drives — Hattiesburg, MS
- Food Drives — The Villages metro area, FL
- Food Drives — Florence, AL
- Food Drives — Dothan, AL
- Food Drives — Sherman, TX
- Food Drives — Valdosta, GA
- Food Drives — Winchester, VA
- Food Drives — Wichita Falls, TX
- Food Drives — Rocky Mount, NC
- Food Drives — Alexandria, LA
- Food Drives — Dalton, GA
- Food Drives — Texarkana, TX
- Food Drives — Albany, GA
- Food Drives — Morgantown, WV
- Food Drives — Hammond, LA
- Food Drives — Harrisonburg, VA
- Food Drives — Jonesboro, AR
- Food Drives — Wheeling, WV
- Food Drives — Cleveland, TN
- Food Drives — Salisbury, MD
- Food Drives — Staunton, VA
- Food Drives — Morristown, TN
- Food Drives — Elizabethtown, KY
- Food Drives — Lawton, OK
- Food Drives — Goldsboro, NC
- Food Drives — San Angelo, TX
- Food Drives — Brunswick, GA
- Food Drives — Anniston, AL
- Food Drives — Owensboro, KY
- Food Drives — Steubenville, WV
- Food Drives — Sebring, FL
- Food Drives — Pinehurst, NC
- Food Drives — Beckley, WV
- Food Drives — Sumter, SC
- Food Drives — Gadsden, AL
- Food Drives — Paducah, KY
- Food Drives — Rome, GA
- Food Drives — Victoria, TX
- Food Drives — Hot Springs, AR
- Food Drives — Hinesville, GA
- Food Drives — Parkersburg, WV
- Food Drives — Enid, OK
- Food Drives — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Food Drives — Los Angeles, CA
- Food Drives — Phoenix, AZ
- Food Drives — Riverside, CA
- Food Drives — San Francisco, CA
- Food Drives — Seattle, WA
- Food Drives — San Diego, CA
- Food Drives — Denver, CO
- Food Drives — Portland, OR
- Food Drives — Sacramento, CA
- Food Drives — Las Vegas, NV
- Food Drives — San Jose, CA
- Food Drives — Salt Lake City, UT
- Food Drives — Fresno, CA
- Food Drives — Tucson, AZ
- Food Drives — Honolulu, HI
- Food Drives — Bakersfield, CA
- Food Drives — Albuquerque, NM
- Food Drives — Boise, ID
- Food Drives — Oxnard, CA
- Food Drives — Stockton, CA
- Food Drives — Colorado Springs, CO
- Food Drives — Provo, UT
- Food Drives — Ogden, UT
- Food Drives — Spokane, WA
- Food Drives — Reno, NV
- Food Drives — Modesto, CA
- Food Drives — Santa Rosa, CA
- Food Drives — Visalia, CA
- Food Drives — Vallejo, CA
- Food Drives — Salem, OR
- Food Drives — Santa Maria, CA
- Food Drives — Salinas, CA
- Food Drives — Anchorage, AK
- Food Drives — Eugene, OR
- Food Drives — Greeley, CO
- Food Drives — Fort Collins, CO
- Food Drives — Boulder, CO
- Food Drives — Kennewick, WA
- Food Drives — Olympia, WA
- Food Drives — Merced, CA
- Food Drives — Bremerton, WA
- Food Drives — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Food Drives — Bend, OR
- Food Drives — Yakima, WA
- Food Drives — Santa Cruz, CA
- Food Drives — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Food Drives — Bellingham, WA
- Food Drives — Las Cruces, NM
- Food Drives — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Food Drives — Yuma, AZ
- Food Drives — Medford, OR
- Food Drives — St. George, UT
- Food Drives — Chico, CA
- Food Drives — Billings, MT
- Food Drives — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Food Drives — Yuba City, CA
- Food Drives — Redding, CA
- Food Drives — El Centro, CA
- Food Drives — Idaho Falls, ID
- Food Drives — Pueblo, CO
- Food Drives — Grand Junction, CO
- Food Drives — Logan, UT
- Food Drives — Maui, HI
- Food Drives — Santa Fe, NM
- Food Drives — Hanford, CA
- Food Drives — Flagstaff, AZ
- Food Drives — Mount Vernon, WA
- Food Drives — Napa, CA
- Food Drives — Albany, OR
- Food Drives — Bozeman, MT
- Food Drives — Missoula, MT
- Food Drives — Wenatchee, WA
- Food Drives — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Food Drives — Twin Falls, ID
- Food Drives — Farmington, NM
- Food Drives — Longview, WA
- Food Drives — Cheyenne, WY
- Food Drives — Corvallis, OR
- Food Drives — Helena, MT
- Food Drives — Fairbanks, AK
- Food Drives — Pocatello, ID
- Food Drives — Grants Pass, OR
- Food Drives — Great Falls, MT
- Food Drives — Casper, WY
- Food Drives — Lewiston, ID
- Food Drives — Walla Walla, WA
- Food Drives — Carson City, NV
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