It’s amazingly simple. Every two months, on the second Saturday, you pick up the green bags left by the donors in “your neighborhood”. You will be assigned an area that works for you. You will also contact, via email or phone call, your donors the week before to remind them of the upcoming pickup.

There is a website that will give you the contact information for your donors. It even gives you a map of your area showing you the houses you will pick up from.

Your “neighborhood” is wherever you say it is, and it’s as big or small as you want it to be. It can be a few houses, a whole street, or several blocks. The most important thing is for you to feel comfortable with the area you pick or are assigned. One of the benefits of being an NC is that you’ll wind up with a better sense of where you live and who your neighbors are. So pick an area that you want to know better.

Because the Ashland Food Project has been going on in our town for so many years, most of the neighborhoods have been organized. But not all of the Ashland citizens know of the AFP. We don’t want anyone to feel left out. So most NCs ask nearby friends and acquaintances. When they’re ready, they knock on a few doors near them—which is a great way to get to know neighbors. Of course, for some people canvassing can be a bit scary at first. So we’ve put together an easy how-to kit. Just ask us!

We suggest that Food Donors buy one extra nonperishable food item each week when they go to the supermarket, but it’s really up to them. Some folks will donate a lot, some a little. The amount is not important—as long as they’re participating, the Food Project is a success. Bonus: We’ll supply reminders for you to send your donors, so they remember to leave a bag.

Our “official” pickup day is the 2nd Saturday of each even month (Feb. April. June, etc.). But the project is set up to give you as much freedom as possible. If you’ll be out of town on the official pickup day, or prefer to do it the week before or after, you can come up with your own date and work that out with your Food Donors. All we ask is that you keep us (and more important, your Donors) informed. If you just can’t make it and need a substitute driver for a Pickup Day, let us know. We’ve got a list of drivers who can do it.

Each Food Donor puts their green food bag out by their front door. You pick up each bag, leave an empty one and a “Thank-you” card (which we’ll supply), and take the food to the Ashland Community Food Bank. Food bank volunteers will be there to receive, weigh, and sort it. When we get a total weight for the entire pickup, an email blast is sent to all donors letting your Food Donors know how much of an impact the Food Project, and their work, is having.

Only an hour or two every other a month! You might need to put a little more time in at the beginning, when you’re building your neighborhood. But it’s a surprisingly small time commitment, considering how big a difference you’ll be making.