Donation drives are be a fun way to bring food and other goods to community members who may need it most and engage your network in supporting neighbors in need.
Whether this is your first time hosting a drive for Keystone or you are an experienced pro, we’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to host a successful donation drive:
First, fill out our online form to let us know the details of your drive. Make sure you know the start and end date of your drive!
We kindly ask that you fill out this form even if you’ve done this drive with Keystone in years past.
Once you have submitted the form, one of our staff members will reach out to coordinate additional details, including barrel pick-up if requested and donation drop off. We kindly ask that you give us 2 business days to get in touch.
Please note that we will generally be unable to pick up donations do to limited staff capacity. We kindly request that you drop your donations off at the designated location (noted below). If you have questions or concerns about this, please call us at 651-645-0349, email us, or let the staff member in touch know.
If hosting a donation drive feels like a daunting task, don’t fear: we have materials and fun ideas to help you every step of the way.
In our Donation Drive Toolkit, you’ll find all the materials, tips, and tricks you need for a successful drive, including customizable promotional signage and social media assets, and sample copy for social media, email, or text outreach to your network.
At the time of the donation drop-off, you will be asked to fill out an in-kind donation slip and will have the option to receive a copy for your personal records.
Please note that Keystone does not estimate the value of tax value of in-kind gifts. This is the privilege and responsibility of the donor.
We kindly request that donations are dropped off at Keystone in order to best honor staff time capacity. If you have concerns or questions about dropping off donations, please give us a call at 651-645-0349 or email us and we will work with you to ensure your donation gets to Keystone!
Donations of food or large quantities of hygiene items can be dropped off at the Keystone Community Food Center (KCFC), 1800 University Ave W, St. Paul, MN.
We are open Monday – Friday, and prefer for donation drop-offs at KCFC occur within the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please use the door at the back of the building, and ring the bell before entering so a staff member or volunteer knows you have arrived.
Donations of school supplies or smaller quantities of food or hygiene items can be dropped off at the Merriam Park Community Center, 2000 St. Anthony Ave, St. Paul, MN.
Donations can be dropped off at this location Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Bikes can be donated at Express Bike Shop, 1158 Selby Ave, St. Paul, MN
Donations are accepted Tuesday – Friday from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Please call 651-644-9600 with questions about bike donations.
Please do not drop donations off outside of Keystone’s hours. In order to ensure quality, we are unable accept donations left outside and these items will be discarded.
We encourage a variety of donations beyond those listed on the most-needed item list, so long as the items are non-perishable and, unexpired, unopened or individually wrapped.
If you have a specific type of item in mind, please call us at 651-645-0349 or email us and we’d be happy to confirm if we will accept it!
Financial support is essential to ensuring Keystone can provide food support and other critical resources to neighbors in need. Monetary gifts are always appreciated!
Cash or check gifts can be dropped off at the same time you donate food or supplies. It would be great if you could collect these donations in an envelope and give the staff a heads up so it doesn’t get mixed in with the food items.
All checks can be made payable to: Keystone Community Services. You can also direct the kind community member to make a donation online.
