The past few weeks have seen a number of last minute event cancellations and postponements, with many more to follow. While there’s been a good deal of talk around force majeure, attendee communication and event logistics, waste and sustainability aren’t always at the forefront of conversation. Here are some resources and easy solutions if you’re interested in donating, repurposing or recycling any of your unusable event items.
Smart Solutions We’ve Seen:
- Perishables are of course the most timely for repurposing. Chef Samantha Benjamin had already baked 500 cookie dough jars for our client Cookies’ for Kids’ Cancer (CFKC), when they had to cancel last week amid the crisis. Chef Samantha quickly (and brilliantly!) put together an online store to sell the jars and donate the funds to CFKC. She was able to fundraise additionally and avoid throwing away perfectly good treats — a win all around. You can check out other creative food donation solutions from Zendesk and the 2020 Arnold Sports Festival in this piece (via PCMA).
- TentCraft, a custom tenting vendor typically focused on live outdoor events, is now supporting organizations in creating makeshift hospital and medical tents for COVID-19 screenings. If you’ve already paid for custom tenting which you can no longer use, consider donating the setup to a local hospital or facility that is taking on a large number of Coronavirus cases. Very impressive and impactful pivot.
Resources:
Perishable food donations:
- Here is a list of shelters that will take perishable donations in NYC’s 5 boroughs
- Rescue Leftover Cuisine operates in 16 cities across the country, donating your food to their individualized communities
- Feeding America is an excellent resource to find a local food bank near you
To donate or repurpose your florals:
To donate non-perishable event items (decor, tools etc.)
- The Birthday Party Project (Sequence also had the privilege of volunteering here last month; a fantastic organization also always looking for extra hands)
- Griffith Never Give Up Foundation allows organizations to donate all attributes of event decor (located in MD)
- Materials for the Arts which provides NYC arts nonprofits, public schools and City agencies with access to free materials
Do you have other good resources to donate, recycle or repurpose? Please share and we’d be happy to add to our list!