- Donate food or organize a food drive with friends, neighbors, or other groups you belong to using the Most Needed Items list below and drop off the items you collect at ECHO (7205 Old Keene Mill Rd.) or at one of the two drop box locations listed below.
- Organize a donation drive for food or personal care items, gently used or new clothing and/or housewares and bed linens from the Other Donations Needed Now list below using the ECHO Donation Drive Guidelines.
- Donate financial assistance to help with rent and utility payments and fresh food coupons by visiting the Donate Money tab above
- Shop for ECHO on Amazon by visiting the ECHO Wishlist for a variety of items needed by ECHO’s Food and Clothing Departments. In order to assure deliveries when ECHO is closed, please choose the delivery address: ECHO c/o Debby McElroy in Burke VA
- Donate Windows laptops or desktops – Windows 7 or later – in working condition with power cords.
- Shop at Target until March 31 and vote for ECHO to direct Target’s charitable giving to ECHO. Or go to Target.com, choose My Target, tap on Circle, select Vote for Nonprofits, find ECHO and select ECHO.
ECHO Food Room Most Needed Items - Spring 2024
Thank you for including ECHO Food Room needs on your shopping list.
• Choose sizes appropriate for our average family size of four.
• Include an assortment of food to ensure a variety of items for our clients.
• Because of the generosity of our community, ECHO has an ample supply of canned vegetables (especially green beans), can pumpkin, applesauce, and stuffing. However, we are short on many other items such as personal care products and the items listed below.
• ECHO continues to see a deficit of several thousand pounds a month between food donated and food given to clients. Since the beginning of the pandemic ECHO has seen an increase in need and this need has not abated. Any donation, large or small, is most gratefully welcomed.
• ECHO 's policy is to not give expired, open or repackaged food to clients. PLEASE do not bring these items to ECHO.
FOOD ITEMS
- Tin Fish (tuna, sardines, salmon etc.)
- Spaghetti (pasta)
- Spaghetti Sauce
- INSTANT Coffee (many clients do not have coffee makers)
- Can Tomatoes
- Baked Beans
- Can Fruit
- Bag Rice (Clients prefer white, jasmine or basmati)
- Instant (Box) Potatoes
- Crackers
- Pancake Mix
- Pancake Syrup
- Cereal
- Ramen
- Hot Chocolate, can milk, shelf stable milk
| FOOD ITEMS
- Can Meat (chicken, Spam, chili, small hams, beef stew etc.)
- Juice (Bottles or box)
- Tea (green, herbal or black)
- Spices (garlic, onion, cinnamon, salt, pepper)
- Healthy Snacks
- Masa (Corn) Flour
- Lentils
- Bag Beans (black, red or garbanzo preferred)
- Lemon or Lime Juice
- Jelly and Honey
- Peanut Butter
- Condiments (Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Mustard)
- Tortillas
- Cooking Oil
- Brown Paper Bags
- Reusable Grocery Bags
| HYGIENE PRODUCTS
- Children’s Toothbrushes
- Laundry Detergent
- Toilet Paper
- Deodorant
- Shampoo
- Facial Tissues
- Dish Soap
- Paper Towels
- Band Aids
- Baby Wipes
- Diapers - Sizes 3, 4, 5
- Sanitary Napkins
- Shaving Cream/Razors
|
Other Donations Needed Now
Men and Boy’s Clothing
- Boy's Sneakers Sizes 1 thru 6
- Boy's Tops/Bottoms Sizes 18 months to 20
- Boy's New Underwear Sizes 2T-20
- Men's Jeans Sizes 30/30, 30/32, 32/30, 32/32
- Men's New Underwear Sizes 28/30, 32/34, 36/38
Women and Girl's Clothing
- Girl's Sneakers Sizes 1 thru 6
- Girl's Tops/Bottoms Sizes 18 months to 20
|
Housewares
- Queen sheets and comforters
- King sheets and comforters
- Bath towels, hand towels, facecloths
- 2-4 qt. saucepans with lids
- 4-6 qt. pots with lids
- Flatware (knives, forks, spoons)
- Toasters/toaster ovens
- Electric coffee pots
- Electric hand mixers
|
To make food donations to ECHO even easier, there are now many drop boxes (for Food and Personal Care items ONLY) in the community:
•
Braddock District Gov’t Office lobby, 9002 Burke Lake Road, weekdays 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and accessible through the Kings Park Library until 9:00 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays
•
West Springfield Gov’t Office, lobby of the police station, 6140 Rolling Road, open 24 hours
If you can’t get to ECHO during our hours of operation, please use one of these drop boxes. Every item on the Most Needed list above is welcome and needed.
There are also drop boxes at four Giant Supermarkets in the Springfield area:
Cardinal Forest Giant, 8320 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield
Huntsman Giant, 7501 Huntsman Blvd., Springfield
Saratoga Giant, 8074 Rolling Road, Springfield
Springfield Plaza, 6364A Springfield Plaza, Springfield
UPCOMING FOOD DRIVE
Team 1ntegrity Annual Shred and Share Event and ECHO Food Drive – April 20 from 11 AM – 2 PM
On Saturday, April 20 Real Estate Team 1ntegrity is sponsoring a paper shredding, electronic recycling, and ECHO food drive event in the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church parking lot at 8336 Carrleigh Parkway, Springfield from 11 AM to 2 PM, or until the truck is full.
Stamp Out Hunger Annual Food Drive – Saturday, May 11
Each year, letter carriers across the country head out on their routes on the second Saturday in May to collect donations of non-perishable food items to benefit local food pantries. Since launching in 1993, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive, helping to fill the shelves of food banks in cities and towns throughout the United States. Simply leave your donation of non-perishable food in a bag near your mailbox on the second Saturday in May, and your letter carrier will do the rest. West Springfield, Burke and Central Springfield (Brookfield Plaza) post office donations will all benefit ECHO.