or America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, a volunteer driven nonprofit food bank, closing was not an option. The group, headquartered in Savannah serves as the food safety net for tens of thousands of children, senior citizens, low-income families, and people with disabilities.

Challenge

A large black-tie auction is held each year to raise awareness and money for one of their programs Kid’s Café. With Covid restrictions, the Second Harvest team had to rethink how an event could be adapted for the virtual world and still involve donors.

Strategy

The entire philanthropic affair, creatively named the Great UnEvent would go virtual. Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia decided to send out packages to thank and encourage their sponsors to tune to the Facebook Live event. Each box, custom printed by CompanyBox was filled with Spring-Fill crinkle paper for decorative protection along with a bottle of wine, local honey, tea, pralines and a note for donation information.

CompanyBox worked with Mary Jane Crouch, Executive Director of Second Harvest Coastal Georgia to print each sponsor’s name or logo directly on the box. This was not only a way to show appreciation with a personal touch, it doubled as a treat while watching the auction.

Results

Before the scheduled date, a record number of people began calling to thank the group for the package. As hoped, donations poured in before the event even started. The Great UnEvent, then drew over 150 guests that had all the trimmings of a real-life auction. The generosity of attendees brought over $251,000 to this worthy cause.

Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia is still collecting donations for their Kid’s Cafe. To donate, please visit: www.helpendhunger.org