Donation Information

Olney HELP is an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c) (3) organization.  We  ​takes pride in that we keep our administrative costs to a minimum so that your donations can directly help our neighbors in need.

Financial Donations

The majority of our work depends on financial donations. As an all volunteer organization, there are no salaries, no overhead, and only minimal office and administrative expenses. The vast majority of donations we receive goes directly to assist our clients with food or financial assistance.

Donate On-Line

 by Mail

You can mail a tax-deductible donation directly to Olney HELP at the following address:
Olney HELP
P.O. Box 430
Olney MD 20830
We will provide you with a gift acknowledgement letter that can be used for tax purposes.
Donate a Gift Card:   Olney HELP is always in need of gift cards to local food stores.  

Food Donations

​Olney HELP is always in need of non-perishable food donations such as canned goods, pasta, rice, cereals and baking goods. We welcome donations from individuals and groups. The Emergency Food Program exists in large part as a result of the generous support from the community. Non-perishable food items are primarily supplied by local churches, schools, scouts and civic organizations that conduct annual food drives

If you would like assistance on how to conduct a food drive for Olney HELP at your local school, business, club, civic organization or faith-based organization contact us if you would like Helping Olney HELP.

Drop-off Box Locations 

Re/Max Realty Buffington Building

3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd
Olney, MD 20832
 M-F 9:00am - 5:00pm
​

Oakdale Church 

3425 Emory Church Road
Olney, MD 20832
M-F  8:00am - 4:00pm   301-774-2030

Ross Boddy Neighborhood Recreation Center

Gold's Gym Olney
18529 Brooke Rd.
Sandy Spring, MD 20860
240-777-8050
18330 Village Center Dr
Olney, MD 20832
​301-570-1800

Food We Need

We aim to provide our neighbors with the healthiest food possible. Here is an list of healthy non-perishable foods you can donate. 

Food items we need most at this time:
  • Canned meats, such as tuna, chicken, turkey, corned beef, spam, salmon, vienna sausage, etc.
  • Sloppy joe sauce
  • Condensed soups - tomato, chicken noodle, vegetable, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken
  • Canned chili
  • Canned pasta
  • Plain spaghetti sauce
  • Boxed spaghetti and pasta
  • 1 lb. bags of rice and rice sides (Knorr/Roni)
  • Pancake mix/syrup
  • Dessert mixes - cake, cookie, brownie
  • Cold cereal
  • Baked beans    
  • Canned green beans, corn, peas (low/no salt)
  • Canned fruit in juice
  • Jelly - all sizes, all flavors
  • Condiments - BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, salad dressing
  • Peanut butter (smooth) - 16-18 oz. jars     
  • Instant mashed potatoes - pouches and boxes
  • Juice boxes - 100% juice
  • Shelf stable bottled juice
​Gift cards to Harris Teeter, Safeway, and Giant are welcome donations as well.
What  not to donate
  • Expired food
  • Bulk foods that need to be repackaged
  • unlabeled cans or packages
  • Homemade food items
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Perishable, frozen, or refrigerated items

Organizing a Food Drive

We need food year round, so any time is a great time for a food drive! Many organizations choose to hold food drives associated with major holidays but you might want to try holding one in the spring or summer when our on-shelf inventory is typically at its lowest.  When holding a food drive some ideas to consider include:​
  • Food drive can be held for one day, one week, a month, or it can be an ongoing event

  • Advertising your food drive can consist of posters/flyers, Facebook, Twitter posts or other social networking sites.  Advertise in a local newspaper or sending an email with the food drive details is also a great way to get the word out.

  • If you need additional assistance with planning your food drive, we would be happy to help you. Contact Olney Help at 301-774-4334 or email us at [email protected] for assistance.
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  • Our Food Pickup Coordinator will be happy to arrange to have donated food items up and delivered to our food warehouse.  To schedule a pickup call us at 301-774-4334 or email us at [email protected]
  • Items to collect include nonperishable food (e.g. canned goods, pasta, rice, beans, etc.), money or both. We use the money collected to buy nonperishable and perishable food items or grocery store gift cards to put in our Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. You will find a list of the items Olney Help currently needs on this page.

  • Collecting food will need containers in which people can place their nonperishable food donations
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  • Collecting money should be in a container in which people can easily drop their cash or grocery store card donations. Checks can be made out to "Olney Help".