Donation Information

lney HELP is an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c) (3) organization.  We  ​take 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. 95% of donations received go 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 individuals, local churches, schools, scouts and civic organizations that conduct annual food drives.

Drop-off Box Locations 

Re/Max Realty Buffington Building

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

Ross Boddy Neighborhood Recreation Center

18529 Brooke Rd.
Sandy Spring, MD 20860
240-777-8050

Oakdale Church 

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

Gold's Gym Olney

18330 Village Center Dr
Olney, MD 20832
​301-570-1800

Longwood Community Center

19300 Georgia Avenue
Brookeville, MD 20833
240-777-6920
M-Th 10:00am - 9:00pm, F 2:00pm - 6:00pm, Sat 10:00am - 5:00pm

Onelife Fitness

17821 Georgia Avenue
Olney, MD 20832
301-358-6698
M-Th 5:00am - 11:00pm, F 5:00am - 9:00pm, Sat 7:00am - 8:00pm, Sun 8:00am - 7:00pm

The Backyard Naturalist

17910 Georgia Avenue
Olney, MD 20832
301-924-0024
T-Sat 10:00am - 6:00pm, Sun 12:00pm - 5:00pm, closed Mondays

Christopher's Hardware

500 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd
Sandy Spring, MD 20860
301-570-1300
M-Sat 8:00am - 6:00pm, Sun 10:am - 5:00pm

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:
  • Instant mashed potatoes - pouches and boxes
  • Pasta sides (Knorr/Roni)
  • Boxed white spaghetti noodles
  • Canned meats, such as tuna, chicken, turkey, corned beef, spam, salmon, Vienna sausage, etc.
  • Sloppy joe sauce
  • Canned chili
  • Canned pasta (adult types)
  • Plain spaghetti sauce
  • 1 lb. bags of rice and rice sides (Knorr/Roni)​
  • Baked beans    
  • Canned green beans, corn, peas (low/no salt)
  • Canned fruit in juice
  • Jelly - all sizes, all flavors except grape
  • 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
  • Unlabeled cans or packages
  • Food from other food banks/pantries
  • Expired food
  • Bulk foods that need to be repackaged
  • Homemade food items
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Perishable, frozen, or refrigerated items

​We have an Amazon Wish List which makes donating needed food items very easy.

Organizing a Food Drive

We need food year round, so any time is a great time for a food drive!  When holding a food drive some ideas to consider include:​
  • A 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 have questions about planning a food drive, please contact Olney Help at 301-774-4334 or email us at [email protected].
    ​
  • Our Food Pickup Coordinator will be happy to arrange to have donated food items picked 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.

  • Collect nonperishable food in containers like boxes, bags, etc.
    ​
  • Money should be collected in a container in which people can easily drop their cash or grocery store card donations. Checks can be made out to "Olney Help".