Feeding People Through Music – Food Drives
Widespread Panic concert food drives first began with the fan-based organization Panic Fans for Food. This fan organization hosted food drives at WP shows throughout the country from 1999-2007, with the goal of, “feeding people through music.” The effort generated $70,000 and 13 tons of food in 28 cities and was handed off to the band in early 2008.
Since then, the band has been hosting food drives at select shows on their tours, engaging a demographic that is typically more difficult for charities and food drives to reach. To date, the band’s “Feeding People Through Music” endeavor has raised over $279,000 and 43,000 pounds of food for communities across the country.*
Please donate to our ongoing Feeding America Online Food Drive
2024 Food & Fund Drives
- St. Louis, MO: Virtual Drive with the St. Louis Area Food Bank – Results: $2,903
Chicago, IL: Food & Fund Drive with Conscious Alliance- St. Augustine, FL: Food & Fund Drive with Conscious Alliance
- Memphis, TN: Virtual Fund Drive with Mid-South Food Bank – Results: $418
- Morrison, CO: Virtual & In-person Food Drive with Conscious Alliance – Results: $13,060 and 850lbs of food
2023 Food & Fund Drives
- Durham, NC: Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC
- St. Augustine, FL: Team up with Conscious Alliance – 1,500lbs
- Austin, TX: Central Texas Food Bank
- Charleston, SC: Lowcountry Food Bank
- Morrison, CO (Red Rocks): Team up with Conscious Alliance – 2,120lbs
- Huntsville, AL: Team up with Conscious Alliance – 1,100lbs
- Wilmington, NC: Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC
- Milwaukee, WI: Hunger Task Force (in-person and virtual) | Results: $6,765
- Savannah, GA: Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia (virtual) | Results: $715.55
- Atlanta, GA: Conscious Alliance (Details forthcoming)
2022 Food & Fund Drives
- Columbia, SC: Harvest Hope Food Bank collected $1,758 for the local community!
- Las Vegas, NV: $559.13 (1,680 meals) for Three Square Food Bank
- St. Augustine, FL: Feeding NE Florida / Conscious Alliance – 1,000 lbs of food and $17,047 collected
- Wilmington, NC: Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC – $765 collected
- Huntsville, AL: Donate to the Food Bank of North Alabama
- Morrison, CO (Red Rocks): Conscious Alliance – $15,428 collected
- Atlanta, GA: Virtual Food Drive with Atlanta Community Food Bank
- Washington, DC: Virtual Food Drive with Capital Area Food Bank
- Milwaukee, WI: Hunger Task Force Virtual and on-site food drive
2021 Food & Fund Drives
- Tunes for Tots (Denver, CO) & Red Rocks with Conscious Alliance collected $11,222.50/2,000 meals combined!
- Wilmington, NC: Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC collected $2,970 for the local community.
- Asheville, NC: MANNA FoodBank Virtual Food Drive collected $3,746, enough to provide 15,000 meals!
- Austin, TX: Conscious Alliance Food and Fund Drive collected $8,650 for the local Austin area.
- Milwaukee, WI: Virtual Food Drive with Hunger Task Force collected $3,863 for the local Milwaukee area.
- New Orleans, LA: Virtual Food Drive with Culture Aid NOLA collected $2,909.81, which will serve 13,150 pounds of food.
- Chicago, IL: In-person and virtual Food Drive with Conscious Alliance collected $7,612 and 360 pounds of food.
2020 Food & Fund Drives
- Feeding American November/December Drive: $10,111 for food banks and pantries across the U.S.
2019 Food & Fund Drives
- Washington, DC: $1,735 Collected for the Capital Area Food Bank
- Port Chester, NY: Food Drive with Conscious Alliance
- Durham, NC: Online Drive with Food Bank of Center and Eastern NC
- N. Charleston, SC: Online Drive with Trondossa Music Festival for Lowcountry Food Bank
- Brandon, MS: 1,361lbs and $1,640.85 collected (with Conscious Alliance)
- Morrison, CO (Red Rocks): 1,250 meals for Food Bank of the Rockies (with Conscious Alliance)
- St. Augustine, FL: $1,212.25 and 265lbs collected with Feeding Northeast Florida
- Nashville, TN: $4,860.72 for the Nashville Food Project
- Pensacola, FL: $1,049 and 77lbs for Feeding the Gulf Coast
- Milwaukee, WI: $1,034 and 123lbs for The Hunger Task Force
- New Orleans, LA: $790 for Feeding Louisiana
2019 totals: $11,296.48 and 1,826lbs
2019 Update from JB
Hello All,
For twenty years, Widespread Panic has been honored to support local Food Banks in the cities where we gather for shows. The practice began thanks to Josh Stack and a growing circle of friends who accepted and delivered donations of food and cash on behalf of the towns’ soup kitchens and pantries. Josh took the cause to other bands and corporate sponsors and is currently working hard to spread the same ethos to influencers nationwide. Organizations such as Conscious Alliance and Feeding America have also been instrumental in this ongoing effort.
Ongoing it is. In the months to come, there will be less of a physical presence of local Food banks at some shows. Times are still lean for many, but the food sharing business has become much more efficient over the years. Bottom line – cash helps more and weighs less than a can or box of food, and manpower is best spent at Home base. Every dollar donated translates into three adult meals (Children’s too!) and can be easily accepted through each local Food Bank’s website.
So Friends, in all our Playing, Dancing, Loving, Living, and Giving – thanks to All for your inspiration and generosity over the past years and those to come.
JB
Past Results
2018: we raised $10,843.50 and 4,695lbs of food!
2017: $17,963.50 and 6,514lbs of food!
2016: $38,440.48 and 17,683lbs of food!
2015: $35,228.40 and 8,430lbs of food!
2014: $23,671.36 and 3,871lbs of food!
2013: $21,696.08 and 3,086 pounds of food!
2012: $6,318.12 and 634 pounds of food!
2011: $31,600 and 4,400 pounds of food!
* Last Updated: Februrary 2022
‘SPREAD THE WORD!