As the Presidential election comes closer, shifts in campaign strategies are becoming obvious. Even though Election Day is 6 months away, edits to campaign slogans and messages are being altered.

Slogans and messages are the center and focal point of political campaigns. In the 2008 Presidential campaign, many can still re-call the central messages of both Democratic and Republic parties. President Obama’s was “Change” and Senator McCain’s was “Country First” and “Experience.”  These slogans were the focal point of all of their marketing efforts. For that reason, slogans tend to be short, simple and to the point.

However, coming up with one word that embodies your entire campaign and message can be difficult. Also, with the large amounts of political advertisements and messages, how can you be certain that the potential voters are going to be receptive to your message?

Memorable political advertisements and messages typically have the following in common:

• Incorporates emotion
• Patriotic spirit (America first)
• Progress (economy, jobs, health reform, etc.)
• Family-oriented

Although there is no one cookie cutter strategy in developing your campaign message, you need to be certain that you or your politician has that unique characteristic that defines them.

The challenge with developing a message that is receptive to everyone is that voters on both sides already have a painted picture of what kind of candidate you are. For Democratic politicians, they’re socialists, too liberal, progressive, diverse, but aren’t decisive. While on the other side, Republicans are greedy, religious, conservative in their morals, but decisive. These generalizations are instilled deeply in the minds of both parties that it makes it difficult to create a message that both parties will respond favorably to.

So, what’s the solution?

Most candidates, if not all of them, cater and craft their campaigns to reach out to their political parties. (Democrats targeting democrats, republicans targeting republicans) Sounds like common sense, but if your message doesn’t align with their ideals and their beliefs, you potentially lose a lot of votes and a lot of support from your own party.

When crafting political messages and political speeches, politicians and their staff have to make sure their messages have an authentic sense of purpose and sincerity. When a politician speaks, if they’re able to make the viewer feel as if they’re speaking directly to them, then that’s a success.

How can a political campaign make a lasting impression?

Supplement your speeches and your messages with print advertisements and marketing efforts. How do people easily recall President Obama’s and Senator McCain’s messages? Through their advertisements! As the race came closer to Election Day, thousands of banners, ads, shirts, lawn signs (http://www.campaignpros.com/yard_signs.htm), and billboards were covered in their political messages. This year’s presidential campaign will probably be just the same.

Make sure your promise is a promise that nobody else can make, deliver something that no one else can, and convince voters and Americans that you believe in them and that you believe in a better America. As a politician, it’s not what you’re selling, it’s what you stand for.

There are two sayings that some marketers and some publicists believe in, “any publicity is good publicity,” and “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Well, easy for them to say because they typically are the ones creating it. However, history has taught us that there certainly are examples where that isn’t the case. In our previous post, we discussed and reviewed Advertising Age’s “The Top 10 Game-Changing Political Ads of All Time,” and saw clearly where a negative advertisement detrimentally destroyed another candidate’s chances of winning or nomination.

Bottom line: NEVER ignore ANY bad press.

Not sure how to further emphasize the importance of that advice. You should instead embrace it, react to it. Ultimately, what you will see happen is that what you say and what you do could turn a dreary situation into a positive one. Take the work and words of others and spin them into something that works in your favor.

With the 2012 Presidential Campaigns just around the corner, never before have we seen negative advertising in political campaign done as heavily as this year. We imagine that the public are tired of propaganda and hate how our American political campaigns are comprised of nothing but negative advertisements. But where is the line drawn? There’s a clear, obvious difference in the types of negative ads that are published whether via television, radio, or print ads like billboards and campaign signs: A) Ads that attack their opponents on a personal level and B) Ads that point out a candidate’s mistakes (e.g. candidate that has voted for and against an issue).

The problem, and potential mistake, of airing a video or publishing an ad that’s too personal is that viewers can judge that candidate as playing really dirty. Meaning, although you’re trying to publish a negative advertisement to help you win, you end up losing support for airing an advertisement that’s irrelevant to the campaign. Another interpretation is that those types of ads are “low-blows.” More importantly, you’re not revealing how you are qualified for the position and how your opponent isn’t.

The other type of negative ads is ones that are relevant to the campaign and office positions. They are ones that reveal suspicious activity regarding a political topic or issue. These types of negative ads are typically more effective and have more of an impact on potential voters. For some reason, a lot of viewers pay attention to “negative ads.” Even if the ads are exaggerating the truth, the messages in these aids are crafted very carefully and potentially could introduce new information to potential voters. The take-away there is that information, most likely FALSE information, is planted in their minds.

So what should you do if your candidate is “attacked”?

Do you let the press and your opponent continue with these ads and hope it goes away?
Do you retaliate and start publishing dirt on them?
Or do you acknowledge what was said and respond strategically?

Well, the answer is easy. It’s the third option, acknowledge what was said and respond appropriately and more importantly, strategically. Sounds easy and sounds simple, it should sound like common sense. However, how many times is that not the first response to a problem? The answer is too many times. And, too many people have gotten into trouble because of that. As a politician, you simply can’t afford to do anything wrong.

Problems never go away on their own. Another popular proverb that’s appropriate here is that “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Whether what was said was the truth or not, or even exaggerated, acknowledge it. Bottom line is that information, especially gossip, spreads like wild fire. The worst thing you can do is not respond. So if something is being said about you, you might as well say your point of view and your side of the story, but it’s made up for you.

If what was said was untrue, show evidence that proves otherwise. If there is even the slightest ounce of truth to what was said, admit your wrong-doing. The repercussions of lying will cause even more damage. It’s easy to point the finger; it isn’t easy to admit when you’re wrong. Do that and people will respect you.

If you can learn to turn something negative into positive, you’ll be more successful than dishing out some dirt on your opponent. Potential voters are forgiving and will surprise you and listen to what you have to say. Just be honest and genuine. At the end of the day, you’re human, and people will be able to relate to that. You can build trust and credibility with honesty. You may not be perfect, but guess what, no one is, including your opponent.

For more information about campaign marketing or campaign materials, talk to experts at www.campaignpros.com.

Have you ever sat back in your cramped cubicle, eyes closed and maybe with a silly grin on your face? You’re dreaming of a day when you can get out from underneath the thumb of “the man” and actually be the man.

Sounds pretty cushy, doesn’t it? You’ll get to make your own hours, tell your employees how you like your coffee, take a potential client to the golf course, really, whatever you feel like.

Then, the grin turns to a frown. You start thinking about the preparation, the tasks, the competition and the economy. Can you offer something that people want? How will you run the accounting, the IT, the marketing, the hiring or even pay for equipment and an office space? All of a sudden, as you snap out of your nightmarish dream, you decide that having your current job is a blessing.

I bet this is a common scenario. However, I believe that most people could be their own boss. If I can do it, yes, you guessed it…anyone can. The important thing to remember is that you don’t have to do it alone.

After talking to many friends and family about the stress and trials of being a business owner, I was reassured that there are answers and strategies for any new business owner. The most important piece of advice I received was “don’t take everything on by yourself.”

I quickly realized, or remembered, that I have a friend who is a network guru, one that is a programmer, another that does bookkeeping and one that has a connection to a great tax accountant.

I have help! You see, your business can only be successful if you are doing the things that you are good at. My background is sales and that is what I am good at. I know virtually nothing about setting up a tax structure or SEO and pay-per-click marketing. So, if I hold up my end of the business, I can place people around me that will fill in the holes. After all, these people became good at what they do because there is a need for their knowledge and people like me sought out their expertise.

So, if you are thinking about starting up your own business, I say go do it. But, don’t think you have to walk off the plank and hope you don’t land in the shark’s mouth. Talk to the right people, read the necessary materials and put together a plan. Then, politely thank your old employer for signing all your paychecks, but now, your signature will be on the checks.

Promote yourself at events

How many people do you think really know their local politicians? Better yet, how many people can name the offices?

It’s alarming to realize just how few people know who is in charge of deciding which laws dictate how we live and operate. So who is to blame? The public or the politicians? It’s easy to place blame on one but realistically, the blame falls on both.

On one side, politicians and their teams push out their beliefs and messages mostly during election season. Outside of that, information about them just blends in with everyday life.

On the other hand, people are just too occupied with their own lives to pay attention. Certainly, it’s easier to pay attention to the President or even the Governor, but how about the city Comptroller or who is on the multiple boards and commissions?

The point is, if you want to be an elected official, get to know your potential voters and let them get to know you.  Understand the basic marketing principles and in this article, we specifically are going to talk about how to promote yourself at any event. (Community, fundraiser, state-wide, festivals, etc.)

Basic Principles:

Market yourself. Increase visibility. This may seem like an obvious one, but you’ll be surprised how many politicians and officials come un-prepared.  This is where print materials, give-aways and swag come in handy. However, there’s no point in those items if you don’t put your name on it. Bottom line, put your name and logo on everything. This isn’t something that should be taken lightly, equip yourself with a well-thought design and you’ll be remembered. Just think of Obama’s Change sign and think of how many people have duplicated that design. Visuals are strong. This goes the same for campaign signs. Just imagine, the more you have your face/logo on something, the more people are going to see you.

Have fun. People can always tell when you’re not sincere. So try and have a good time and people around you will have a good time. Depending on the event, why not bring something interesting or fun that people can interact with. Such as a frisbee with your face on it. Next thing you know, multiple people are just having a good time outdoors and are throwing your frisbees in the air. It may sound silly, but you’ll get attention.

Get ahead by planning ahead. Not only should you have campaign materials, packages, brochures, cards, yard signs, and more, figure out what the event is going to be about. Take a look if the weather is going to be nice and bring items that make sense with the event. For example if it’s a family event, make sure you bring something for the kids. Balloons, beach balls and food are always a hit. If it’s going to be really hot, hand fans are perfect too. It’s one of the easiest ways to bring people to you.

Get to know your audience. Let them get to know you. Once you’ve attracted some attention, it’s now the time to tell potential voters what you’re all about and what you will do. More importantly, figure out what they want and have a conversation with them. Let them know you care.

Capture the moments. Pictures are worth a 1,000 words. Not only is that true, but you should capture these moments and post them to your social media sites, web sites, etc. for your community to see your outreach. However, don’t just hire a photographer to take snap shots of hand-shakes. Go above and beyond, set up a photo booth. Give them a card where people can see their photos later because let’s face it, people like seeing photos of themselves. (Not to mention the amount of traffic that would go to your site.)

Obviously these basic marketing principles that were covered vary and depend on specific events. Don’t do something if it doesn’t fit your personality. But don’t lose sight of who you are and what your message is. It’s important for people to get to know you not only as a politician, but as a person. Show them that you care and give them something to care about in return.

For more information on print promotion products and campaign materials, visit http://www.campaignpros.com. Don’t miss out on daily specials and deals.

The way we watch the news has forever changed with the internet, and more specifically with YouTube. Year after year, more people are turning in to the on-line world for news coverage. It seems like viewers watch breaking news on YouTube first before watching it on their television screens.

So what does this mean for marketing teams?

Before we address that question, let’s list some facts:

• YouTube – the largest video sharing site there is.
• According to Mashable.com, in 2011 there were 490 million unique users per month
• YouTube’s sharing capabilities makes it that much easier to get your message out
• Access to YouTube is everywhere (desktop, laptop, smart phones, etc.)
• The power of the replay button – if the video is really good, people tend to replay videos over and over

Not only has YouTube changed the way we watch the news, it changed how politicians market themselves. Almost every politician (if not all) have his or her own YouTube channel. This is because of the huge on-line presence that’s on YouTube. You can reach potential voters and send out your message in just a few clicks.

Probably one of the reasons why YouTube is popular is for the exact same reason why movies are more popular than books; people would rather watch something than read about it. How many times have you heard that people watched the movie-version of a book but haven’t actually read the book? Same applies to the news. People like YouTube because it is often a simplified version of what was reported. It’s typically just a clip of the original news story; plus advertisements are cut down to a short time period.

For marketing teams, video marketing can be a huge success for your candidate. If you haven’t tried creating videos, there’s no better time than the present. You can easily create videos with a phone or a cheap video camera. Or, you can put in some time and effort and create a more polished advertising spot. Either way, your team can just upload and share your video to potentially millions of viewers.

Videos are the perfect way to capture a speech, responses and events for your politician. Create a video that’s for your target audience. Don’t create propaganda; create something real that will resonate with your voters.

After developing your angle and story, your marketing team needs to be aggressive with your social media outlets. Make sure they send out your videos through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and any other outlet your candidate has. Why? Because by sharing it through the various outlets, you’re increasing your visibility and the chances of your video becoming viral.

Recently, Google released a list of the 10 most political viral videos. Although most of the videos were about/from huge public figures, the video with the most viewers was a 19-year old who spoke about a largely debated topic. However, because his speech was real and wasn’t staged/fake, viewers were able to appreciate what he had to say.

Here are the top 5 political viral videos: *Number of viewers as of (1/12/2012)

1. Zach Wahls Speak About Family – 16,414,136 viewers
2. President Obama at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner – 9,226,044 viewers
3. Strong (Rick Perry’s Campaign Spot) – 7,783,221 viewers
4. President Obama on Death of Osama Bin Laden – 6,272,778 viewers
5. Brother, Can You Spare A Trillion? Government Gone Wild! – 5,053,259 viewers

However, as discussed previously, the trick to a successful campaign or marketing plan is the perfect combination of old and new media. No one is ever going to search for your candidate if they do not know anything about him/her. In addition to creating a strong media presence, campaign teams can’t forget about the important traditional ways of marketing; such as the use of campaign signs and polybag signs.

CampaignPros.com is an on-line provider of promotional print materials that specializes in political and campaign marketing. The experts at CampaignPros.com have been in the political marketing business for more than 8 years. Visit www.campaignpros.com for more information.

I have been working with political candidates for 10 years.  Part of the work I do at CampaignPros.com is to help them create a useable and attractive campaign logo.  Once a logo is created, it will be used throughout the entire campaign and should be immediately identifiable to voters.

This sounds incredibly important, but in reality, creating this logo should be simple and take up little time.  In the grand scheme of the entire campaign run, the logo will ultimately be replaced by the candidate.  Voters will be drawn to and focus on the person running.  They don’t vote for a logo.

So, the amount of time spent creating a campaign logo should be less than a day.  But, the logo should also be meaningful and unique.  This includes any slogan a candidate chooses to use.

It is my ultimate recommendation that slogans be reserved for mail pieces, business cards, hand held rally signs or radio/TV ads.  This is because the viewer has time to digest what he is reading or hearing.  Yard signs are mainly name ID pieces are should not contain extra information that would be lost because the average viewer is driving by at 30+ mph.

In any case, slogans should quickly say something about you and your purpose.  They should be a short sentence—no more than 4-5 words—or even three short, concise words (i.e. “Faith. Family. Freedom.” from Mike Huckabee).

The message of the slogan should be easy to interpret and not ambiguous.  A slogan I have seen many times over the years, used in small local campaigns, is “Fresh Voice, New Leadership.”  What does this mean?  What exactly is a fresh voice?  Couple that thought with “New Leadership” and all it says to me is “inexperienced first-timer.”  From the 3-word example above from Mike Huckabee, you instantly knew a couple of things Huckabee stood for—his belief and faith in God and his strong sentiment towards family values.  You can actually form an opinion from this.

While having a campaign slogan is not necessary, they can certainly connect a candidate to voters.  In 1980, Ronald Reagan used “Let’s Make America Great Again.”  This was a clear message sent to the incumbent that focused on the pitfalls the United States was experiencing.  Of course Americans wanted greatness again.  So, one can truly appeal to the desperate need for change.

It is hard to imagine or prove that a clever slogan has actually been the deciding factor in an election, but once again, the slogan is a direct representation of a candidate’s platform or character.

So, when choosing a campaign slogan, be clear, concise and true to its message.  Live it.  Embrace it. Portray it.

I am the average “Joe” when you talk about people who vote for city elections.  I am “somewhat” informed, I care about what happens in my city and I am concerned about my tax dollars and family safety.  Most importantly, I vote.  But, in order to vote smartly, I need to know which candidate will address my needs and concerns as a voting tax-payer with a family of four.

So, it was a bit disheartening when I sat down at my computer to get to know the candidates running for mayor and council this election.  I came up with very little concrete information.

To be honest, this both saddened and agitated me.  The amount of effort put forth by these candidates made me feel duped.  These candidates seemed to think that if they simply announce their candidacy that voters would flock to the polls.  How can we do that?  We don’t know who to vote for.

In 8 days, the elections for mayor, alderman-at-large and my ward alderman will be held.  There are 9 candidates that should be vying for my vote.  To date, I have received one palm card and one cheaply created flyer in my mail box.  I have had only one solicitation for a yard sign to be placed in my yard.  And worst of all, not a single candidate has knocked on my door.  This is completely unacceptable to me.

From my online research, I have found that two of the mayoral candidates have a website and only one has a Facebook page.  One out of the 6 alderman candidates has a Facebook page and none have a dedicated campaign website.  I suppose I can forgive the aldermanic candidates for not having dedicated campaign websites, but Facebook is free and easy.

This lack of accessibility and complete disregard for the needs of voters has me extremely concerned.  The laziness has me wondering how badly these candidates want these positions.

Maybe my expectations are too high.  Maybe I want more out of these candidates than most.  Truthfully, that doesn’t concern me.  What concerns me is I now have to go out and vote for someone I don’t even know.  Voting shouldn’t be like gambling.  I should be confident that my vote will be a winner.

Well, I suppose I still have 8 days to be wowed.

CampaignPros.com, a Rock Island, IL based promotional marketing company has completed the process to trademark its 2006 invention, the Beefy Stake.

The Beefy Stake is a steel wire stand, or stake, used to hold up corrugated plastic yard signs and campaign signs.  The design of this stake is unassuming, yet its construction, according to CampaignPros.com co-owner, Wade Baffa, is superior to other similar yard sign stakes on the market.

“Sure, the Beefy Stake doesn’t look like much.  But, the high-carbon spring steel it is made from is quite a bit stronger than the industry standard bright basic steel used in other wires,” explains Baffa.

According to CampaignPros.com, the Beefy Stake was developed because too many customers were unsatisfied with the sign industry’s more recognizable sign wire, the H stand, or step stake.  This wire stand is 10”x30” and has two cross wires that are welded to the upright posts, thus making the stand look like an “H” with an extra cross bar.

“We had quite a few customers calling to tell us the H stands were bending or actually snapping in high winds.  Not to mention the welds and the amount of steel used in the H stands drove up the cost,” said Baffa, “We had nothing else to offer unsatisfied customers.  So, we contacted a new manufacturer and developed the Beefy Stakes.”

CampaignPros.com also states that the Beefy Stakes are easier to use and due to the size and the amount of material used, they are cheaper to ship.

Though the product has been around since 2006, CampaignPros.com decided recently that they had better trademark the name.

Mike Mathews, co-owner of CampaignPros.com, added, “We now sell the Beefy Stakes with over 80% of our yard sign orders.  We figured we needed to protect the name.  We’re not selling the same type of wire as our competitors, so we wanted to make sure our product name is protected.”

The company still sells the standard H stands because of its widely known name.  The Beefy Stakes can be purchased directly for retail customers from CampaignPros.com.  Resellers, such as sign shops or other manufacturers, can purchase the Beefy Stakes wholesale through a DBA of CampaignPros.com, named StakeWorld.com.

For more information on the Beefy Stakes, contact Wade Baffa at 866-343-6131 or visit CampaignPros.com or StakeWorld.com.

It is amazing to me that when talking to political candidates, so many of them seem to be running for no other reason than someone they know said they should throw their name in the hat.  Is this really a reason?  Are your friends and family true, unbiased measures of your ability or qualifications to run for any political office?

There are some real questions that you need to ask yourself before you run for any office.  In addition, there are some core questions that voters will ask you while you are on the campaign trail.  You need to be able to confidently answer these questions without fluff and without waiver.  If you can’t give concrete answers to these basic questions, then you may need to rethink your run.

Ask Yourself This

Why am I running for office?

Seems like an easy question to answer, right?  The duty of political office holders is to be representatives for the citizens in their town, district or state.  The leaders are entrusted to make crucial decisions that will affect real people.  So, it really isn’t enough to answer this question with, “I want to make a change.”  That is assumed by all voters.  What do you want to change?  What is your plan to make these changes?

Voters can see through vague, open-ended answers.  They may be entrusting you with their neighborhood and child’s future living conditions.  Think about why you deserve their trust and how you plan to make them believers.

Am I qualified for this office?

I chuckle sometimes when a candidate insists on putting the letters “M.D.” or “CPA” on their yard signs.  I suppose for some, the quip “Trust me, I’m a doctor” really is comforting.  But, what does your medical degree have to do with your ability to be mayor of a city of 50,000 people?  I know a CPA who is running for sheriff.  He insists on printing “CPA” on his t-shirts, business cards and the rest of his campaign materials.  I can appreciate the intricate work a CPA does, but I will not vote for a career CPA to be the sheriff of my town.

On the other hand, if you have spent 20 years as a law enforcement officer, perhaps spent time in a branch of the military and maybe worked as a correctional officer, please run for sheriff in my town.  If you are a respected CPA with 15 years under your belt, by all means, run for treasurer.

Furthermore, when you design your palm cards to handout in the neighborhood, do not embellish your credentials, or include useless self-serving accomplishments that have no bearing on your ability to run for a political office.  Your time spent as a Boy Scout troop member means little when your are entrusted with a city budget.

In his book, The Political Campaign Desk Reference, Michael McNamara gives sounds advice:

It is important to gain a thorough understanding of the duties of the job prior to going public with an announcement of candidacy.

Do yourself and your constituents a favor and do the research.

Can I raise the budget needed to make this work?

You may believe whole-heartedly that you are qualified for a position.  You may have answers that your community needs.  However, without the budget to equip yourself with the necessary campaign materials, your run may fall flat in a hurry.

It is a good idea to sit with someone who currently holds office, or has recently run for office, and discuss a budget.  There are many obvious expenses you will incur—campaign signs, post cards, business cards—but, there are many that you may not have thought of, such as parade materials, booking a conference room for a rally, possibly paying a political consultant, etc.

Your war chest should be funded, in large part, by supporters.  But, you will most likely need to dip into your personal funds to get things accomplished.  A certainty is you don’t want to run out of money.  You need a well-planned budget.  Many of the printed campaign materials can be researched online.  Companies like CampaignPros.com can offer just about any printed item you will need.  You can get a detailed estimate and decide if your needs are going to be funded.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that funding is not an important part of a campaign.  I once heard a statistic that stated 80% of campaigns are won by the candidate that spends the most.  Don’t get me wrong, you still need to be qualified and organized.

They Will Ask You This

Voters will have three main questions on their minds when you ring their doorbell to ask for support.

1)      Why are you running for office?

You should have already planned out your honest and passionate answer for this.  Be prepared to share time and time again.

2)      What can you do for me?

Proud, voting citizens go back to the polls each election to cast their support for the candidate whose objectives are most closely aligned with theirs.  You can’t win them all, but showing your genuine concern for their community and quality of life can go a long way.  Remember, voters are looking to put their trust in someone they feel shares qualities and concerns of their own.

3)      What are your plans?

You’ve chosen to run for office, now what are you going to do?  It isn’t enough to simply have a goal.  You need to have concrete, attainable steps to reach those goals.  Don’t just tout that you are going to clean up the parks or rid the streets of crime.  How are you going to do these things?  What money and resources will you use?  Don’t try and pacify voters with vague answers and generalities.  Put it on paper and share it intelligently.

These are just a few questions you will be faced with.  The passion needs to be there, but so does the planning.  Voters need you and you need them.  Earn their votes.

The Quad Cities Balloon Festival is an annual event that raises money for the River Bend Food Bank.  This year, the event takes place September 23^rd-25^th.

CampaignPros.com, a local Rock Island promotional marketing company, has created and is maintaining the QC Balloon Festival website (www.QCballoonfestival.com).  In addition, CampaignPros.com is also a silver sponsor and has worked closely with the festival to keep the public aware of this important fundraising event.

The Balloon Festival website has an array of information.  There is a “history” button that gives a history—which is sometimes comical—of air balloon flight, dating back to 1783 when a group of farm animals became the first balloon flight passengers.  There is contact information for those who have questions about the event, as well a schedule of events and start times.

The River Bend Food Bank has been “Feeding the Hungry Since 1982.”  This organization distributes 6.3 million pounds of food annually, making it the largest hunger relief organization in the area.  The food bank organizes outreach programs such as Kids Café and the Backpack Program, each designed to nourish children who have no other means of getting a healthy meal on a regular basis.  The food bank reaches 22 counties in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

Co-owner of CampaignPros.com, Wade Baffa, said, “We really enjoy working with local organizations like this.  You get a sense that you are actually helping, rather than just going through daily business.”

Admission to the balloon festival is free, but a charitable donation of a non-perishable food item is welcomed and encouraged.

For more information on the Festival, the Food Bank or CampaignPros.com, check out their websites.