Know rules for holiday gift drives Published Dec. 1, 2015 By the base legal office LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- The holiday season is, for many, also a season of giving. Organizations around the country use this time to set up food drives, clothing donations or toys for children. As federal employees on a federal installation, service members and civilian employees are subject to Department of Defense regulations concerning fundraisers. There may be restrictions on locations, types of event, advertising and other aspects of fundraising. Food, clothing, and toys, however, don't fall under this "fundraising" umbrella. Instead, they are considered "gifts-in-kind" and donations of this type are not subject to many of the federal regulations governing normal fundraisers. This can be a key exception for organizations and units wanting to collect canned food for the hungry, coats for the homeless or toys for children. Most of the time, this type of solicitation also does not conflict with the Combined Federal Campaign events, so it is not problematic to have both of them occurring at the same time. There are only a couple of simple rules for "gifts-in-kind". DOD personnel may not solicit non-Federal personnel (including contractors) in their official capacity. This type of solicitation must also be held in public areas of government buildings, such as lobbies or other entranceways -- not in the workplace. The activity must be properly routed through the 19th Force Support Squadron and approved, but there are fewer hurdles for this type of solicitation than for others. Those wanting to organize a food or toy donation drive should call the legal office at 501-987-7886 for more details.