Small personal food donations can be dropped off at our Hunger Awareness Center (the blue building in the back):
5901 Dixie Highway
Fairfield, OH 54014
Drop-off Hours:
Monday – Friday
8:00am – 3:00pm
Come to the front desk and our team will assist you with your donation.
Food drives are a meaningful way to support families facing hunger. If you’re interested in hosting a Food Drive, please click the button below to complete the Food Drive Application.
For any questions about running a food drive, please contact our Community Engagement Manager, KT Sills at kt@sharedharvest.org.
The best items to donate are items that can easily make a meal and last a long time, like shelf-stable canned goods.
Please make sure all food is unopened, labeled, and not expired or spoiled. We prefer cans to glass jars to prevent breakage during transport.
We have a fleet of dock-height refrigerated trucks that are ready to pick up your donations!
If you or your organization would like to partner with us to donate food, please contact our Director of Food Sourcing & Strategy, Amberlee Finkes, at amberlee@sharedharvest.org.
For more information about bulk food donations, visit the page below.
These labels refer to food quality, not safety. Except for infant formula, these dates are largely unregulated and are set by manufacturers to indicate peak freshness.
A quick breakdown of what these labels mean:
Tells the store how long to display the product for inventory management. It is not a safety date. You can usually purchase and consume these items after the printed date if they have been stored properly.
The last date recommended for the product to be consumed while at its peak quality and flavor. While it is not strictly a safety date for most foods, it indicates when the food will begin to degrade.
There is no official or federally standardized label called "Expiration Date”, but it generally implies that a product has passed its printed date. When foods are past their date, you should rely on your senses (sight, smell, and taste) rather than the packaging to determine if they are safe to eat.
Please also see our guide for food donations below.
For more detailed information, you can read the comprehensive
USDA Food Product Dating Guide.
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act is a U.S. federal law that protects individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations from civil and criminal liability when they donate apparently wholesome food or grocery products in good faith to nonprofits for distribution to individuals in need.
