Shared Harvest Foodbank’s mission is to find, rescue, and distribute food to people facing food insecurity. For more than forty years, we have been working with local food donors to rescue surplus food that cannot be sold but is safe to eat. We use this food for distribution through our network of partner food pantries, meal sites, shelters, and other hunger-relief programs.
These local donor partnerships make up more than 70% of the food that we distribute!
Looking to donate smaller quantities of food or host a food drive? Visit our Food Drive page for more information.
We work with food industry partners including retailers, manufacturers, distributors, producers, farmers, and trucking companies to collect surplus food. Our intent is to keep safe and healthy food out of landfills and onto the tables of our neighbors.
Donors may have a regular, weekly pick-up schedule or can contact us as they have donations available.
Much of the food we receive is donated when it approaches or is at its Best-By, Use-By or Sell-By date. These dates are quality or inventory rotation dates, not safety dates. The product has a safe, consumable life beyond this date when in good condition (except for baby food, which cannot be consumed after the package date). We gladly accept both food and non-food items.
*Food that is compromised or has become unsafe to eat is not accepted. Examples of this are cans with rust, mold, deep dents to the body, or dents on the rim or seam that allow bacteria to enter the can. Boxed food with a tear to the exterior box and interior bag are not accepted. Food with signs of mold, decay, odd color or smell, that has been exposed to chemicals, or with wet or dirty packaging, are also not accepted.
Shared Harvest has 40+ years of charitable food rescue experience. We are the hunger relief experts in our communities.
We are happy to arrange a pickup of your donation using one of our dock-height refrigerated trucks, or the donor can be matched directly with one of our food safety-trained hunger-relief member agencies. Donors matched with a local hunger-relief member agency can participate in an ongoing partnership to have food and non-food product picked up, and distributed directly to individuals and families near them.
We have an extensive network of over 100 hunger-relief programs within our five-county service area, including pantries, meal sites, shelters and other programs.
To donate or receive more information, please contact our Director of Food Sourcing at amberlee@sharedharvest.org.
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.
