Food & Non-Food Donations

The Foodbank rescues excess food, food that cannot be sold but that is safe for consuming, and non-food items. 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 Items

  • Meat
  • Produce
  • Dairy
  • Bakery
  • Canned food - especially meat, vegetables, fruit, tomato sauce, chili, soup
  • Shelf-stable food, including peanut butter, cereal, pasta, rice
  • Frozen and refrigerated goods
  • Raw ingredients
  • Bulk food

Non-food Items

  • Personal hygiene items
  • Health and beauty products
  • Household cleaning items
  • Paper products
  • Household items
  • New or used furnishings, clean and in good condition
  • Boxes, bags and labels
  • Seasonal/promotional items

Opportunities to Donate

  • Food approaching/at its Best Buy, Use By or Sell By date
  • Product dated with extended shelf-life recommendations
  • Excess inventory
  • Damaged packaging with uncompromised food
  • Mislabeled, unlabeled, needs a different label
  • Missing product in multi-unit packaging
  • Private label product
  • Customer returns and refusals
  • Food service packaged items
  • Discontinued products
  • Seasonal items
  • Reformulations
  • Test product inventory
  • Quality control items
  • Production overruns

Food that is compromised or has become unsafe to eat is not donatable. 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 donatable. 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 donatable.

Power Outage Donations

If you lose power, contact the Foodbank and we’ll do our best to rescue what’s in your freezer and cooler before it expires.

Donor Benefits

Your donations help feed individuals and families in need in our community. Partnering with the Foodbank provides several benefits.

Brand Integrity

  • Comprehensive liability protection
  • Adherence to safe food handling best practices as a certified food distribution center inspected by AIB, the USDA and the FDA
  • National and local recall notification system
  • Safeguard brand integrity through repacking and relabeling
  • High warehouse operation standards established in cooperation with FMI and GMA

Financial Benefits

  • Receipts for all donations
  • Enhanced 170(e)(3) tax deduction eligibility for food and non-food donations
  • Reduce waste and waste disposal expenses

Donor Convenience

  • Free product pickup from any location in the eight counties we serve
  • Donating is easy
  • Authorized CHEP pallet and returnable container participant

Community Investment

  • Assistance to thousands of individuals and families each year
  • National and local community impact and outreach
  • Assistance with sustainability; waste minimization
  • Brand recognition through the Foodbank’s Major Partner Program

Donate Now

Donations are picked up by our fleet or the donor can be matched directly with one of our food safety-trained hunger-relief partners. Donors matched with a local hunger-relief partner can participate in an on-going partnership to have their food and non-food product picked up, then distributed directly to individuals and families near them. We have an extensive network of approximately 600 hunger-relief programs within our eight-county service area, including pantries, hot meal sites, shelters and other programs.

To make a donation or receive more information, please contact our food sourcing team at fooddonation@acrfb.org or call 330.535.6900.