What can I expect when donating?

When you donate a rejected load through Food Drop, you can expect to receive:

       – Quick information via text message on a nearby site that can accept your load
       – Help unloading truck from food bank staff and equipment
       – A tax-deductible receipt for donated goods

In addition, you can expect to get back on the road quickly, efficiently, and with the knowledge that your rejected load will be used to feed people in need.

When can loads be donated?

You can use Food Drop anytime to get connected to a food bank that can accept your load. You are most likely to get matched quickly with the most convenient location from 8 AM – 5 PM ET. However, some of our participating hunger relief agencies have off-hours plans, so even on weekends, holidays, or after business hours, your donation can be matched.

How many pallets can a food bank accept? Can partial loads be donated?

Loads of all sizes are accepted. The food banks participating in Food Drop are large facilities capable of unloading and storing large quantities of food. Most facilities are able to accept donations as small as one pallet and as large as one or more full truck load.  

What kinds of products can be donated?

Food banks will accept all perishable and non-perishable food, grocery items, and non-alcoholic beverages. This includes fresh, dry, refrigerated, and frozen products, both in bulk and non-bulk. We understand that rejected loads often have damage and imperfections, but as long as the product seals are not broken and any original labels or dates remain on the products, food banks will accept these items. Please do not donate: alcoholic beverages, food that is >25% spoiled, or non-food items.

What are the benefits of donating?

Other than the environmental benefits of reducing landfill waste and the social impact of feeding hungry people, donating rejected loads of food has economic benefits for drivers and distributors, including:

       – No landfill fees
       – Tax deduction for donated goods
       – Efficiency in unloading

Is there a cost to donate food through Food Drop? Do I have to be a member?

No, there is no membership or cost for companies to donate loads of food. Food Drop is a free tool for anyone to use in order to find quick and accurate information about the network of hunger relief agencies in Indiana.

Is my company liable if the donated food makes someone sick?

No. The Federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (1996) protects you from civil and criminal liability if products donated to a nonprofit in good faith later cause harm to a recipient.

How can my organization sign up to receive food through Food Drop?

You can find more information on Food Drop by emailing us at fooddrop@indyhunger.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

What are the requirements for participation?

We ask that participating organizations be able to receive at least 4 pallets of food at any time and comply with other policies, as outlined in the Partner Agreement.

Is there a cost to participate?

There is no longer any cost to participate in Food Drop.

How is Food Drop different from other food rescue organizations?

Food Drop is less about being unique and more about being functional. That said, we do not require app downloads, memberships or registration, or fees, and we have a quick turnaround time. This is a free tool that matches drivers and dispatchers with hunger relief agencies in order to make donating large loads of food as simple and hassle-free as possible.

Is Food Drop a nonprofit?

Food Drop is a project started by Indy Hunger Network, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which works toward collaborative solutions to food insecurity. Learn more about IHN here.

Why do loads of food get rejected?

Loads of food can get rejected for a variety of reasons: climate-controlled containers get too cold or too warm; equipment failures en route cause delay; products get damaged; errors occur in the ordering process. These and other issues can cause a load to get rejected from a store, even if the majority of the food is still edible.

How are donations matched with food banks?

The system that matches donations to food banks was designed and built by Alex Psomas, assistant professor of Computer Science at Purdue University, Marios Mertzanidis and Paritosh Verma, PhD students in Computer Science at Purdue University. This effort was supported by the National Science Foundation and a Google AI for Social Good award.  For feedback, please fill out this Google form.

Have a question that wasn’t answered? Feel free to contact us.

Copyright © 2018 Allison Transmission            Copyright © 2018 Indy Hunger Network