Donate Food

Great Taste Magazine Good SamaritanThere are several factors that cause dining locations to end the night with leftovers. In an ideal world, we would know exactly how many guests would be dining in a restaurant per day, what they’re going to order, and how much of it. Maybe then, would our food purchasing and production come out evenly? As we work as a community to improve food sustainability, addressing food waste is a hot ticket topic. California Legislative Information, states how “many potential food donors cite fear of liability as one of the top barriers to donating to organizations that seek to redistribute food to individuals in need.” Furthermore, they state, “In a 2016 survey conducted by the Food Waste Reduction Alliance… it was found that 44 percent of manufacturers, 25 percent of retailers and wholesalers and 39 percent of restaurants identified liability concerns as a top barrier to donating food.” Liability is crucial for holding persons accountable, but it leads to a lot of food being thrown in the trash.

The concern of being found at fault due to a food-borne illness reigns supreme over the urge to donate but it shouldn’t.
Fortunately for California, the California Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, signed in October of 2017, further strengthens protections against establishments that wish to donate food. By Assembly Bill No. 1219, “Existing federal and state laws protect good faith food donors, including individuals, businesses, and government entities, as well as gleaners and food recovery organizations, from civil and criminal liability.” Unless it is a situation of gross negligence or intentional misconduct, donators will not be held liable for any damage or injury that results from the intake of donated food.

Reconsider your donation policies to ensure that you’re doing your best and help us spread the word to those that are not aware. If this information is new to you, we suggest that you consider how your operation can donate thanks to immunity by this act. Donating food can have its time-consuming moments, but there are resources that seek to make the system efficient and easy.

Local to Orange County, we have an enthusiastic network of people looking to feed those in need. A few to research include Waste Not OC Coalition, Bracken’s Kitchen, Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, Share Our Selves, Second Harvest Food Bank, Food Riders, and Food Finders. Each one has specifications on what types of foods can be received, so further research can help to decide what would be the best solution for your establishment.

Orange County – call for pickup and drop off information.

Bracken’s Kitchen
(949)445-3585
13941 Nautilus Drive, Garden Grove, CA 92843
www.brackenskitchen.com
Email: [email protected]

Food Riders
(714)432-5072 (Ask for Food Riders)
2701 Fairview Rd. Costa Mesa, CA 92626
www.facebook.com/occfoodriders
Email: Send message through Facebook Messenger to OCC Food Riders Club

Laguna Beach Food Pantry
(949)497-7121
20652 Laguna Canyon Road, #B
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
www.lagunafoodpantry.org
Email: [email protected]

Second Harvest Food Bank
(949)653-2900
8014 Marine Way, Irvine, CA 92618
www.FeedOC.org
Email: [email protected]

Share Our Selves
(949)270-2100
1550 Superior Ave. Costa Mesa, CA 92627
www.shareourselves.org
Email: [email protected]

Someone Cares Soup Kitchen
(949)548-8861
720 West 19th St. Costa Mesa, CA 92627
www.somonecareskitchen.org
Email: [email protected]

Waste Not OC Coalition
(855)700-9662
2450 N. Glassell St., #B
Orange, CA 92865
www.wastenotoc.org
Email: [email protected]

Long Beach – call for pickup and drop off information.

AIDS Food Store
(562)434-3425
3935 E. 10th Street Long Beach CA 90804 US
www.aidsfoodstore.org
Email: [email protected]

Food Bank of Southern California
(562)437-6168
1444 San Francisco Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90813
www.foodbankofsocal.org
Email: [email protected]

Food Finders
(562)283-1400
3744 North Industry Ave., #401
Lakewood, CA 90712
www.foodfinders.org
Email: [email protected]

Inland Empire – call for pickup and drop off information.

Feeding America (Inland Empire)
(951)359-4757
2950 Jefferson Street, #A, Riverside, CA  92504
www.feedingamericaie.org
Email: [email protected]

Inland Valley Hope Partners
(909)622-3806
1753 N. Park Avenue
Pomona, CA 91768
www.inlandvalleyhopepartners.org
Email: [email protected]

San Diego- call for pickup and drop off information.

Feeding San Diego
(858)452-3663
9455 Waples Street, Suite 135
San Diego, CA 92121
www.feedingsandiego.org
Email: [email protected]

DONATE DINNER CERTIFICATES TO LOCAL VETS
Johnny Nosich over at Johnny’s on Beach Blvd. closes his bar for a few hours each Thursday evening to host local veterans. During the evening, each Vet is given an envelope with dinner and drinks from a few Orange County businesses. Slapfish and Mama’s on 39 donate regularly but more would be much appreciated. Text Johnny (714)580-1002