Donate Food

Our food donors form the backbone of Second Harvest North Florida. With the help of the food and hospitality industries, businesses, worship centers, and individuals, we recover excess food to distribute to nonprofit partner agencies with feeding programs. Contact us at 904.353.3663 or e-mail food@wenourishhope.org, to learn learn more about how you can help people in need in one of the following three ways:

• Donated Food from Food Drives or Individuals
• Recovered Excess Prepared Food
• Liability Protection for Food Donors

Donated Food from Food Drives or Individuals

If you want to bring a personal product donation (either as part of a food drive or as an individual donation), come by the Food Bank any day, M-F, during our business hours 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. A staff member will assist you in unloading your vehicle and will prepare a donation receipt for your records. For address, driving directions and a map, click here.

Food items most requested by agencies' clients are:
Meat
Beans
Rice
Peanut butter

Please note that we can only accept unopened, unexpired items. We also cannot accept "homemade" canned jellies, jams or vegetables. Hunger never takes a holiday or goes on vacation -- you can make a huge impact anytime by conducting a food drive. It's simple and easy. Whether you want to hold a drive in your neighborhood, office, or school, we'll help you with the right materials.

Recovered Excess Prepared Food

We recover excess prepared foods from caterers, hotels, and restaurants. You may review the state and federal Good Samaritan food laws, which protect food donors from liability.

Donated Overstocked or Short-Dated Food

If you are a member of the food industry – a broker, manufacturer, distributor, grocer, retailer, produce market, food show, food hauling firm, or reclamation center – we encourage you to consider donating your overstocked or short-dated food.

Participation by Businesses

Businesses can help the Second Harvest Food Bank by participating in food drives, corporate challenges, and donated excess prepared food. Gifts of vehicles, coolers, shelving and other items are also appreciated.

Liability Protection for Food Donors

Jack Davis Florida Restaurant Lending a Helping Hand Act

The bill (B276) expands Florida's Good Samaritan food-donation law to provide a lawsuit exemption for restaurants that donate leftovers to charities and nonprofit groups. Federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act On October 1, 1996, then-President Clinton signed this act to encourage donation of food and grocery products to non-profit organizations for distribution to needy individuals.

This law makes it easier for you to donate by:

• Protecting you from liability when you donate to a non-profit organization
• Protecting you from civil and criminal liability should the product donated in good faith later cause harm to the needy recipient
• Standardizing donor liability exposure. You or your legal counsel no longer has to investigate liability laws in 50 states
• Setting a floor of "gross negligence" or intentional misconduct for persons who donate grocery products. According to the new law, gross negligence is defined as voluntary and conscious conduct by a person with knowledge (at the time of conduct) that the conducts is likely to be harmful to the health or well-being of another person.

Tax Benefit Outline for Food Donors

Federal tax laws provide most donors with tax benefits for the contribution of food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and other non-profits in the form of a charitable deduction equal to the tax basis of the property contributed plus one half the difference of the basis and fair market value (limited to twice the basis of the property). It is recommended that you consult your accountant or tax advisor in order to determine the exact charitable contribution to which you may be entitled.