In the face of increased need, hunger relief agencies across the United States are eager for volunteer assistance.
By volunteering, you can help a MAZON grantee in your state help the millions of Americans in need. To find out how MAZON can connect you with a volunteer agency in your area, contact us with your request. Be sure to tell us where you live, and to include a contact phone number.
Also, consider donating leftovers from catered events. The Torah teaches, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am Adonai your God.” (Leviticus 19:9-10)
When Jewish lifecyle and community events end, leftover catered food is often thrown away. In fact, rather than being discarded, untouched leftovers in their original serving containers can be donated to organizations that provide food for the hungry.
Sometimes people are reluctant to donate leftover catered food because they are concerned about their liability if someone were to become ill after eating it.
There is no need to worry.
On October 1, 1996, President Clinton signed legislation mandating all states to protect food donors from criminal and civil liability. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (Public Law 104-210) seeks to encourage anyone who has excess food to donate it to charitable feeding programs. With the national law in place, food donors have protection from civil and criminal liability.
Each year, 14 billion pounds of food are sent to landfills while 36 million Americans, including 12 million children, are at risk of hunger.
How does food rescue work and what are the regulations for collecting and distributing rescued food?
First, contact your local food bank in advance of the event to ask about the local food rescue programs (contact MAZON at 310-442-0020 for assistance in finding your local program). Once directed to a food rescue program, make sure to find out about the organization’s policies and procedures. Notify them of your event’s end time so that they can make arrangements to pick-up the food. When your meal service is over, place the untouched food in a refrigerator and follow the instructions given by the rescue program.
Plan ahead with your local agency to work out whether you will be dropping off the food or they will be picking up. If you need to drop off, make sure that all of your food stays cold through the use of coolers, insulated pans, or gel-pack trays.
If there is not a food rescue program in your community, make advance arrangements with a local soup kitchen or shelter.
