Loaves & Fishes is Greenville’s food rescue organization, picking up and
delivering donations of perishable food to help feed the more than 60,000 people
who are hungry in Greenville today. Your advance planning and generosity will
reduce the 189 pounds of food per person that is wasted each year in the United
States. This food is perfectly edible, high quality food that would otherwise
end up in the landfill.
Please keep the following in mind as you plan your event:
Let us know. If you are planning a luncheon or other event, let us know in advance that
you would like to donate food to Loaves & Fishes. We realize you do not know
how much, if any, food will be available. Our knowing in advance allows us to
plan drivers’ routes to make sure someone is available to rescue the food. The
day of the event just call us and tell us the food is ready for pickup.
Mom was right. Hot food should be hot and cold food should be cold. Food is safe when held
below 40 degrees or above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Food that falls between 40
and 140 degrees should be at that temperature for two hours or less. Please discuss
with your caterer how long you plan to serve the food and what the caterer will
do to assure that the food is kept in the safe temperature range. Ice baths and
steam tables should be supplied, with adequate re-supply of heating tablets, if
necessary. This ensures the safety of your guests and that of those who will
receive donated food, many of whom are more vulnerable to illness. Raw foods
and products prepared with eggs are especially vulnerable to the creation of food
borne illness bacteria. Plan your menu accordingly.
Disposable pans. Your caterer can either bring the food in disposable pans that can be transported
to a recipient agency or they can leave pans for you to move food in to. Your
contribution of these pans helps Loaves & Fishes do more to feed the hungry
by keeping our costs down. Large disposable steam table pans should add no more
than a couple of dollars each to your catering costs. If you are placing food
in disposable pans, please put only one type of food in each pan. Foods can be
used in a variety of different meals and combining food makes this difficult and
also may increase the risk of food borne illness.
How much is too little? If you have food for fewer than 10 people, we ask that you find a willing volunteer
to take that food to an agency we suggest. Again, this helps us keep our costs
down and still feed more people who are hungry.
Evening events. Loaves & Fishes trucks and volunteers are on the road early each day. Agencies
that operate 24/7 do so with small staffs in the evening hours. Our ability to
pick up, and our agencies’ ability to receive, food donations in the evening and
night hours is very limited. If it is possible to hold the food overnight in
a refrigerator at a temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, we can arrange for
pickup the next day. If you do not have refrigerator space where your event is
being held, discuss with your caterer their willingness to assist by refrigerating
the food for pickup the following day. For very large events, please contact
us well in advance to discuss how we can handle your donation.
Thank you for helping in the fight to end hunger in our community. We look forward
to working with you to rescue this valuable resource and feed the hungry.
