Hidden Harvest: Alleviating Hunger and Ending Food Waste

Hidden Harvest, a non-profit organization, is one of the best organizations for donations of food and related items that would otherwise be thrown into the trash. Its dedicated men and women work toward alleviating hunger and ending food waste in the Midland, Bay, and Saginaw in Michigan. It achieves these goals by providing a safe, effective and coordinated system for food rescue and redistribution in feeding people in need.

The organization has a simple principle: Good food, which can be used to feed so many of the hungry in the community, should not go to waste. Every day, staff members and volunteers collect usable food items from a wide range of establishments including hotels, hospitals, restaurants, bakeries, wholesalers, grocery stores, and agricultural centers, among other USDA-approved sources. The collected food items are then immediately delivered - free of charge - to several recipients including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters for the homeless, and other community programs targeted for in-need neighbors.

But not all food donations can be accepted. The donated food must be prepared, stored and served according to the guidelines set by the concerned government agencies, such as the health department. For example, food prepared with alcohol and served on self-service buffet tables cannot be accepted.

For this reason, Hidden Harvest has staff and volunteers trained in proper food handling procedures. It also has refrigerated trucks used in the collection and delivery of perishable and prepared food items. It also requires beneficiaries of the collected food to have the appropriate storage facilities as well as undergo safe food handling training.

Hidden Harvest ensures its good faith benefactors of their protection against liability for donated food under state and federal Good Samaritan Laws. This is an important aspect of its operations as Hidden Harvest largely relies on food donations to continue its mission.