Become a Food Distribution Partner

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In order to encourage food donations to Waste Not Want Not, we must be able to assure our donor organizations that their contributions will be used for charitable purposes and that their donations will not result directly in decreased sales. As such, all food donated to Waste Not must go to charitable organizations and be provided to children, families, and individuals who do not have resources to purchase enough groceries to avoid food insufficiency or hunger.

We are not a food bank. Most of the items Waste Not Want Not receives are perishable and must be used promptly. Using the direct transfer model, we receive and distribute items daily and do not hold most of our products for long-term storage. Consequently, timely and efficient distribution of donated items is essential to our mission. For these reasons, Waste Not Want Not has instituted a policy surrounding food distribution partnerships. Please review the policy fully before applying to become a food distribution partner. Here is the policy:

ELIGIBILITY 

To become a “Food Distribution Partner” - which is an organization wishing to receive items from Waste Not Want Not, the organization must:

1.  Provide written documentation of its Federal tax-exempt status (its IRS determination letter) 
2. Certify that it will use items received from Waste Not Want Not for acceptable uses as listed below
3. Complete and submit a Food Distribution Partner Application
4. Provide quarterly information to Waste Not Want Not regarding the hungry population they have served, including demographical information, frequency of services, and advocacy efforts

ACCEPTABLE USES OF ITEMS RECEIVED FROM WASTE NOT WANT NOT 

All items received from Waste Not are to be used for “Charitable Purposes”, which includes relief to the poor, the distressed or the underprivileged; advancement of education; lessening the burdens of government; and combatting community deterioration and juvenile delinquency. The poor, distressed, disabled, or underprivileged individuals, students and youth served are also referred to as "hungry population" served.   

FOOD DISTRIBUTION PARTNER LEVELS

Waste Not Want Not has two levels of partnership. They are:

1. Scheduled - these partners are scheduled to receive shares regularly. The frequency is determined between the partner applicant and the Director, Mission Delivery.
2. Non-scheduled - these partners are not scheduled to receive shares regularly but may request shares for specific feeding events, community-oriented events, or on occasion, may be contacted by Waste Not Want Not when we have a surplus of rescued food on hand.

FEES 

There is a fee to become a Food Distribution Partner. Currently, that fee is $150 per year for our scheduled partners and $75 for non-scheduled partners who receive shares at least 2 times during the calendar year. Food Distribution Partners are invoiced in January of each year and are required to pay their fee in full. Partners joining after the start of the year are charged on a pro-rated basis.

NO-SHOWS 

When a Food Distribution Partner fails to pick up its food on its scheduled day without advance notice, this is considered a “No-Show”. No-Shows are disruptive to our operations and require additional resources. As such, after three No-Shows, that Food Distribution Partner will be removed from Waste Not’s list of partners. Upon removal, no portion of the Annual Partnership Contribution will be refunded.

APPLICATION

Now that you've reviewed the policy and you'd like to apply to become a food distribution partner, the process begins with completing the application. Once we receive your application, our Director, Mission Delivery will contact you to continue the process. Completing an application does not automatically mean you will become a food distribution partner. We currently have a waiting list of organizations that want to become a food distribution partner. Many times, partners begin as non-scheduled until a slot opens up on the scheduled partners list.  We ask that all applicants be patient with us as work hard to rescue more food in order to feed more people. To get started, complete the application below.