- Businesses & Institutions: The California Organics and Recycling Law (SB 1383) requires that certain businesses & institutions must recover and donate edible food.
- Our Food Recovery Organization Directory lists verified organizations accepting edible food donations in Alameda County. Resources for other counties are available here: Contra Costa County | San Mateo County | Santa Clara County | San Francisco County
- Did you know that reducing food waste is one of the leading solutions to climate change? Go to StopFoodWaste.org for Food Saving Tips, Recipes, Resources and Tools.
- Find Food Distribution sites: Alameda County Community Food Bank Locator, Contra Costa & Solano County Locator, Palo Alto Locator
- To learn how to start your own gleaning program, see the Gleaning Guide at StopFoodWaste.org in partnership Alameda Backyard Grower's Project Pick. Find & contribute to the urban fruit and forage map FallingFruit.org.
Food for Donation
Vendors
| Vendor | Address | City | Destination | Disposal Method | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Bridges | 168 11th St | Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Donations accepted from the public: Food & snacks and water/drinks for the Community Ambassador Program. | |
| Restorative Pathways Emergency Shelter (formerly Ruby's Place) | 20880 Baker Rd | Castro Valley | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Donations accepted from the public: Canned goods and non-perishable food of any sort (peanut butter, tuna, cereal, fruits and vegetables, mac & cheese) and goldfish crackers, canned fruit and fruit cup snacks. | |
| Replate | PO Box 11338 | Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off, Pick-up for a Fee | Types of Food Accepted: Fresh produce; Shelf-stable/Non-perishable foods; Fresh/ Frozen grocery requiring refrigeration or freezing; Baked goods; Meat; Milk & dairy; Cold prepared foods; Hot prepared foods; Bulk foods. This Food Recovery Organization is willing to collect from food donors in: Alameda, Albany, Castro Valley, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Sunol, Union City, Outside Alameda County | |
| Omni Commons | 4799 Shattuck Ave | Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Donations accepted from the public: Canned food, bottled water | |
| Food Pantry at the Neighborhood Center (All Saints Episcopal Church) | 911 Dowling Blvd | San Leandro | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Offers a Food Pantry with distribution 1x/mo, Bag Lunch program through April Showers Program monthy, and Dinners at the San Leandro Warming Center (winter). Email about food donations needed/accepted. | |
| Sotira | 44 Montgomery St | San Francisco | Reuse | Buyback Mail-in | At Sotira, we connect suppliers - retailers to manufacturers to distributors to retailers to brands - to buyers in the secondary market. Their software/platform helps large food suppliers track and right-size their ordering to reduce surplus, offload and monetize their surplus inventory, recouping up to 50% of the product cost. In some cases, when inventory cannot be sold to secondary buyers, the product is donated to food banks and/or food recovery orgs. Sotira has a Partner Program for food, health and wellness, and beauty space looking to accept donations for redistribution. | |
| Extra Food - Marin County | PO Box 150394 | San Rafael | Reuse | Free Drop-off, Free Pick-up | ||
| FreeCycle |
The Freecycle Network PO Box 294 |
Tuscon | Reuse | Free Pick-up | Moving? Going out of town? Not to your taste? Offer fresh and pantry items to neighbors. | |
| Mercy Brown Bag Program |
1301 Marina Village Parkway Suite 210 |
Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Accepts donations from the public | |
| San Leandro Community Food Pantry | 14235 Bancroft Ave | San Leandro | Reuse | Free Drop-off, Free Pick-up | Types of Food Accepted: Fresh produce; Shelf-stable/Non-perishable foods; Fresh/Frozen grocery requiring refrigeration; Baked goods; Meat; Milk & dairy; This Food Recovery Organization is willing to collect from food donors in: San Leandro, San Lorenzo | |
| Copia | 1968 S. Coast Hwy | Laguna Beach | Reuse | Free Drop-off, Pick-up for a Fee | Types of Food Accepted: Fresh produce; Shelf-stable/Non-perishable foods; Fresh/Frozen grocery requiring refrigeration or freezing; Baked Goods; Meat; Milk & Dairy; Cold prepared foods; Hot prepared foods; Bulk foods | |
| Oakland Zoo | 9777 Golf Links Road | Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | For Animals. Any produce items, cereal, baguettes, dried fruit, nuts, and pumpkins. NO: onions, limes, lemons or herbs. No rotten or moldy foods. | |
| 4Cs of Alameda County (Hayward) |
Hayward Resource Center 22351 City Center Drive |
Hayward | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Donations accepted of dry goods and staples such as beans, rice, peanut butter, canned fruits, and vegetables. At their monthly food distribution event, they also provide meal-planning ideas and nutrition information. | |
| Ample Harvest - home gardens to food pantries | 24 Clover Rd | Newfoundland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Use online tool to find SF Bay Area local food pantries http://ampleharvest.org/find-pantry/ | |
| Facebook Buy Nothing Groups | 1 Hacker Way | Menlo Park | Reuse | Free Pick-up | ||
| OpenHeart Kitchen |
1141 Catalina Way Mailbox 137 (see notes for drop-off location) |
Livermore | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Accepts donations from the public. Shelf-stable food and pantry items or homegrown produce. No perishable food accepted (ex. leftover, homemade, opened packages, pre-prepared). Openheart cannot pick up or harvest produce. Pallet sized donation may be able to be picked-up. | |
| San Lorenzo Family Help Center | 20960 Corsair Blvd. | Hayward | Reuse | Free Drop-off, Free Pick-up | Types of Food Accepted: Fresh produce; Shelf-stable/Non-perishable foods; Fresh/Frozen grocery requiring refrigeration; Baked goods; Meat; Milk & dairy, Cold prepared foods This Food Recovery Organization is willing to collect from food donors in: Alameda, Castro Valley, Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, Pleasanton, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Union City | |
| HOPE Collaborative |
2000 Franklin St 3rd floor |
Oakland | Reuse | Free Drop-off | Types of Food Accepted: Fresh produce; Shelf-stable/Non-perishable foods; Fresh/Frozen grocery requiring refrigeration; Baked goods; Meat; Milk & dairy; Cold prepared foods; Hot prepared foods; Bulk foods | |
| Common Vision | 2620 California St | Berkeley | Reuse | Free Pick-up | Types of Food Accepted: Fresh produce; Shelf-stable/Non-perishable foods; Fresh/ Frozen grocery requiring refrigeration or freezing; Baked goods; Meat; Milk & dairy; Cold prepared foods | |
| Berkeley Food Network | 1925 Ninth St | Berkeley | Reuse | Free Drop-off, Free Pick-up | Types of Food Accepted: Fresh produce; Shelf-stable/Non-perishable foods; Fresh/ Frozen grocery requiring refrigeration or freezing; Meat; Milk & dairy; Bulk foods |
