Donate Food and Essentials

Your Business Can Help Feed Our City

Do you work at a business with extra food? Call us and we’ll make sure your surplus food feeds our city. We can set up a schedule or accept donations as you have them.

Get in touch via email or call us, and we’ll work with you to set up a donation plan. We will figure out how, what, and when you’ll be able to donate.

Email  or call (323) 347-7907 to learn more.

The First Step

Intake Takes Place at the Community Exchange

Food donations are brought to the Exchange. Our team of staff and volunteers will:

  • Intake your food donation
  • Sort your food donation
  • Store your food donation
  • Share your food donation in a timely fashion by optimally matching it to a receiving agency we partner with based on needs and schedule.

We Simplify Your Donation Plan

If you’re a large donor trying to reach many nonprofits or areas around Los Angeles, you don’t need to do all the logistical work on your own. We’ve built the Exchange so that you can donate to one place, and we’ll ensure that your donation is optimally shared with communities all across Los Angeles. Did we mention we love our donors? So much so we want to make donating fun and easy for you. We’ll track your impact so you can share your amazing contribution with the rest of your company.

The Community Exchange Manages Your Food Donations

We work with hundreds of businesses and nonprofits to ensure that each food donation reaches the organization that can use it best. Every day, we rescue, intake, sort, and share thousands of pounds of food, effectively distributing it to social service organizations all across LA County. We’re the one-stop shop for both donors and recipients!

We Collaborate with You at Your Pace or Scale

We work with businesses large and small. We’ll create a roadmap with you to scale your donations over time at a pace that works for you.

Check out our success story with Wonderful Co. We received 36,000 pounds of Halo Tangerines. Watch as we distribute them to 25 organizations who would then help people all over the city. It was quite a feat.

Food Rescue Innovation

By Donating Food to HoFoCo, You’re Helping Change the Food Bank System

Our unique processes and technology allow social service agencies to get what they need, when they want it. By donating to the Exchange, you’re supporting our innovative concierge approach to food banking, which better serves recipient agencies across Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California.

We Work with Other Food Rescue Groups to Get the Right Food to the Right People

The Exchange partners with all types of food rescue groups so they have a simple one-stop drop. Every day, we receive food from food rescue groups, run it through our intake, sorting, storing, and sharing process to make sure it’s efficiently distributed to social service nonprofits.

Ultimately, this ensures more food that’s rescued is put to great use.

All Liability is with HoFoCo

The Bill Emerson Act & California’s Good Samaritan Act ensure that:

  • By federal and state law, all liability transfers to us once it’s donated.
  • All food donors are legally protected from all liability, so long as they don’t maliciously and intentionally donate food unfit for consumption.

These two acts protect your business from all liability. Please read below for more details.

The Federal Emerson Food Donation Act

Read Feeding America’s helpful breakdown on their website.

which outlines the key pieces of the Bill Emerson Act, a federal law protecting food donors from liability when donating to a nonprofit organization. The text of the Emerson Food Donation Act can be viewed here. 

California’s Good Samaritan Act

Our partners, Food Forward, offer a great recap of California’s Good Samaritan Act here, which expands protections for donors in California. The text of the CA Good Samaritan Food Donation Act can be viewed here

Senate Bill 1383

Source: calrecycle.ca.gov

Food Rescue Organizations Are Working Hard

Food rescue in Los Angeles is a city-wide effort. Rescue requires many volunteers and organizations, all tirelessly working to collect food from local businesses and distribute it to kitchens and other nonprofits around the city.

Receive Acknowledgment for Your Food Donation

We love supporting our donors and try to make our community aware of your efforts through social media and newsletters. 

If you rescue food in Los Angeles, we’d love to hear from you to see how we can collaborate.

Individuals Donate to The Exchange, Too!

We also accept food donations from individuals as long as the items are not opened or expired.

Food we receive from individuals is put through the same process as food from businesses, ensuring safe handling and efficient sharing with organizations around the city.

We also accept needed essentials for our kitchen and our guests (see wish list below).

Feel free to drop off food at our Community Exchange, Monday-Friday, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. 1223 Vine St. LA, CA 90038.  The only access is in the rear of the building off of La Mirada. Call or Text 323-347-7907 when you arrive – this helps ensure you will be able to pull into the lot.

Check out our shopping wishlist below!