Donate Food and More

Man moving pallet of food

Businesses

If you are a Wholesaler, Grocery Store, Food Producer, Caterer or Restaurant, we can accept produce, drinks and shelf-stable items, as well as your prepared food.

To learn more, please contact theexchange@hofoco.org.

Our current needs of large orders include:

  • Water and other drinks

  • Protein (meat, fish, vegan) – Frozen or Fresh

  • Produce

A tray of assorted cooked vegetables, including broccoli and bell peppers, on a buffet table with brown takeout containers and people in the background.

Individuals

Clean out your pantry or go grocery shopping for us! We accept quality donations from individuals as long as it’s unopened and unexpired food.

Think of it this way - would you give the item you’re donating to a loved one? If yes, we’ll take it!

  • You can drop your donations off directly at the Community Exchange.

    Ship to:

    Hollywood Food Coalition
    3056 Roswell St
    Los Angeles, CA 90065

    Exchange Drop off:

    Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
    3056 Roswell St
    Los Angeles, CA 90065

    Call or text 323-347-7907 when you arrive — this helps ensure you will be able to pull into the lot.

  • Help us restock our essentials and kitchen staples for our nightly Dinner Program.

    View our wishlist

  • Donations of bread, nut butters, jams, cold cuts, cheese, and other sandwich ingredients, as well as savory and sweet individually packed snacks can be dropped off at:

    Community Dinner

    • 5939 Hollywood Blvd

    • Monday through Friday, 12pm - 6pm

    Blessed Sacrament Church

    • 1511 Cassil Place

    • Sundays, 10am -1pm

Donated food at the warehouse

Donate food

Donating excess food to the Hollywood Food Coalition benefits both food businesses and the communities we serve.

Partnering with us helps you stay in compliance with SB1383 by ensuring your surplus edible food is recovered and redirected to a food recovery organization. That food is then shared, free of charge, with our Dinner Program and communities across Los Angeles.

The Community Exchange collects food donations from restaurants, wholesalers, bakeries, grocery stores, studios, caterers and other food retailers throughout LA County. We offer pick up for quality donations over 50lbs. We also encourage donation drop offs directly to our warehouse in Glassell Park during our operating hours.

Donations support both our Kitchen and a network of more than 200 community organizations. From there, food moves through distribution sites and onto the tables of individuals and families seeking food assistance. Some recipients have full kitchen access, while others rely on meal services or simple tools like hot water to prepare food. That’s why we welcome a wide range of donations - from individual meals and trays of prepared food to bulk produce and shelf-stable items. This diversity allows us to meet our communities’ needs while reducing food waste.

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 the box 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.

Other Items and Essentials Donations

For all other item donations, check out our Mobile Clinics and Services.

Explore Other Donation Needs