Who We Are
Since 1992, Food Donation Connection has assisted food service companies with the development and implementation of Harvest Programs designed to provide an alternative to discarding surplus food.
We have coordinated the donation of over 1 billion pounds of quality prepared food from food service providers located in the United States, Canada, Poland, Spain, as well as in other countries. In 2021, 1,300 business entities through 14,000+ food-service locations (restaurants, airports, travel plazas, retailers, hotels, universities, hospitals, distribution centers) donated 65 million pounds of prepared surplus food to 10,000 hunger relief organizations.
Our team members have experience with major restaurant chains and retailers in operations and food quality. Our entire full-time staff of 30 team members is ServSafe® certified in food safety.
WHAT WE DO
Food Donation Connection manages food donation programs for food service companies interested in donating food. The donating process is based on donors receiving economic benefit through tax savings in addition to involvement with community and corporate goodwill. See how one HMS Host team at Tampa International Airport used their surplus food to feed over 100,000.
Donors are linked to those in need through existing non-profit hunger relief organizations.
Food Donation Connection administers these programs through the use of an efficient communication and reporting network. Program responsibilities include linking donor locations with food rescue groups or those feeding the needy, assisting in the development of product quality and handling standards, tax valuation, donation reporting and ongoing monitoring and follow-up to ensure program implementation and growth.
Food Donation Connection does not compete with non-profits for the limited funding that is currently available from government and private sources. Instead, our funding comes from a small portion of our donor partners incremental tax savings that is earned from properly saving and donating their surplus food. In exchange for this funding, we coordinate all aspects of our donor partner’s food donation programs.
Food Donation Connection currently coordinates Harvest Programs for Pizza Hut, KFC, Whole Foods, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Famous Dave's, Auntie Anne's, Cracker Barrel, Chick-fil-A, Einstein Bros Bagels, Wawa, Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse. We have several other major restaurant chains currently in the development stage of forming food donation Programs.
Our Partnership with the National Restaurant Association
"The National Restaurant Association strongly encourages its members to donate more food, and we recently partnered with Food Donation Connection (FDC) to do just that. Founded by a former restaurant executive, FDC serves as the liaison between the restaurants interested in donating food and the social service agencies adept at getting that food to people in need. FDC helps restaurants develop and implement programs designed to provide an alternative to discarding surplus food, while capitalizing on the economic benefits of those donations through the tax savings."
​
-Dave Koenig, Former Director, Tax and Profitability, National Restaurant Association
Now Vice President, Tax at Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)