Liability & Food Safety

•  Did you know that food donations are protected by federal law under the  Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act? First passed in 1996, this law protects  everyone in the food donation cycle, except in cases of gross  negligence 

Through our relationships with food  donors, volunteers, and nonprofit partners alike, we work hard to ensure  that all donated food is ready to eat and not past its time,  maintaining the dignity of each donation and delivering food with  respect to all who may benefit from it.

We’re proud to uphold the highest possible standards of food safety by the following:

• All of our operations staff are ServSafe certified.
• Our donors are all food retailers that observe the highest levels of food safety practices in their establishments.
• All of our volunteers undergo an innovative mobile food safety training program developed by Thrive.

Learn more about the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act:

•  Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic 
• Trellis Legal

You can help reduce food waste, eliminate food insecurity AND save the environment just by contacting Lake Erie Food Rescue. We can be reached by emailing us at Support@lakeeriefoodrescue.org​ or by calling 814-983-8863. 

If you have good surplus food, that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage and taken to a landfill, please call us to schedule a contact-free pick up time. Your in-kind donation will immediately be transported to a non-profit agency to be distributed to families in need. Any donation, large or small, will make a significant impact on our neighbors. 

We accept food from large food distributors, warehouses, supermarkets, small grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, and farmers. We cannot accept any food from individual households. Any prepared foods must be made in a kitchen certified through the Department of Health. We cannot accept any food that has been set out for the public, such as food from a buffet line. We will follow all food safety guidelines to ensure the food we share is safe. We are happy to accept frozen items such as soups that have been prepared in a certified kitchen and all safety guidelines have been followed. 

The Federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act ​was passed on October 1, 1996 by President Clinton. This Act was passed as millions of pounds of good food and groceries go to waste every year. Companies who donate food to non-profit agencies are protected under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act from civil and criminal liability should the product donated in good faith later cause harm to an individual. Please consider being one of our donating partners as we strive to end food waste and decrease food insecurity in our community. We will also be working together to save the environment by preventing greenhouse gases in our landfills from decomposing food. It's as simple as emailing us at Support@lakeeriefoodrescue.org​ or by calling 814-983-8863. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to partnering with you!