Feed your mission,
for free
Access nutritious food donations from local stores to support the people who need them most
Get a regular supply of food donations
We work with local grocery stores to redirect all their surplus food. Instead of going to waste, it goes to you, providing a dependable stream of fresh donations for the communities you serve.
"My first donation pickup was worth just over $9000 and the clients LOVED the items!"
What you'll typically receive
Stores donate fresh items across multiple categories. The mix varies by location and season, giving your organization diverse options to share.
Produce
Baked goods
Dairy
Meat and fish
Deli
Grocery
Who can participate in the program
FoodMesh works with organizations committed to social impact. Your group must use donations to help your community, not to generate profit.
Registered charities
Officially registered charitable organizations with tax-exempt status and community mission
Non-profit organizations
Established non-profits serving community needs
Social impact businesses
Enterprises structured to create measurable social benefit alongside their operations
Other social causes
Organizations using donations for social impact purposes in their communities
What you'll need to get started
Transportation capacity
Vehicle large enough to transport up to 30 boxes weekly from your partner store.
Storage and cooling
Walk-in cooler and freezer, or 2 upright fridges and 2 chest freezers (unless operating as food runner).
Sorting space
Area to receive, organize and store donations (unless operating as food runner).
Food safety certification
Official certification required to handle, transport and distribute all donations received.
What you'll do
Handle donations with proper food safety protocols
Follow guidelines for transport, storage, and distribution of all items received from stores
Record what you receive
Weigh donations and log data within 24 hours of pickup
Share with your community
Distribute food to clients and partner organizations in need
Cover absences with backup
Find replacement organizations to pick up when you're unavailable
Pick up on scheduled days
Collect donations every week including statutory holidays
Grow your impact with farm feed and compost
In addition to receiving edible food, you can take your donation program further by accepting food that's unfit for human consumption. You'll support local farmers with valuable animal feed while strengthening your community's food system.
What you'll gain
✓ More donation locations - taking everything means a higher likelihood of getting scheduled for pickup.
✓ Better food access - stores don't hold back proteins or premium items when they know you'll handle all surplus.
What you'll need
Extra storage and cooling space (for up to 35 boxes), and a regular compost pickup service at your location.
What you'll do
Pick up all of the store’s organic surplus on your scheduled day(s), share the farm feed with farmers, and compost the products farmers can’t use.
FAQs
Find answers to common questions about the donation program.
Please review our full Food Safety Guide for detailed handling and storage instructions.
FoodMesh serves as your dedicated program partner, handling:
Setup & Launch
- Act as the single point of contact between stores, charities, and farmers
- Build the donation network across your locations
- Provide all necessary materials and signage
- Conduct in-person store visits and orientation sessions
- Train store staff on food sorting and donation best practices
- Train recipients on the Diversion Tracker App
Ongoing Support
- Technical support for the Diversion Tracker App
- Farmer onboarding, scheduling, and management
- Refresher training for store staff as needed
- Coordination support for charity diversion networks
- Monthly impact reports for stores (social impact metrics)
- Monthly reports for charities (donation data)
- Ensure 100% of donations are collected and tracked
Please register your interest with FoodMesh by joining our network here. We will contact you if pickups become available at a store in your area. Please note that there is a waiting list in some areas. However, while on the waiting list, we may also contact you for ad-hoc pickup coverage opportunities. If you already signed up with FoodMesh in the past, please email us at support@foodmesh.ca.
FoodMesh will contact you if a suitable pickup opportunity become available in your area. Please note that there is a waiting list in some areas.
It depends on your capacity and the needs of the donor. At minimum you would be required to commit to weekly pickups on your designated day of the week (e.g. every Monday). As most grocery stores require their food donations to be picked up daily, there may be opportunities to pickup multiple times per week.
It depends on the size of the store. If you have a specific store in mind, please enquire with your FoodMesh contact for an estimate of the expected volume.
If you are picking up from a store that is diverting all of its unsold food (both edible and inedible), then we will recruit a network of farmers to collect the food that is inedible, so it can be used for animal feed.
Any food that is not suitable for human or animal consumption should be composted. If you don’t have a composting service in place already, we can help you to find a local option.
We ask that all organizations who pick up donations from a store share their excess with other charities in their area. If you need help connecting to other organizations, please let us know.
You will need reliable access to a vehicle large enough to transport all of the donations received. For a single store donating only edible food, we recommend a cube van or minivan at minimum, or a 1-tonne truck if you are picking up from more than one store. For a single store donating all of its unsold food (both edible and inedible), a cube van or minivan may suffice, but we recommend a 1-tonne truck.
When you collect the food donations from the store, you are required to weigh the food and input the weight, and the number of totes via our very easy-to-use Diversion Tracker App.
We will provide you with a monthly summary of all of your donations received that have been tracked through the Diversion Tracker App along with a summary of your overall impact metrics (e.g. the number of meals provided, the weight of food diverted, CO2 emissions saved etc.)
You can install the Diversion Tracker App on any smart device (e.g. a smartphone or a tablet), or you can also use your personal computer. Access to the app is by invitation only.
The donations are usually provided in banana boxes, as the store has access to a consistent supply of them. Banana boxes do not have to be cleaned and returned to the store. For donations that are wet or juicy, we ask the store to line the box with a clean bag, to avoid any mess.
You are responsible for finding another charitable organization to fulfil your pick-up on your behalf. If you are having any trouble finding a replacement charitable organization, please let us know as soon as possible.
Still have questions?
Our team is happy to help.
Start receiving surplus donations
Join the Food Surplus Network, and we'll connect you with available food.