Fresh Food Finds New Path to Neighbors

At local grocery stores and food retailers across Western New York, high-quality food is finding a new purpose through FeedMore WNY’s Retail Partnership Program.

Established in 2018, the program connects FeedMore WNY with local retailers that have quality food available to share with neighbors.

Fruits, vegetables, meats, prepared foods, dairy, grains and other products are delivered directly to partner agencies at no charge, helping more neighbors access fresh food close to home.

The Retail Partnership Program also helps reduce food waste by keeping quality food out of landfills and moving it quickly into communities.

Instead of traveling to a warehouse to be sorted and redistributed, donated food now moves directly from retailers to partner agencies, reducing handling and helping food arrive quickly and ready to share.

Today, 130 retailers participate in the program, and more than 20.6 million pounds of food have been recovered since the program began.

At partner agencies throughout Western New York, volunteers and staff organize these donations and share them with neighbors in their communities. For agencies like St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Buffalo, the program provides fresh food that helps support local households.

“We listen to what our neighbors need and provide it the best we can,” says Ellyn Lane, Retail Partnership Program Contact.

Through collaboration with local retailers and community partners, the Retail Partnership Program helps move quality food from stores to neighbors while strengthening the network working to prevent hunger across Western New York.