Costco Joins FeedMore WNY’s Retail Partnership Program

FeedMore WNY is thrilled to welcome Costco to the Retail Partnership Program, an initiative connecting stores with surplus food to communities in need.

Amber Thiel, procurement and retail partnership manager for FeedMore WNY, said Costco joined the program on October 28.

“We are so excited about Costco joining our program, especially with the grants we received this past year to grow our partnerships and pounds,” Thiel said.

As a part of this new partnership, FeedMore WNY or one of our partner agencies, will pick up donations from the Costco warehouse six days per week. Costco’s new Amherst store is committed to donating a minimum of 3,500 pounds of food each month.

The Retail Partnership Program, established in 2018, coordinates with local retailers who have high-quality food that would otherwise be discarded to share with their neighbors.

The program helps stores get surplus fruits, vegetables, prepared foods, dairy, grains and other products to our local partner agencies directly.

Not only does the Retail Partnership Program help feed our neighbors, but it also helps reduce food waste and keep edible food out of landfills and in our communities.

“Retail partnership programs are a way for stores to reduce their food waste by bringing [high-quality surplus food] back out to the community through donations,” Thiel said. “There is a lot of relationship building between the agencies and the stores.”

Thiel said the program helps food go directly from participating stores to our partner agencies without having to be sorted or stored. This saves warehouse time and transportation costs as well.

As of this year, 130 retailers participate in the program, redirecting more than 20.6 million pounds of food that otherwise would have gone to waste.