Policies

Rescue Food policies

Ordering & pickup

  • Agreement required. Sign the Food Hero Agreement (opens in a new tab) before you order food, browse or enter the premises. It lets our government, nonprofit and business partners trust that you'll follow all instructions and stay safe.
  • Ordering: online, 4:00pm Monday to 6:00am Tuesday. Orders are first-come, first-served.
  • Pickup: Tuesday 9:00am⁠–⁠11:00am at 57 N 1380 W, Orem, UT 84057 (space donated by Nature's Fusions). At 11:00am, orders are unreserved.
  • Walk-ins: Tuesday 9:00am⁠–⁠11:30am.
  • Wear closed-toed shoes.
  • Early pickup is for volunteers only. Order before 6:00pm Monday, then pick up Monday evening or at 7:00am Tuesday.

Payment & pricing

  • Items are sold at Good Samaritan prices. Payment by cash or Venmo @Rescue-Food (opens in a new tab) is required; this is an official Rescue Food policy.
  • Paying for items keeps a sense of value and makes it less likely that rescued food gets thrown away.
  • Need help paying? Contact us. A volunteer may personally sponsor your food.

Gifts & donations

  • All money received is considered payment unless labeled otherwise.
  • To make a tax-deductible donation, write “Tax-Deductible Donation” on the envelope or in your Venmo note to @Rescue-Food, and name any project you'd like to support.

Resale

  • We never compete with the businesses that trust us with rescuing their food. We sign documents guaranteeing their products won't show up in secondary markets.
  • You may use and resell produce.
  • You may not use other items in products for sale unless you change them in a meaningful way and don't claim they are from the donor.
  • This is extremely important to keeping our partnerships and our ability to rescue food.

Food quality

  • Items have usually been discarded due to quality or age.
  • All cans are damaged, missing labels, or expired 3+ years.
  • All products are kept at ambient temperature (20⁠–⁠75°F) after pickup, including products marked “Keep refrigerated.”
  • Food has not been processed to reduce the risk of pathogen exposure and may require specific rescue techniques. See our tips for preserving food.

Grading

A
Absolutely stunning
B
Minor issues
C
Major issues but salvageable
D/F
Requires specialized handling, or for animal use

Questions? Email helprescuefood@gmail.com.