Donating food after an event–It’s easy and great for your business

When you’re planning an event, one of the trickiest things to plan is the quantity of food to order. You can’t run out in the middle of an event and leave your guests hungry, but you also don’t want to go over budget and have too many leftovers. The good news is you can, with a little planning head, make sure any leftover food goes to good use instead of a landfill.

Of course, your food servers will ensure that the food is kept at the proper serving temperatures throughout the event. By telling your caterer ahead of time that you’d like all uneaten food donated to a non-profit organization that can use the food, they can make sure the food is appropriately repackaged or stored for transportation to a non-profit.

Donating food after an event is a win-win activity for your organization and the non-profit you partner with for the donation. Homeless shelters, tent cities, or food banks–whichever you pick–will appreciate your company’s contribution. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects your business from possible lawsuits from any food-born-illness resulting from the donation. So long as the food you are donating is made in good faith, your company can donate leftovers to nonprofits who will pass the food on to those in need.

As the organizer of the event, simply express your intentions to donate the left over food to a non-profit as part of your early negotiations with your caterer. Contact the non-profit ahead of time so they can arrange delivery and proper storage after the event. The non-profit should provide you with a receipt you can include in your final budget accounting.

Ensuring food doesn’t go to waste is good business. Make sure your next event is a success before andafter the fact by donating the leftovers to those in need. Contact elm Planning to find out how we can help you plan your next event.