Friendship Donations Network (FDN) is a food rescue organization located in Ithaca that has been operating every day since 1988. The FDN mission is to rescue fresh, nutritious food that would otherwise be thrown away from stores, farms and colleges and redistribute it to neighbors facing food insecurity throughout Tompkins County and beyond.
FDN recovers unused food from dozens of donors and provides food donations to 50+ food distribution partners, including free meal programs, food pantries, low-income housing communities, community organizations, and grassroots distribution. Each week 2,000 people are served, and nearly 1,400 pounds of food is diverted each day from the landfill. This food is entirely useable even though it may at times be deemed unsaleable by the donor business.
A network of 200 volunteers and one part-time employee achieve these results with remarkable efficiency with the food donations from local supermarkets, bakeries, dining halls, farmers and food processors. FDN serves a vital role in providing healthy food to people facing food insecurity, while helping our community reduce the amount of usable food being thrown away.
Please contact us if you would like to donate food. Or consider donating directly to one of our food distribution partners: https://friendshipdonations.org/programs/
FDN volunteers are available 7 days a week to accept food donations. Or find a Neighborhood Food Hub near you from July-October. Please call us for more information.
Please contact FDN if you would like to donate food.
ProducePedia
ProducePedia is a free resource that covers the types of fresh produce that can be delivered to food pantries. Each entry includes information on color, taste, and possible uses. People unfamiliar with the vegetable or fruit will learn how to use it, and those who are familiar with it still might learn a fun fact or two!
The Cooperative Extension sites have a wealth of information for any backyard gardener. Once you go to the site (each one if very different from the others) look for a link for “homes and gardens”, “landscape”, “consumer horticulture”, etc. to find information on improving your backyard garden. Neighboring state sites may offer information your own state’s site lacks.
