How Grocery Rescue Nourishes Our Community

Every morning across Clallam County, grocery store employees pull food from shelves that can no longer be sold. Sometimes it's produce with a few blemishes. Sometimes it's yogurt approaching its sell-by date. Other times it's seasonal inventory, damaged packaging, or excess stock that simply didn't sell in time.

Most people assume that food ends up in the trash.

Thanks to our Grocery Rescue Program, much of it doesn't.

The Port Angeles Food Bank partners with local grocery stores to recover safe, nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste and redirect it to people in our community who need it most. Each weekday, staff and volunteers visit participating stores, collect donated food, transport it back to our facility, and sort it for distribution through The Market, Mobile Market, and other food access programs.

What Is Grocery Rescue?

Grocery Rescue is exactly what it sounds like: rescuing perfectly good food before it becomes waste.

Many items are removed from store shelves for reasons that have nothing to do with food safety. Products may be overstocked, nearing a sell-by date, have damaged packaging, or simply no longer meet a retailer's display standards. Fruits and vegetables that are oddly shaped or slightly blemished are often removed despite being completely edible.

Through Grocery Rescue, that food gets a second chance.

Instead of being discarded, it is inspected, sorted, and distributed to local families, seniors, veterans, students, and individuals facing food insecurity.

Fighting Hunger and Food Waste at the Same Time

Food insecurity and food waste often exist side by side.

Across the United States, millions of tons of edible food are discarded each year while families struggle to afford groceries. Food rescue programs help bridge that gap by connecting surplus food with people who can use it.

At the Port Angeles Food Bank, we see the impact firsthand.

A shipment of rescued produce might stock our Market shelves with fresh fruits and vegetables. Donated dairy products can provide protein and nutrition for families on tight budgets. Bakery items, meat, and prepared foods add variety and dignity to the shopping experience.

The result is more food available for our neighbors and less food headed to the landfill.

Good for People. Good for the Planet.

The benefits of Grocery Rescue extend beyond hunger relief.

When food ends up in landfills, it decomposes and produces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Rescuing edible food reduces unnecessary waste and helps make better use of the resources that went into producing it, including water, land, labor, and transportation.

Every box of produce, pallet of dairy products, or cart of baked goods that is rescued represents resources conserved and waste avoided.

For us, Grocery Rescue is an example of what happens when community partnerships create solutions that benefit everyone.

A Community Effort

This program would not be possible without the generosity of our grocery partners and the dedication of volunteers who help collect, sort, stock, and distribute rescued food. Together, they transform potential waste into meals, snacks, and fresh ingredients that support thousands of visits to our Market and Mobile Market each year.

Food rescue may happen behind the scenes, but its impact is visible every day on our shelves and in the shopping carts of our neighbors.

Every apple, loaf of bread, carton of yogurt, and package of vegetables that finds its way from a grocery store to a family table tells the same story:

Good food belongs in bellies, not landfills.

By supporting Grocery Rescue, our community is helping build a more sustainable, more compassionate, and more hunger-free future for everyone.