embers of New England NACE did some research and discovered

that liability isnt an issue. Now they encourage local venues and
caterers to donate surplus prepared food to local food rescue
operations. Heres how you can do it, too.

Does this sound like your typical Saturday night? You and your crew are deep into kitchen cleanup,
long after the last guest has nibbled at the last bit of dessert. Now youre facing the inevitable question:
what to do with the leftover food? You might have platters of cheese and crackers from the cocktail
party, or several untouched plated meals from no-shows, or a mountain of desserts from a crowd that
just wanted to get home early and didnt linger over after-dinner coffee and sweets.

40

Ja n u a r y 2017 CaTErS OurCE

fairmont CopleY plaza Bostons eXeCutive

Chef laurent poulain anD the staff of
Boston resCue mission loaD the truCk
with surplus event fooD

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feeD Your neighBors

Chef DaviD Blessing anD his staff prepares surplus fooD after the high
enD BriDe event at longwooD events the state room in Boston, ma

Read our lips: You CAN donate

surplus food
In many parts of the country, all that perfectly edible
food is tossed right into the trash or compost bin. But
in the New England area, events professionals have an
alternative: at the end of the night, they call one of the
food rescue operations theyve met through the New
England NACE Feeding our Neighbors initiative.
They arrange a pickup of surplus food that night or the
next morning. Add some plastic wrap covering and do
some quick storage or loading, and that delicious leftover
food can become part of a wholesome meal for foodinsecure neighbors.
If youre thinking: It cant be that simple! There are
liability issues! The answers are: yes, it usually is just that
simple, and no there arent any liability issues, not since
the 1996 passage of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act,
which provides one national standard to allow good-faith
donations of apparently wholesome food without fear of
liability. The sad fact is that even though this law has been
in place for 20 years, many people in our industry dont
know about it. In a survey conducted by Americas Second
Harvest, more than 80 percent of respondents said the
threat of liability for food-related injuries was the greatest
deterrent against donating excess food.
This act offers very strong criminal and civil liability
protection for food donors, as long as the food is donated
in good faith to a nonprofit, says Christina Rice, Advisor
to the New England NACE Feeding our Neighbors

42

Initiative and clinical fellow at the Harvard Food Law and

Policy Clinic. This issue has been researched in depth,
and there hasnt been a single case that involved food
donation-related liability or any attempts to get around the
protections offered by the Bill Emerson Act.

Asking questions, making a difference

There are people who hear the accepted reasons for a lack
of action and do nothing about it. Then there are women
like Naomi Raiselle and Dana Siles. Members of New
England chapter of NACE, theyre co-founders of Feeding
our Neighbors, which has saved thousands of pounds of
potentially wasted surplus food. Thanks to their efforts
and those of venues and caterers all over New England,
theyve been able to donate wholesome meals to grateful
food rescue operations.
More than five years ago, we had a conversation about
the huge volume of gorgeous food we saw being thrown
into the trash after events, Raiselle says. We decided
to start asking questions, and were stunned to learn this
law had been in place for so long, and that as long as
food is what is termed apparently wholesome, its fine to
donate. (Quick test: Ask yourself if youd feed this food to
someone you love. If the answer is yes, please go ahead
and donate it.)
As Raiselle and Siles dug deeper, they learned that 18
percent of children in their area were food insecure. Your
image of those in need might not fit with reality, Siles says.
Often, its single parents who cant afford to purchase the

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kind of great, fresh food you are able

to serve your clients. They would
very much appreciate an opportunity
to give their kids a meal from your
delicious leftovers.
As the project began to move
forward, Raiselle, Siles, and other
chapter members contacted food
rescue operations and found
several who were willing and able
to transport surplus food. When
they started doing the math, they
realized the extent of help they
could offer. You might think, I
only have 10 or 15 extra plates of
food from this wedding, but those
extra plates are multiplied at more

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Attn: all catering &

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Achievement in
Catering & Events

2017

Entries open through January 11

GO TO

catersource.com

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation

for CATERSOURCE September 2016
Average No. of Copies
Each Issue during
Preceding 12 Months

Actual No. of Copies of

Single Issue Published
Nearest to Filing Date

Total No. Copies (Net Press Run)

Paid Circulation by Mail/Outside Mail:
Mailed Outside-County Subscriptions
Stated on Form 3541
Mailed In-County Subscriptions
Stated on Form 3541
Distribution Outside Mail, Including
Sales through Dealers, Carriers,
Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and
Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution
Other Classes Mailed through USPS
Total Paid Distribution
Free Distribution by Mail/Outside Mail:
Copies Outside-County Stated on Form 3541
Copies In-County Stated on Form 3541
Other Classes Mailed through USPS
Distributed Outside Mail
Total Free Distribution
Total Distribution
Copies Not Distributed

24,397

24,740

12,003

11,204

0
425
12,428

0
424
11,628

10,449
0
0
286
10,735
23,163
1,235

12,648
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12,848
24,476
264

Total
Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation

24,398
53.7%

24,740
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I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.

tim Clap, assistant DireCtor of fooD Beverage at

fairmont CopleY plaza, prepares surplus event

(Kathleen Stoehr)

fooD for Boston resCue mission

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feeD Your
neighBors
fearure
short
name

sarah CoYne, assistant DireCtor of sales & Catering

at granite links golf CluB in QuinCY, ma, prepares a
fooD Donation for Boston resCue mission following
a new englanD naCe event
smiling faCes at Boston resCue mission after reCeiving YummY leftovers
from the fairmont CopleY plaza in Boston, ma

than 1,700 events in New England

alone, every weekend, Siles says.
Im a photographer, so I like to tell
people they need to look at the issue
with a wide angle lens and realize the
difference we could make if everyone
donated.
Heres an example of the impact
of this effort. After a snowstorm
impacted attendance at an event,
the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel
in Boston had a significant amount
of surplus food. They contacted the
Boston Rescue Mission and donated
more than 20 trays of grilled chicken,
salads, and vegetables. We serve
more than 120,000 meals annually,
at a rate of six meals per day, so
every food donation means a lot,
says Eric Grenfell-Muir, manager of
44

information at the mission. We were

thrilled and grateful.

Tips for implementation

Research up front: If youd like to
get started with a similar initiative
through a professional organization
in your area, conduct initial research
and outreach to determine which
area food rescue operations have
the capacity to pick up fresh and
prepared food donations.
Connect in advance: Its important to
establish contact before there is any
food to donate. The goal is to form
an on-going relationship, Siles says.
It will take two or three surplus food
pickups before this process becomes a
well-oiled machine.

Add food donation to your contract:

Every event professional, not just the
caterer, can ask for a line item about
food donations to be included in their
contract, Raiselle, a videographer,
says. I always ask, and Ive never had
anyone say no.
Consider the tax credit: If youre a
caterer working on a contract with
a venue, it is important to note who
actually owns the surplus food, Siles
says. Only the one who owns it can
claim the donation credit. Enhanced
Tax Benefits, up to 15 percent of the
donated foods value, were put into
place in 2016.
Ensure freshness: Its important
that food not enter the danger zone,
and for this reason, Raiselle and Siles
both suggest investing in holding and

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transporting products that can keep

food safe for up to 24 hours.

Moving forward
Finally, both women suggest that
everyone in the events industry begin
talking about this issue. This whole
thing began with a conversation,
Siles says. The more you keep
talking about it, the more we can
make a change. Its sometimes
challenging for people to make a
change in the way they do things,
and yes, its time-consuming at first,
but donating is completely worth it.
People who donate on a regular
basis experience such a sense of joy
and rightness, Raiselle says. They
tell us: We have all this amazing
food, and now were able to get it to
someone who needs it.

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Im shocked that its not an

industry standard to donate food
whenever possible after an event,
says Kelly White, chairwoman,
SEARCH Foundation, which assists
special event professionals faced
with life-threatening illnesses and
catastrophic life events. I believe
most people, like me, assume there
is some risk involved. After hearing
Naomi Raiselles presentation at a
New England ILEA meeting, I now
realize that isnt true.
Siles and Raiselle hope their efforts
will gain traction with NACE
and other professional operations
nationwide. Feeding our Neighbors
started as a New England initiative,
but its an industry wide effort,
Siles says. We have the ability
to make a huge difference on this
issue, Raiselle adds.

Learn more
Feeding our Neighbors is an
initiative of New England NACE
nenacefeedingourneighbors.org/.

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