Food Rescue in Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County and Food Shift are working together to explore local solutions to wasted food and hunger. In Santa Clara County 1 in 4 people are food insecure and lots of nutritious food is being thrown away.

We need your help to understand what can be done to ensure good food is redirected to people in need. Please take a moment to answer this quick survey below so we can better understand the challenges and opportunities around tackling these important issues in our community.

Thank you for your time.

Note: All individual responses are anonymous and confidential. Responses will be aggregated for analysis and no individual responses will be shared or publicized without explicit permission.

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* 1. Please provide your organization name

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* 2. Which type(s) of food do you receive through food rescue? Please check all that apply.

Prepared foods (salads, sandwiches, packaged or catered food)

Bread or baked goods

Produce

Dairy products

Meat or fish

Non-perishable food

Outdated products

Frozen foods

I don't know

We do not rescue or receive food

Other (please specify)

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* 3. How many pounds of donated foods do you receive on average through food rescue each day?

None

100 lbs or less

100 - 1,000 lbs

1,000 - 5,000 lbs

5,000 - 10,000 lbs

I don't know

Other (please specify)

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* 4. What challenges do you face in relation to rescued food? Please check your top four.

Difficulty finding donors

Lacking variety/types of donated foods

Limited staff/volunteer capacity to pick up food

Lack of transportation to pick up donations

Lack of storage/refrigeration

Unpredictable donations

Liability or food safety concerns

Financial constraints

Other (please specify)

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* 5. Which solutions below would you support/recommend in order to improve food rescue within your organization? Please check your top four.

Increased refrigeration/storage space

Food rescue coordinator

Off-hours food rescue coordinator/driver

Transportation support to recover surplus food

Grant writing or fundraising support

A web/mobile platform to better connect food donors and recipients

A system to easily share and trade surplus food with other agencies

Payment from businesses for food rescue service

Scheduled pick up times or more advanced notice

Other (please specify)

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* 6. Which of the following county-level efforts would make the biggest difference in improving food rescue within your organization? Please check your top four.

Increased financial incentives for businesses which donate food

Educational campaign to encourage food donation and inform business of their liability protections

Fewer legal restrictions around the donation of prepared foods

A statement from the health department encouraging food donations from businesses

A designated county-sponsored food rescue coordinator

Financial investment from the county to support food rescue efforts

A ban on food in landfills

None

Other (please specify)

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* 7. Would you be interested in participating in a regional working group that meets on a quarterly or semi-annual basis to collaborate and discuss challenges with food rescue in Santa Clara County?

Yes

I don't know

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* 8. Do you have more to share? Please add additional thoughts, comments, or ideas.

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* 9. If you are interested in following up with a longer conversation, please leave your preferred contact information.

Your name

Phone number

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* 10. Do you know someone else who could potentially contribute to this survey? Please forward this survey to other groups doing great work in Santa Clara County or share contact information here of others who might contribute to this research.