Behind the Scenes: Matching Food Donor to Community Partner

January 2026- Keep Austin Fed shares donations with Food for All.

With 84 regular food donors, 97 community partners, 7 giveaway locations, and more than 9,000 food rescues completed in 2025, Keep Austin Fed relies on coordination, communication, and collaboration to power our daily operations. 

Because of the scale of our network, Keep Austin Fed uses specific criteria to match food donors with community partners. Forming the heart of our mission, food rescues from food donors to community partners ensure that no food is wasted and that our neighbors receive the kind and quantity of food best suited to their needs.

Size of donation

When Keep Austin Fed begins a partnership with a new food donor, we first look at the size of the donation. To make sure that none of the rescued food goes to waste, it’s important to match large donations with large community partners. Large community partners have both adequate storage space for the food and the necessary infrastructure to equitably distribute the entire donation. If the food is perishable, the community partner must also be able to distribute the donation quickly. 

For smaller donations, Keep Austin Fed may combine two pickups if the food donors are located close to each other. If this isn’t possible, the small donation will be routed to one of Keep Austin Fed’s coolers to be combined with another donation by a Keep Austin Fed staff member. While it's important to not overload a community partner with too much food, it’s equally important to provide enough food to meet the needs of our partners’ clients.

Kind of donation

Keep Austin Fed’s more than 90 community partners serve a wide variety of communities and demographics. While the need for nutritious food is universal, different organizations benefit from different kinds of donations. 

Affordable housing complexes receive groceries so that residents can prepare their own meals and customize their diets. Organizations with food pantries take pantry staples, such as pasta and canned vegetables, that their clients can store for longer periods of time. Nonprofits that serve people experiencing homelessness require pre-cooked meals that their clients can enjoy without preparation. Shelters with on-site kitchens benefit from large quantities of similar ingredients, such as coffee or deli meat, to prepare meals in bulk.

When Keep Austin Fed begins a partnership with a new food donor, we evaluate the kind of food provided and match it to the needs of our partners’ unique client bases.

Location

Keep Austin Fed is proud to partner with both food donors and community partners across the city. When possible, we pair food donors with community partners that are close by. Shorter rescue routes minimize the amount of time perishable donations are not refrigerated and save the time and energy of volunteers and staff.

Keep Austin Fed is grateful to both our food donors and community partners. Without our food donors, we would not be able to reduce food waste; without our community partners, we would not be able to reduce food insecurity. If you are interested in helping end hunger in Austin and becoming a food donor, please visit our website to learn more about donation standards and fill out our food donor application.