Every weekday morning, Marion-Polk Food Share drivers collect perishable food that is close to its sell-by date but still has significant nutritional value. This program is called “Fresh Alliance;” a partnership with several local grocery stores, including: Fred Meyer, Wal-Mart, Roth’s, Food 4 Less and Albertsons. There are currently 13 stores participating in this program across Marion and Polk Counties.
Fresh Alliance seeks to increase local meat, dairy and produce donations; all items which would otherwise end up in the landfill. Since its inception in 2005, local grocery stores donated over 1.5 million pounds of nutritious food for our hungry neighbors.
These products are often close to the end of their usable life. As a result, donations are quickly sorted and distributed to area food pantries and soup kitchens; often in the same day of the donation.