For grocery stores, farms, and kitchens
You are missing more by throwing it away than by giving it.
A deduction. Two legal shields. A register that does not shrink. Fresher shelves. Neighbors fed. Sign up here and we will schedule pickup.
What you miss by not donating
Four facts. Then a pickup on the dock.
01
A deduction the dumpster cannot give you
Cost plus half the unsold profit.
Federal law (IRC §170(e)(3)) lets businesses deduct more than the cost of apparently wholesome food given to a qualified nonprofit. The enhanced deduction is the lesser of twice your cost, or cost plus half of what you would have made. Caps apply — generally 15% of income from the business. Throwing the same food away deducts nothing. Ask your accountant. This is not tax advice.
02
Federal law and Georgia law both stand behind you
Two shields, then a waiver.
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (42 U.S.C. § 1791) and Georgia’s own statute (O.C.G.A. § 51-1-31) protect good-faith donors of apparently wholesome food to a nonprofit. Recipients at this pantry also sign a waiver before they take food. The exception is gross negligence or intentional misconduct — not ordinary donation.
03
Your register does not go with the food
Pantries do not steal grocery sales.
Research on pantry density finds no significant drop in grocer revenue when a pantry is nearby (Kopp & Chenarides). Households who save on staples still shop the store for what a pantry does not carry. You are not funding a competitor. You are feeding a customer who still needs a store.
04
Fresher shelves. Less hauling. Higher markups.
Donation is operations, not only charity.
Stores that pull aging food, donate it, and restock with fresher inventory have been shown to earn higher markups — one study found about a third higher after controls (Lowrey et al.). You also stop paying to haul what you cannot sell.
United Under God, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 81-3554390. Plain-language summary, not legal or tax advice. Statutes: IRC §170(e)(3); 42 U.S.C. § 1791; O.C.G.A. § 51-1-31. Speak with your accountant and counsel. Recipients sign a waiver before they take food.
See the meals. Then give the food.
A grocer who donates is not losing a customer. They are feeding a neighbor who will still buy what the pantry cannot give — and they may deduct what the dumpster would have eaten for free.
What your unsold food becomes
Estimate the neighbors you could feed.
Feeding America counts about 1.2 pounds as one meal. Move the slider to match what your store cannot sell in a typical week — dented cans, day-old bread, produce past peak display, close-dated dairy.
- Meals this week
- 67
- Pantry boxes this week
- 4
- Meals in a year
- 3,484
A pantry box here is counted as about 22 pounds — several days of groceries for a household. These are estimates, not a promise of servings. The pantry will track actual meals through Plenty so donors can see what their food became.
The Vidalia pantry story, the waiver, and the letter to grocers live on the pantry page. Grocers can also give on plenty.unitedundergod.org.