Ever wonder exactly how a food bank like Harvesters works? Well, you’re in luck! This is the first in a multi-part series outlining how food gets from its origin point to the shelf at a pantry and then to a family’s dinner table. In this installment, we will be talking about how Harvesters acquires the food you see in our warehouse. 

Our sourcing team is small and mighty, and does an incredible job finding the best ways to get food through our doors, working with a network of local and national partners. 

The food sources can be broken down into a handful of categories: 

Donated Food 

The biggest bulk of our food is donated, whether by individuals, corporations, farms or other generous supporters. In fact, 73% of all of our food comes directly from donors. 

You may see our donation barrels sitting in a local grocery store, where shoppers can purchase a little extra and drop it in to be collected by one of our volunteer Barrel Buddies and brought to our warehouse.  

Or maybe your company hosted a food drive asking for nonperishable items. We’re always happy to have supporters find new, creative ways of making sure we have what we need to keep stocking the shelves of our agency partners. 

Grocery Store Recovery 

One of the most important pieces of Harvesters’ food sourcing operation is Grocery Store Recovery (GSR). GSR started as a way to make sure good, safe food that is either in surplus or nearing its sell-by date doesn’t end up in a landfill. 

Through GSR, Harvesters works with hundreds of grocery retailers to recover food that can still be distributed to neighbors but might otherwise go to waste. The program currently has approximately 300 stores that donate to 105 of Harvesters’ network partners. 

Those donors include familiar national names such as Sam’s Club, Costco, Amazon, Target, Aldi, Dollar General, as well as regional ones like El Mercado Fresco and Save-A-Lot and local grocery chains like Hy-Vee, Price Chopper and Hen House. 

The food recovered through the program comes in many forms, such as bakery products, produce, refrigerated and frozen foods, dry goods and more.  

In fiscal year 2026, Grocery Store Recovery represented approximately 19% of the total food sourced by Harvesters. 

Purchased Food 

While donations are a major part of our food supply, we do purchase some of it (about 15%). 

Harvesters uses a purchasing budget to acquire what is known as Value Added Product, or VAP. This allows us to purchase food throughout the year, helping supplement what comes through donations. 

For produce, Harvesters primarily purchases through Feeding America, while also working with local growers and other vendors when they offer favorable pricing. Items can include potatoes, apples, carrots, cabbage and many other fruits and vegetables distributed throughout the agency network.  
 
We also source food from national and even international sellers and producers as well and are always on the lookout for the best way to get the most, highest-quality food we can for our neighbors. 

Government Programs 

Though there have been significant cuts to USDA programs that Harvesters previously benefitted from, we still do get some food directly from government programs, accounting for 12% of our food. 

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a program designed to provide immediate help, and we are able to place orders for high-quality staple items in bulk for our partnerpantries who participate in this program. We also receive food specifically for seniors through a program called the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). It is a federal nutrition program that provides free monthly grocery packages of nutritious USDA foods to low-income adults aged 60 and older. 

Staying Adaptable 

Though we have gotten very good at food sourcing since our founding in 1979, times are constantly changing, meaning that we are always ready to adapt if needed. When one source dries up, we go out and find another.  

Our team is dedicated to making sure we will have a stocked warehouse and trucks making deliveries to our agency partners for the long haul. No matter the challenge, we’ll always find a way!