Perfectly good food should be first considered for immediate consumption before sending to a facility for composting or animal feed. There are standards for acceptance of these materials when donating to a shelter or community service organization. Keep this in mind in advance of any event and communicate to staff and volunteers these requirements so that leftovers can be put to the highest use first.

The Three Rivers Table (TRT) is a program of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (GPCFB) that offers a solution for the donation of perishable items. If you are running an event series or food service business that will be generating perishable food waste that meets the below criteria on then you may be able to divert those materials through this program. For more information about TRT, contact Food Resource Manager, Kathy Hruska: 412-460-3663 x 210 khruska@gpcfb.org. For more information about food donation see TRT’s Food Donor Pack.

TRT Can Accept:

• Food that has been prepared, BUT NOT SERVED
• Meat and poultry
• Fruits and vegetables
• Unopened containers of milk or juice
• Items close to code date or recently expired (within 2 days)
• Small amounts of non-perishables like #10 cans or canned juice
• Coffee (ground and whole bean)
• Small quantities of bread, rolls, pastries and desserts

TRT Can NOT Accept:

• Items in a buffet or display case
• Open containers
• Jars of baby food not from the Manufacturer
• Outdated or close dated baby formula