How to Donate Food
How to Donate Food
๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป u๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ m๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ f๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ c๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐!
As the need for food in our community increases significantly, we are seeing many of our helpful neighbors asking ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ by donating food to ACCESS food pantries. Weโre grateful to be part of a community that shows up with compassion to support our neighbors in need.
Where to Drop Off Food Donations
ACCESS is proud to partner with Market of Choice to make giving easier than ever! Market of Choice locations in Medford and Ashland are now permanent ACCESS food donation locations. Your food donations stay right here in Jackson County, helping local families put nutritious meals on the table.
MEDFORD MARKET OF CHOICE: 1300 Biddle Rd, Medford, OR 97054
Open daily 7am-9pm
ASHLAND MARKET OF CHOICE: 1475 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, Oregon 97520
Open daily 7am-9pm
๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐: Donations made in our drop-off barrels for Market of Choice are anonymous and will not receive a tax receipt. If you would like a tax receipt or if you would like to donate a large quantity of food, please make your donation at the ACCESS Food Warehouse (instructions below).
Donating large quantities of food? Here’s How:
If you would like to donate more food than will fit in our donation barrels, kindly bring it to our warehouse located at 2205 Joseph Street, Medford OR. Park on the right side of the main building and ring the warehouse bell behind the building. Please bring your donations between the hours of 8:00am and 3:30pm. For Directions, please click here.
Thank you for your generosity.
Most Needed Pantry Items
We work hard to provide a variety of foods to meet needs and we do our best to make those foods as nutritious as possible (low in fat, salt, and sugar).
Here are some most needed food pantry items:
- Peanut/Almond Butter
- Canned meats such as tuna, chicken and salmon
- Shelf stable milk
- Cooking oil
- Cereals and Flours (whole grains, low sugar preferred)
- Rice/Grains/Beans/Lentils (canned or dried)
- Mac and cheese (whole grain preferred)
- Soups, stews or chili (sodium 480 mg or less preferred)
- Pasta (whole wheat preferred) and canned tomatoes or sauce (no salt added preferred)
- Canned vegetables and fruits (canned in water preferred)
Items we cannot accept:
- Rusty or unlabeled cans
- Perishable items (fresh/prepared foods, refrigerated/frozen foods)
- Homemade foods
- Non-commercial canned or packaged items
- Alcoholic beverages, mixes or sodas
- Opened or used items
Tips for Shopping for Food Donations
Here are some best practices to ensure that your donated items will be used most effectively:
- Choose pop-top lids when available
- Look for no or low sodium items โ they have less than 140 mg of sodium per serving
- Look for no or low added sugars โ check ingredient list and avoid if sugar is in the top three ingredients
- Consider gluten free items
- Focus on foods for meals rather than snacks and desserts
- Check that food is within the expiration date
