THE SOCIETY OF SAINT ANDREW INC

Good food should never go to waste. At the Society of St. Andrew, we work with farmers, growers, packing houses, warehouses, and distributors to salvage fresh, nutritious produce that is not commercially marketable. We take that produce and we give it away, free of charge, to agencies feeding the hungry.

In 2011, we distributed more than 450,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables across Alabama, providing 1.36 million servings of health, nutrition, and hope.

We mobilize thousands of volunteers statewide each year to 'glean' (pick, dig, or gather) produce from farmer's fields or farm markets.

We also recover large loads of produce that may be mispackaged, mislabeled, or misdirected in shipping or may have cosmetic flaws that cause it to be less than perfect in appearance.

The Society of St. Andrew provides the produce we glean to major food banks, to smaller food pantries, to soup kitchens, shelters, emergency food box programs, senior and child nutrition programs, and Title I schools. We always give it away free of charge, always in quantities that can be used without waste, and always to people at risk for hunger.

The Society of St. Andrew is a "win" for all involved. Hungry people are fed. Landfill waste is reduced. Farmers and growers receive a charitable donation receipt for all the produce they donate. Volunteers grow community spirit and make a difference right in their local area. Receiving agencies have better food to feed their clients--and stretch their limited budgets.

Our simple model operates on a grassroots, neighbor-helping-neighbor basis. It just makes sense!

We are a nationwide faith-based nonprofit, taking our name from the disciple Andrew, who brought a boy to Jesus with a few loaves of bread and some small fish. We find abundance where others see little, and through that abundance, multitudes are fed.