Guidelines for Donors

Thank you for joining Peninsula Food Runners in our mission to fight hunger by rescuing surplus food! We’re a community-powered organization that brings together Donors, Volunteers, and Recipients to make a real difference in the lives of those in need.
We truly couldn’t do this without your support.
Below, you’ll find basic guidelines for becoming a food donor.

What are your Operating Hours?

• 7 days a week, Monday – Friday  9am -5pm
• For Special events, please give a 48 hours in advance notice either by emailing to support@peninsulafoodrunners.org or calling (415) 826-6903.

What kinds of food do we accept?

• Will accept food prepared in commercial kitchens 
• Will accept produce, packaged from farmers markets, grocery stores, retailers within acceptable expired dates. Please look at “expired acceptable dates” for food online. 
• To donate food from home, please consider a self drop-off at the following shelters.

What are our Service Areas?

• We serve San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

How Does the Service Work?

1. Our App – ChowMatch
   Once you create your account and get validated, then you can begin scheduling pick-ups using the ChowMatch app or web version.
2. SB 1383 Compliance:
   Upon scheduling your first donation, you’ll be prompted to agree to SB 1383 terms. This document proves compliance with the California climate bill and partnership with a food recovery organization.
3. Donation Matching:
   After you schedule a pick-up, ChowMatch matches you with a recipient and alerts volunteers. Once a volunteer accepts, both you and the recipient will be notified.

What does Peninsula Food Runners (PFR) expect from donors?

1. Create Internal Awareness of our partnership: Please inform all your staff that Peninsula Food Runners is your food donation vendor.  
2. Your staff should be aware of the requirements of the climate bill 1383 (Implementation of internal food donation program, partnership with food recovery organization, tracking of lbs donated,  and a climate agreement)
3. Donors need to provide a visible contact posting on a wall by the donation cart in case any staff needs to get in touch with Peninsula Food Runner staff.  Please text Hoai-An ”Why-an” (408) 726-2742 or Maria (415)203-8389. 
4. Donor will need to provide two Points of Contact details: accessible cell phone numbers for both a regular and a backup point of contact
5. Donor needs to provide the days and times for pick-up schedules 
6. Donors must make all efforts to agree on packaging requirements and preventive measures.
7. Provide Clear Instructions for Pick-up
8. Agreement to provide Notification of Cancellations:

If you know in advance your company will be closed due to off-site meetings or Hoidays, or any contact staff changes within your kitchens, please email support@peninsulafoodrunners.org.

1. Respect Volunteers:
   Please convey to your staff members to be courteous and professional with our Volunteers. They generously donate their time and resources.  If any help can be offered especially with a large load,  it would be very much appreciated.
2. Report Concerns:
   If a situation arises that makes you uncomfortable, please email support@peninsulafoodrunners.org.  This is best in writing so that we can understand the situation in its entirety in order to address the issue. 

What Packaging Guidelines do you recommend for catered food?

• • Use sanitized, food-safe containers. Compostable is best if possible.
  • Avoid including utensils in trays to reduce contamination.

• Drain excess liquid from food. Use secure lids and double-wrap the trays with plastic wrap. This will prevent spillage and encourage drivers to continue servicing your account.

• Health Department highly recommends to Label trays with:
  • Business name
  • Date and time of donation
  • Dish name
  • Common allergens

Pro Tip: Keep similar foods together (e.g., carbs with carbs) to improve appearance and safety.

What are  Food Safety Handling Expectations?

• Name of dish, prep date, caterer name, and allergens must be labeled.
• Store food at safe temps (below 41°F or above 135°F).
• Refrigerate immediately after service.
• When in doubt, reheat to 165°F before consumption.

 What should I know about scheduling a food run ? 

• Provide a 2-hour window for on-call or same-day pickups.
• For special events, give at least 2 days’ notice
• Friday afternoon pickups need to be scheduled before 2:00 PM 
• If you are a new donor, send an email to support@peninsulafoodrunners.org or call (415) 826-6903.   Include the following information.

If you are a caterer, → Name of your company, address, contacts, number of trays, food description (e.g., Mexican, Chinese), range of hours for pick up, and parking instructions.

If you are a grocer or wholesaler→ Name of your company, address, contacts, How many boxes of food or poudage or pallet?  Please notify 48 hours in advance or call (415)203-8389

How to determine Donation Quantity that justifies a pick-up.

• Minimum: Enough food to feed at least 10 people. (e.g., 10+ individual meals, 3+ trays filled ¾ of the way, or 20+ lbs of food)
• Fewer than 10 people? Consider a self-drop-off at a shelter or accumulate no more than 2 days by refrigerating for a following day donation 
• No maximum: If more than one vehicle is needed, please indicate in your email to  Support@peninsulafoodrunners.org or call (415) 826-6903 

Do we provide Volunteer Identification?

• You’ll receive an email with the volunteer’s name and contact info.
• You are welcome to offer a sign-in log for your security purposes

Here are the Steps to set up to begin donating. 

1. Set Up Your Account:
   Visit www.peninsulafoodrunners.org and complete a one-time setup. Please make sure you enter as many details as possible in the summary and instructions when setting up your account.
2. Notify support@peninsulafoodrunners.org once you have created your account. 
3. Wait for Activation:
   Admins will first identify nearby recipients who want to participate and then activate your account. If you don’t hear back from the admin within a couple of days, please email support@peninsulafoodrunners.org or call (415) 826-6903.
4. To Access your account:
   Once activated, log in with your email and password at www.chowmatch.org.
5. Please Note: the down arrow indicates a pull down menu 
6. Click “Donor” and a pull-down menu will offer all the features available to a donor. 

To schedule a Food Run on Chowmatch from your computer or browser

• Click “Schedule” and a schedule form will appear inquiring the following:

Pickup date and Pickup Time:  Proceed to enter the date, pick up time range (minimum required is 1 hour)

Type of Run:  Type of Food Run is based on the quantity and the availability of food surplus. 

• The choices of donations are:
• One-Time Donation 
• Regular Weekly
• Bi-Weekly
• Regular Monthly on this Day of Same Week
• Regular Monthly on this Day of Last Weekly

Unlike the one-time Donations, all the other options are auto-generated repeating runs. After submitting, volunteers are notified.

Food Type:  Click on the “food type” and enter the amount in poundage or packaging options – meals, boxes or trays.

Summary Description of Food:  Comment of food donated i.e Sandwich, soups, cultural type of food etc. 

Detailed Pickup Instructions:   Please provide the following information. 

• Primary Contact Name and Cell # 
• Back Up Name and Cell # 
• Parking Instructions
• Directions to the kitchen from the parking lot or if food will be brought out.

What is the latest possible time for a pickup before the staff leaves? 

Additional Option: You may enter Actual Value (Expense of food) and Market Value (What you could fetch if sold). These are for tax write receipts sent to your Accountant, 

Submit:  Scroll down and click “Submit” to save the changes and a message “Scheduling” will appear.

1. Canceling Runs:
   From your own account: If you don’t have food, cancel the day’s run and choose “Cancel this time only,” not “Permanently.” This keeps future runs active.

From your own account, if fewer than 3 trays of food, please cancel online ASAP or contact your assigned volunteer. Canceling helps reduce unnecessary emissions and volunteer trips.

Cancellation within 30 minutes of a predetermined pickup time MUST BE DONE by texting  (408)726-2742, indicate the name of your company and the reason,  “No food today.”  This prevents wasted trips and resources on the part of the volunteer driver.

• Need help or have any questions?

1. 1. Program Manager: Hoai-An – (408) 726-2742 
   2. Volunteer Development Manager: Luanne De Salle – (415) 823-4301
   3. Executive Director Maria Yap- (415) 203-8389
   4. Please email support@peninsulafoodrunners.org or call (415)826-6903

What additional Equipment and Help can the donors offer?

• Donors are encouraged to provide a food cart. This will prevent any spillage or potential hazard for your employees and the volunteers.
  (Recommended: Uline Rubbermaid Cart)
• Some Volunteers may request help with loading.

What should I do if my food run is about to expire and no one has shown up to pick up the food?  

Please group text Hoai-An (408)726-2742  and  Maria (415)203-8389 to inquire if a runner is coming. 

• Back up plan is to store food in refrigeration and reschedule for the next day.
• Self Drop-off option: We’ll provide shelter addresses for direct donation.
• Employee volunteers: Offer this as a team-building or Customer Social Responsiblity initiative.
• Interested in implementing a Corporate Volunteer Program? When setting up your account, enter the name of your company under “group affiliation” This will allow us to provide a report for all your employee participation.

Do you have a pickup Guarantee?

• We maintain a 99% pickup rate.
• For guaranteed pickups, call (415) 826-6903 or email support@peninsulafoodrunners.org.

What Is “Donating in Good Faith” ?

Donating food in good faith means giving wholesome food or grocery products that are fit for human consumption to a non-profit organization for distribution to those in need, while also being free from gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

Donors should act with honesty,  without intention to harm or mislead and make a reasonable effort to ensure the food is safe.

Donors are generally protected from liability under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act unless they knowingly donate unsafe food or act with a reckless disregard for the health and safety of recipients. 

How do I donate correctly to Peninsula Food Runners?

• ✅ Yes to food for 10+ people (2 trays of any mix combination,  protein + vegetables or carbs are acceptable) but not 3 trays of rice only. Best to self-donate or refrigerate for the next donations. 
• ✅ Yes to whole fruits and produce, even with blemishes
• ✅ Yes to frozen packaged food even after expiration date
• ✅ Yes to expired snacks, food packages,  sauces or beverages
• ✅ Yes to expired unopened baby food past expiration date
• ❌ No to prepared food in trays or individually packaged food stored for more than 2 days in refrigeration.
• ❌ No to small pickups (e.g., 1 tray or condiments only)

Here are a couple of Expiration Guidelines by Food Banks  to help you determine if your food can be donated

• 2nd Harvest Expiration Guidelines
• Food Share Expiration Guidelines

Baby Food

• The Bump Food Expiration Guidelines

Cost of the Service?

• Our services are free and run 100% by Volunteers—including app developers and coordinators.
• We welcome financial support, matching gifts, or volunteer expertise to sustain operations.
  Make a financial donation

Usage and Updating of your Chowmatch Account

1.     Cancel regular food runs when no food is available
2.     Update donor instructions for volunteers when there is renovation or construction that requires a change in the route to your surroundings.
3.     Update contact info when staff changes occur.  
4.     ChowMatch has a phone app that makes updating your food quantities very convenient. ChowMatch is available in the App Store (For iPhone ) or in the Google Play Store (for Android ).
5. Reporting to the County

Annually around April – May, the county officials may request a donation report and a copy of your agreement with Peninsula Food Runners. You can easily access both through the ChowMatch platform.

To access your reports and agreement:

1.   Log in at ChowMatch.com using your email address.

• If you’ve forgotten your password, click “Forgot Password” to reset it.

2.   Navigate to Reports:

• Click “Donor” in the top-left corner.
• Then select “Donor Account & Reports.”

3.   View Reports and Agreement:

• Click the graph icons to explore your donation data.
• You can select a specific year or custom date range at the top of the reports.
• Your donor agreement is available to view, download, and print from the same area.

 Tip: Best Practice is to enter your food donation amount into the food run schedule for the day, which you can do easily on Chowmatch.  Presently, only an average amount is entered, but only you can provide the actual poundage each day. 

County reporting requires you to keep an accurate record to ensure you stay in compliance. If you haven’t already been entering donation amounts regularly, now is a great time to start updating your entries each donation day.

Do I have an account on your Chowmatch.com system?

If you are (or if one of your staff is) receiving automatic emails from us, then you already have an account on our Chowmatch.com system. 

How do I add another staff member to our account? 

• Please email support@peninsulafoodrunners.org 
• The name of the company
• The location (if multiple kitchens exist)
• The contact person’s first and last name, email address and cell phone number.

How Do I Add a New Location?

To add an additional location to your account, please follow these steps:

1. Log in to www.chowmatch.com using your email address.
2. If you don’t know your password, click “Forgot Password” and reset it.
3. Once logged in, click your name at the top right.
4. Then click “Donor Sign Up.”

You’ll be asked to complete a short form. Please be as detailed as possible when filling it out, especially the pickup instructions. This helps our volunteer drivers ensure a smooth pickup.

Details to Include in the Form:

• Primary contact name and cell phone number – someone who can confirm whether food is available and be alerted when the driver arrives.
• Backup contact name and cell phone number
• Clear directions to the kitchen – e.g., Is it at the front, back, left, or right side of the building?
• Where to park
• How to access the kitchen – Should the driver knock, call, or will the food be brought out?
• Preferred pickup time window
• What time does the kitchen close, and staff leave for the day?

Once you submit the form, we’ll review and approve the new location as soon as possible.

Scheduling a Run After Location Approval

After your new location is approved:

1. Click “Donor” at the top.
2. Select “Schedule Food Run.”
3. Choose the new location from the dropdown menu.
4. Schedule the food run – options include one-time, weekly, bi-weekly, etc.

If you have any questions or need help, feel free to reach out to us. Visit our Contact Us page for details.

We’re here to help!  

How do I use the phone app?

1. The Chowmatch phone app is convenient for anyone on the move. This app makes it easy to update each day’s donation in order to generate reports for your company’s accounting, for tax-write off receipt or for the county’s  “Record of Donations” 
2. ChowMatch app is available in on the following

For iPhone – FROM YOUR PHONE, tap:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chow-match/id1091954512?ls=1&mt=8 

For Android phone – FROM YOUR PHONE, tap: 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.chowmatch.chowmatch   

1. We recommend you add a couple of your  backup assistants to the Chowmatch phone app account in case you are not able to carry out this task. This will keep the tracking of donations daily updated and consistent. 

To add another staff member to the account, please email to support@peninsulafoodrunners.org the following information: the first and last name, their email address, cell phone number, name of your establishment or store location. 

If anyone from your account is receiving emails from us, then they already have an account on our Chowmatch.com system. Just login to the phone app with your email address. 

If you do not remember your password, go to our ChowMatch.com website, Click Login at the top right, click Forgot Password on the login screen, and follow the steps to choose your own password. 

1. Main Features often Used

Scheduling a Food Run from the Phone App

When you open the phone app, you will see the Option screen (Bars, Scheduler, Runs, History)

• Tap the “Scheduler” button at the top bar.
• Fill in the new run: “ Pickup date, Pickup Time, Type of Run, Food Type (Enter Amount) and Packaging Type), A short Summary of food,  any details of instructions regarding parking, location, contact.
• Tap “Continue” at the bottom.
• Choose what size vehicle is needed (standard size, SUV, etc).

• Click Additional Option if you want to enter Actual Value (Expense of food) and Market Value (What you could fetch if sold). These are for your receipts to be sent to your Accountant, 

• Tap Continue at the bottom and you should see a message saying “Scheduling” 

When it’s finished scheduling, it will say in RED at the top: “Your run has been scheduled. You will receive an email confirmation.” You should now be able to see your newly scheduled run.

It will also say: Status: Scheduled (meaning a runner is assigned), or Status: Pending Food Runner (if no runner is signed up yet). It will also show you if a run is canceled. 

Editing Donation Quantity in the Phone App (most applicable for regular pickups)

Click the “ChowMatch” icon on your phone. (White and black saucer like bowl icon)

Tap the Runs icon at the top bar above the “My Donor Runs” 

Look for the date of the food run you wish to edit/update. 

Tap the blue Edit button just ABOVE the run you wish to edit. 

This will bring you to the Edit Run screen. Verify you are on the correct run date! 

Enter your update of the food amounts. 

Click the “Submit” button at the bottom to save the changes. 

Cancelling a Food Run from the Phone App 

You can login with your email address. If you don’t know or remember your password, you can click Forgot Password and follow the steps to reset it.  

Tap the “Runs” icon at the top bar above the “My Donor Runs” 

View all your active “Schedule Runs”

Look for the date of the food run you want to cancel. 

Be sure to tap “Cancel This Run Only” And NOT TAP the “Cancel Permanently” 

Tap to CONFIRM the one-time cancellation.