Our food bank partners welcome our donations, and for good reason. The bread and cookies you bake at home are safe to donate. Washington's guidelines, like those in other states, allow baked goods that don't require refrigeration. Community Loaves adds its own safety practices and standards on top of that, so every donation is one our partners can trust.
Why are bread and cookies safe to donate?
Bread and cookies are extremely low-risk for foodborne illness. Because they don't need refrigeration to stay safe, health departments generally allow them to be donated from home kitchens. Washington's Department of Health, for example, lists homemade baked goods such as breads and cookies among the foods charities may receive from donors.
Not every baked good qualifies. Only items that don't require refrigeration are safe to donate this way. Custard and cream pies, cheesecakes and anything with cream cheese frosting, for example, are not. That's one reason we bake only our signature program recipes.
Why food banks trust our donations
Some food banks were cautious about home-baked donations at first, mostly because of the logistics of receiving many different products from many individuals, inconsistent labeling, and making sure clients can see ingredient lists. Community Loaves solves those challenges by providing:
- Predictable, scheduled deliveries
- A single contact person for each food bank
- Detailed safety and food handling practices that every baker follows
- Standardized products: our delicious and nutritious bread and energy cookies
- Standardized packaging, with ingredients clearly listed
- Professional posters food banks can use to tell their clients about the baked goods
Just as important, food banks rarely receive the quality and nutrition that are baked into our signature recipes: wholesome loaves made with whole grains and simple ingredients, and nourishing energy cookies.
Together, our bakers have shared hundreds of thousands of loaves and energy cookies with food bank clients.
Do I need a permit or license?
No permit is needed to bake for Community Loaves. We partner directly with each food bank, and you follow our safety practices. Together, that's what makes your home-baked donation welcome.
How Community Loaves keeps donations safe
- Training: every baker attends our virtual volunteer orientation, which teaches and standardizes how we bake, package and deliver.
- A signed commitment: before baking, every baker reviews and signs our Safety Best Practices and Program Requirements, and re-signs each year to continue participating.
- Standard recipes and packaging: everyone bakes the same program recipes and uses our labeled packaging, with ingredients clearly listed.
State guidelines
Rules can vary by state and by food bank, and documenting every state's regulations is beyond the scope of our small organization. Here's what two of the states we bake in say:
Washington: Washington State Department of Health, Charity Food Donations
California: California Department of Public Health, Food Donations (PDF)
Questions about our donations and their safety? Contact us at info@communityloaves.org.