On Friday, Feb. 26, Food Bank of Iowa received the first food rescue donation from Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bondurant.

With this food rescue program, Amazon will donate food every two weeks which Food Bank of Iowa will distribute to Iowans in need. The food will help feed Iowans in Central Iowa where Amazon’s employees live and work, as well as in many other communities across the food bank’s 55 county service area.

Food Bank of Iowa, a Feeding America food bank, opened in 1983 as a food rescuer and has been rescuing food ever since. The food bank carefully inspects donations from retailers and wholesalers, keeps the food safe and gets it out to food-insecure Iowans quickly via their comprehensive network of passionate partners. 

“I am pleased to work with Amazon to help fight food waste and feed Iowans,” said Michelle Book, president and CEO of Food Bank of Iowa. “It is wonderful to collaborate with another great community-minded partner.”

Since Amazon opened the Bondurant fulfillment center in December 2020, they have donated more than $50,000 worth of products to local nonprofits, including Food Bank of Iowa.

The first donation to Food Bank of Iowa from the new program with Amazon is valued at more than $30,000. It included shelf-stable essentials like baby food, rice, pasta and canned food. 

 “At Amazon, we leverage our scale for good and make investments to support communities,” said Brent Hagan, site leader at Amazon’s Bondurant fulfillment center. “We are proud to work with Food Bank of Iowa to get meals to doorsteps of people in need across the state.”

Food retailers who would like to join the food rescue effort can learn more at foodbankiowa.org/make-a-difference/donate-food or call Emily Shearer, Food Acquisition Program Manager, at 515-867-2894.