Programs - Food Recovery Partners - Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy

Volunteer putting produce on floor at food shelf

Food Recovery Partners

Food Recovery Partners is an R&E program that supports the diversion of edible food from the waste stream to people who need it. Partners are established organizations that implement ongoing food recovery and gleaning programs in Ramsey and Washington counties. Partners enter into a yearly agreement with R&E to recover a significant, agreed-upon amount of edible food for distribution to people in need.

2026 Food Recovery Partners

The Good Acre (LEAFF Program)

The Good Acre (LEAFF Program)

The Good Acre unlocks economic opportunities for farmers through a unique combination of personalized support and market development. The unique model simultaneously supports farmers exploring wholesale opportunities and expands food access for our communities. The LEAFF program incentivizes farmers to harvest excess crops; farmers are paid full, fair market price and then donate that first-choice produce to hunger relief efforts. In 2025, the program recovered 165,000 pounds of produce, which equates to almost 140,000 meals.

Basic Needs, Inc. of South Washington County

Basic Needs Inc. of South Washington County is dedicated to strengthening community food security by rescuing surplus, high-quality food that would otherwise go to waste. As a Food Recovery Partner, they are expanding recovery efforts to rescue over 262,000 pounds of food in 2026. By collaborating with local grocers and restaurants, they ensure that nutritious, diverse food options reach the community through equitable models like client-choice distribution. Their goal is to reduce waste while providing essential support to households experiencing food insecurity in our region.

St. Paul Farmers Market (Produce for the People)

Produce for the People is a food recovery program that helps get quality, local produce to food shelves across Ramsey and Washington counties. This program helps local farmers by reimbursing them for excess produce given to the program at $1 per pound. Another pillar of this program is to divert food waste to those in need. The program distributes food from local farmers to the community from July to the end of October.

Open Cupboard

Open Cupboard’s food rescue program operates at the intersection of waste reduction and food access, intercepting surplus food from retail partners, distributors and farms before it exits the food system. In 2025 alone, the program rescued over 2.4 million pounds of food, redistributing it to support the 7,000+ weekly shopping trips across their programs. By closing the gap between food surplus and community need, the program reduces systemic waste while expanding access to fresh, nutritious food.

White Bear Area Food Shelf

White Bear Area Food Shelf has been a reliable food safety net since 1977. With two permanent locations, mobile markets and pantries across the northeast suburbs, neighbors can choose fresh produce, frozen meat, deli, dairy, bakery and culturally connected staples five days per week. Community Market offers food rescued from nine local grocery stores with fresh deliveries every morning. Food rescue makes up 30% of all food distributed through White Bear Area Food Shelf programs and includes items that are too expensive for the food shelf to purchase, like ready-to-eat meals, specialty bakery and a wide variety of deli items. Their partnership with R&E equipped the market with the freezers and coolers necessary to preserve this abundance so it is enjoyed by families and not put in the trash.

Food Recovery Partner Application Information

To qualify for partnership, organizations must:

Demonstrate three consecutive years of experience conducting food recovery or gleaning activities.
Ensure all food recovery and gleaning associated with this service agreement takes place in Ramsey and/or Washington counties.
Distribute all recovered food free of charge to people in need in Ramsey and/or Washington counties.
If operating a physical location, manage food waste through organics recycling, food-to-animal programs and/or on-site composting.
If participating as a Gleaning Partner, provide payment to farmers for recovered produce.
Submit quarterly reports detailing the amount of food recovered and distributed in the previous three-month period.
If renewing, submit an annual workplan to R&E by November 1 outlining planned activities and goals for the upcoming calendar year.

Eligible organizations include food shelves, food banks and gleaning organizations.

For more detailed information, download full program guidelines here.

Food Rescue Partners

Food Rescue Partners are eligible for up to $40,000 based on their minimum annual food rescue poundage and an additional $10,000 in incentives for a maximum total of $50,000 annually. Food Rescue Partners engage in food recovery, which is the collection of surplus food from grocery stores, distributors and other sources of safe and edible food for redistribution to people who need it. Organizations must recover a minimum of 100,000 pounds of food annually in Ramsey and Washington counties to be eligible for partnership.

Gleaning Partners

Gleaning Partners are eligible for up to $50,000 annually based on amount of food recovered. Gleaning Partners engage in gleaning, which is defined as the harvest and/or recovery of surplus produce from farms and/or farmers’ markets for donation to people in need. Organizations must glean a minimum of 35,000 pounds of fresh, surplus produce annually in Ramsey and Washington counties to be eligible for partnership.

Food Bank Partners

Food Bank Partners are eligible for up to $15,000 annually for food recovery work in Ramsey and Washington counties. Food Banks store food in bulk for delivery to local food distribution programs such as food shelves, food pantries and meal locations. Organizations must recover a minimum of 100,000 pounds of food annually in Ramsey and Washington counties to be eligible for partnership.

The Food Recovery Partner Application deadline for 2026 closed on March 13. Check back for future opportunities to apply or reach out to us at programs@recyclingandenergy.org for more information.

Download the Food Recovery Partners Annual Workplan here.