Yet that's how America's Second Harvest does business. The group gets much of its food from large manufacturers like ConAgra, Kraft and General Mills. Often the items are production overruns or are too close to their expiration date to deliver to grocery stores. If a manufacturer finds itself with something to donate, it faxes the group's main office in Chicago with the specifics. Workers then type that information into an aging computer program that uses regional demographic data to make educated guesses about where the food might be most needed.
Someone then faxes a food bank in that area.
If it wants the food, workers there fax a response and make arrangements to pick up those items from the manufacturer. The process takes an average of six or seven days, time enough for some donated food to go bad. They're the ones who can really take advantage of premarinated meat and other prepared foods. Local agencies will be able to post reservations for the exact items they need, and they will be automatically linked with donors who can fulfil those needs. America's Second Harvest also will be able to show manufacturers exactly which items were donated by each of their remote warehouses, making it easier to seek appropriate deductions at tax time.