Do Grocery Stores Donate Food and Gift Cards to Fundraisers?

Yes, many grocery stores donate to fundraisers, but mostly food for the event rather than gift cards, and usually through your local store. Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market and The Fresh Market handle requests at the store. Wegmans, Kroger and ALDI take requests online. Gift cards are the exception: The Fresh Market lists them, Kroger lets you ask for one, and Whole Foods says its in-kind program does not provide them.

Two limits are worth knowing first. Several grocers allow one donation per organization per year. And several want your request weeks ahead, in a specific format. This guide sets out what each grocer's own giving page says, so you can ask the right store for the right thing.

Two kinds of grocery giving

One kind is surplus food: unsold products that stores pass to food banks. Trader Joe's, for example, says its Neighborhood Shares program donates products that go unsold but are safe to eat to local food banks and food recovery partners. That matters if you run a pantry. It is not how you get food for a school carnival.

The other kind is event donations, with their own rules: food for a volunteer meal, water for a walk, a gift basket for a silent auction. That is what this guide covers.

Grocer by grocer

Every detail below comes from the company's own giving page. Programs change, so read the page again before you ask.

What each grocer asks for

Trader Joe's: the store's Donation Coordinator

Trader Joe's says it handles all product donation requests in its stores, and each store has a designated Donation Coordinator. It donates only to 501(c)(3) organizations with a valid, current tax ID. Put your request in writing on your letterhead with your tax ID, explain what your organization does, why you need the donation and what you are asking for, and have someone from your group deliver it to the store at least three weeks before you need it.

The limit that surprises people: food and beverage donations are capped at one per year per organization from the whole company, not one from every Trader Joe's near you. Choose the event where it matters most.

Whole Foods Market: product, not gift cards

Whole Foods says its In-Kind Donation program is led by store leadership and supports 501(c)(3) organizations in the communities around its stores. You apply by reaching out to your local store. Gift cards, alcohol and money are not provided through this program, and it does not donate to individuals, political candidates or organizations, or for-profit organizations. If you need a raffle prize, ask for a product your guests would want, not a gift card.

The Fresh Market: the widest menu

The Fresh Market lists the broadest range of any grocer here: gift cards, food trays, gift baskets, bottled water and other store items, for fundraising events, walks and runs, and other community programs. Take a written request on your organization's letterhead, with a valid tax ID and details of what you need, to your local store in person at least four weeks ahead. It has a special focus on hunger-related causes, and also supports health, youth, arts and education.

Wegmans: online, and read the no-list first

Wegmans says it welcomes requests that fit its priorities: hunger relief, health, education and economic mobility, youth support, and community and collaboration. Requests go through its online system only. Its list of requests it cannot accommodate includes requests from individuals for personal endeavors and discounted gift card programs. It also does not permit selling or leafleting on its property, though it says it can consider a donation in lieu of that.

Kroger: say which kind of support you want

Kroger's giving guidelines ask you to choose the type of support: a cash donation, a gift card, or food and product. Requests go online, from 501(c)(3) organizations, at least four weeks before your event, and Kroger asks you to allow up to four weeks for a response. Its focus areas include hunger relief, health and nutrition, and education and youth development.

ALDI: gift cards that cover food costs

ALDI's Community Gift Card Program gives gift cards to local nonprofits, including schools, so they can cover food costs for after-school and out-of-school programs. It focuses on children's health and wellness and on food insecurity. Applications go through ALDI's online system only, and ALDI asks you to allow four to six weeks for review. This is a program grant in gift-card form, not a raffle prize.

Lowes Foods: the store manager decides

Lowes Foods, a grocer in North and South Carolina, says all product donations are made through its stores, so you contact the store manager where you shop. Its priorities are feeding the hungry, nutrition, education and Scouting. It separately runs Cart 2 Cash, where nonprofits buy Lowes Foods gift cards at a discount to raise funds. That is a purchase program, not a donation.

Wawa and Costco

Wawa offers soft pretzels or Wawa water, which must be picked up at a local store and cannot be resold at your event, or a gift basket of Wawa items and coupons for a silent auction. Your event must be at least three weeks from your online submission, and each organization is eligible for one in-kind donation per calendar year.

Costco takes monetary requests only, from 501(c)(3) organizations focused on children, education, or health and human services. Local requests are handled at the warehouse level on a printed form, and Costco Shop Cards may be issued in place of the money or items you asked for. Its own pages give two lead times: the FAQ asks for at least three months for dated events, while the warehouse donation form says to submit at least four to six weeks before an event. Ask your warehouse which applies. Costco considers one request per organization per fiscal year (September to August).

Match the ask to the store

• Feeding volunteers or a concession stand? Ask Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or The Fresh Market for food.
• Need water for a walk or run? The Fresh Market lists bottled water and names walks and runs; Wawa offers its water.
• Filling a silent auction? The Fresh Market's gift baskets and Wawa's gift basket are made for it.
• Want a gift card? Ask The Fresh Market, or request one from Kroger. Don't ask Whole Foods: its in-kind program does not provide them.

Before you walk in

Store-level programs reward groups that come prepared. Bring one page on your letterhead with your tax ID, your event and date, and a single specific ask. Our guide to who approves donation requests explains how to tell a store decision from a corporate one, and the restaurant and local company ask sheet gives you a walk-in script and a leave-behind page. Count back from your event using how far in advance to request donations, since these grocers ask for anything from three weeks to three months.

For more food donors, see restaurants that donate to fundraisers and the food category of the directory.