A Guide to getting involved in St. Pete Food Not Bombs

 

So, you’ve heard about this organization called FNB, realized that there is one in your town, and have decided you want to get involved.  Well, it’s not as easy as volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or the local soup kitchen for it is a non-hierarchical, community-building organization based some rather abstract concepts- voluntary mutual aid, egalitarianism and cooperation rather than competition (For more info., please see the appendix).  Sounds, pretty un-American, maybe down right communist, but wait, before you go off calling the new homeland security hotline set up by McCarthy, oops I mean Bush, give me a minute to remind you of the group’s name, Food Not Bombs.  That’s right, no violent terrorist planning here, but concepts just as scary like Anarchism and Non-Violence.  Well, so back to the point of this guide…with Food not Bombs complex ideals and unique structure, some folks find it hard to know how to get involved or what to do for FNB.  Non-hierarchal structures and consensus-based organizations can be confusing to new volunteers and even at times seem elitist.  But let me assure you that inclusiveness is highly valued by FNB volunteers.  This guide is an attempt to combat perceived elitism and make our FNB organization in St. Pete more inclusive.  So, this guide will be like a list of ways to get involved and make a contribution your own way.  It will begin with most common volunteer activities of regular Logistics, then move on to Promotion, Sustainability, and finally community-building beyond FNB.  This guide in no way is meant to be conclusive or comprehensive.  I am just one subjective mind based on my own life experiences, and just can’t think of everything.  If you noticed I left something out, please add to this or even make a whole new guide.




Basic Logistics

Promotion

Sustainability

Community Building beyond FNB

Appendix



 

Basic Logistics

Come To The Picnic

The first way most people get involved in FNB is by coming to our picnic in the park.  When you come, a vegetarian or vegan potluck item or drinks would be great to bring to share, or you can just come eat.  The first step to building a community is eating together no matter how diverse our economic, ethnic, or lifestyle background is. The concept egalitarianism leads us to attempt inclusiveness by recommending vegetarian and vegan, so that at least everyone can eat (Some folks in FNB take the ahimsa view, where diet is a part of the commitment to non-violence).  Just sharing food and conversation, and maybe a game or a song, allows us to find common ground while recognizing the realities of others life situations. Currently, we picnic in Williams Park in downtown St. Pete at 7PM on Friday Nights.

 

Offer to Serve/Share

Serving/sharing food to others is not to place barriers between individuals building community, but a reality of safe health measures.  Each volunteer should strive to place themselves on both sides of the banquet table sometimes, often these varied positions leads to new perspectives of understanding.  This is another reason why FNB does not have assigned roles, but rotates tasks between volunteers.   Some groups even have a weekly liaison to hand out flyers, as well as meet, greet, and explain FNB to passers by and the new volunteers. 

 

Cooking

An important aspect to many FNB groups, is seeing the picnic as a form of protest, or even direct action to regularly remind people of the saddening fact: that daily our government spends tremendous amounts of resources for war and military might, but very little to feed people, even while large amounts of perfectly good food is wasted daily due to consumer market practices.  Many FNB groups chose to focus their energies on collecting this food, and sharing it at the picnic.  This creates many ways for you to get involved, first by sharing your cooking skills at a local FNB cookhouse.  Usually, a few hours before the serving, volunteers gather at the pre-determined cookhouse to wash, chop, and cook the donations. We currently meet at the cookhouse about 5PM on Fridays, located at 2861 2nd Ave South #1, St. Pete.        

 

Food Donations Pickups

Food donations are usually picked up on the cook day or the night before and dropped off at the cookhouse before cooking begins.  This is a great way to get involved when cooking or picnic times conflict with our other life commitments.  Doing food donation pickups usually require a vehicle or good bike and bike cart. So join us to drive or bike for FNB.  In St. Pete, this is usually done on Thursday night or Friday morning/afternoon.

 

Getting Donations

Getting FNB new food donations from local businesses is another great way to get involved, especially if you’re a people person or the outgoing socialite with a great local network of business-owner friends.  FNB usually gets food from produce stands, grocery stores, health food stores, local bakeries, delis and restaurants.  A donation request letter is listed in the appendix for you to copy and give to the appropriate manager, along with a copy of the Good Samaritan Act, to show the business manager that the state has protected them from donation related liabilities.

 

Gleaning

Another great way FNB groups collect food that would normally get wasted is by Gleaning.  This is when FNB volunteers go pick vegetables and fruits that are not being harvested.  This could be as easy as picking, and maybe juicing, all that citrus in your neighbors yard to bring to FNB.  Just make sure to ask first. Often times many elderly folks living in Florida would love the help, especially during the hotter months.  Next time you’re walking or biking around your hood, stop by and meet your neighbors and offer some help.  This is a great project to do with your children, and their troupes or teams on a weekend morning.  This is great way to build community locally, reduce yard waste, and feed the less fortunate folks at FNB picnics rather than the local fruit rats.  Sometimes gleaning is organized where groups of volunteers go out to local farms, and pick left over fruits and veggies after the commercial harvest is over.  One local faith based group locally is the Gleaners of Hillsborough County, call them at 813-689-8621, and plan an outing for FNB. 

 

Providing a Cookhouse

Most great cooks, have not only cookbooks, but also an amazing array of appliances and gadgets to fill their spacious kitchen.  If you’re one of those people who spend most of your free time at home in the kitchen, then maybe you would like to share your knowledge, skills, tools, and space by getting involved in FNB.  Centrality and convenience is a must so pickups and volunteers can make their way to your place, so please keep this in mind when deciding to offer up your place.  Often cookhouse residents and FNB volunteers will create a contract (not legal of course, this is anarchism) to explain to cooking volunteers the social graces and expectations of the cookhouse residents.  Although, we don’t have rotating cookhouses locally yet, they could reduce burnout and bring a variety of new volunteers from differing neighborhoods and social groups.

 

Transportation

If you have a van, SUV, or truck, a great way to get involved is by offering rides to the many non-driving individuals we find in our sprawling metropolis of Da’ Burg, as well as the pots of food, tables, and literature/paper product bin.  Often all the people at the cook house are car-less, they may take a bus or ride a bike, but it’s rather hard to put large pots of soup on your handle bars, and food may be cold before one can meander the system of few running times and not so direct routes that our mass transit currently offers.  Some groups have bike carts to get the food from the cookhouse to the picnic, but that is not yet the local reality.  So, get that tanker fueled up, and drive for FNB about 6:45 PM on Friday nights from the cookhouse.

Clean-Up

Hey, we all know what this means: Dishes and Cleaning.  Take this job on some week, and combat that silly argument against anarchism, “If there was no government, or capitalism, then who would pick up the garbage?”  This usually means, picking up in the park after the picnic, doing the communal dishes, and can even mean sweeping and mopping the cookhouse kitchen after cooking, before the picnic.  This is also something special for us men (yes I am a dude, if you could not already tell) to take on in order to combat the stifling oppression of patriarchy, and to subvert gender roles. 




Child Care

Yes, if we are really going to try to build community with everyone that must include parents.  Babysitting is fun because kids are amazing and we can learn so much from them.  So, offer to provide childcare so that parents can come out and enjoy volunteering too.  This could be done, in your home, their home, the cookhouse, or at the picnic during the times needed so parents can volunteer the way they wish.  This is usually done by announcing your willingness to take on this task via the Internet communications or at the picnic.

 

The Paper/Literature Bin

This is the container that most groups have containing plates, bowls, cups, plastic wear, napkins, salt, pepper and especially the literature to set out at the picnic, so people understand who we are and what we are doing.  This task includes shopping and restocking paper products as well as photocopying literature and flyers about FNB.  It’s not a hard way to volunteer but rather essential, so try taking this on occasionally.




Promotion

Designing Literature

Well, maybe cooking is not your thing, and you’re not quite a people person, but you do love computers and design.  Most FNB groups get new volunteers by word of mouth and flyers.  Hence, well-designed flyers are essential, so one very important way to get involved is by designing promotional flyers, handbills, pamphlets, posters about FNB directed for specific audiences that may not be represented currently at the picnic or volunteering.  Maybe you could design a couple or maybe you know a different language and could translate them to reach out to more diverse folks.  Also, the pamphlets describing FNB at the picnic and used in tabling, often look out of date (rightfully so since most are two decades old) and need a new post modern touch in design or even writing style, maybe you could use your writing skills or humor to make them more enjoyable.  Most basic texts can be downloaded from the FNB website, or are available at the picnics.




Tabling and Flyering

So, maybe you’re like me, can barely download music and check your email, so computer design is out. Or like me, your concept of design is still in the age of cut and paste text on old pictures from thrift shop books.  Yeah, so design is not your thing, but you love going to events and talking to new people.  FNB always needs people to constantly be doing promotion by tabling and flyering at events, shows or concerts.  Just grab or download some flyers, photocopy them, and off you go.  If you don’t like handing them to people, you could just take them with you to school, venues, shops, any place you find yourself, and just leave a stack here and there.

 

Printing Posters and Stickers

Another way to promote FNB is by posters and stickers, so maybe a late night at Kinko’s sounds fun to you.  Stickers can be made on copy machines at most copy centers, and they usually even have the sticker paper there.  Or maybe you or a friend works at a professional print or sign shop, and could make hundreds of vinyl window stickers or posters, and even bumper stickers.  You can find tons of FNB graphics on the Internet, and this is a great way to volunteer by promoting FNB.

Artistry- Banners and Puppets

Well, hopefully someone out there reading this is an artist and likes painting or building giant puppets.  You could volunteer with St. Pete FNB by making a few banners for display at the picnics, as well as during tabling events and protests.  Giant puppets also add a festive feel to FNB picnics or events, and are easy to build. They are a great craft project to do with the children in your life.  Banners can be made as easily as painting on a flag or sheet, but watch out for those new Flag desecration laws.  If you need some direction on building puppets or doing political theatre in general, Wise Fools Handbook is a must, and available locally at Starbooty (See appendix for the address).




Screen Printing

If painting is not your thing, maybe woodcut printmaking, or screen-printing is.  The best way you can personally promote FNB is by wearing a T-shirt, or a patch.  But someone has to make those stylish shirts first, and maybe that someone could be you.  Printed posters are another great thing if you’ve got these skills, and makes for a great fun night with friends. A much better night than being force-fed advertising disguised as entertainment at places like Baywalk, while being charged for it.  St.Pete FNB could specifically use some t-shirts right now for we do not have any.

 

Sustainability

Staple, Spice, and Other Drives

Fruits and vegetables make up the mainstay of the food shared at FNB, but sometimes they need a little more bulk and flavoring.  Spices and staples, like rice, pasta, beans and other grains, are often needed and sometimes have to be purchased with scarce FNB funds, as well as plates, bowls, cups, napkins, and plastic ware.  One way a new volunteer can get involved in FNB is by hosting a drive for these products at their school, work, church, or social group.  It’s as easy as getting a few large boxes and selectively placing them in high traffic areas, maybe an announcement or flyers explaining the drive, and you’re off.  The hard part is sorting all the items, and getting a truck or car big enough to transport them; you may need to make many trips.  Focusing the drive on a specific group of products is often the easiest and most successful route, you could do a spice drive one month and a staple, paper product, clothing, or even toiletries drive the next.  Focusing like this means less sorting for you, and fewer choices for the donors makes it easier for them to remember and give regularly at each one.  Recently, my friend Heather did a clothing drive for FNB at work, she received so many clothes and shoes (numerous carloads) that she had to take some of it to the local women’s shelter.  These are easy and allow you to physically see your hard work, so try organizing one.

 

Fundraising- Benefit Shows and Events

FNB funds are always needed but often scarce.  Often people ask why you need them at all, but let me explain.  Things in our society cost money whether we like capitalism or not.  By not having FNB funds, a local group can fall into the power relationships common in our society.  Unfortunately, money equals power in our society, therefore, when a local group lacks collective money and needs to buy things (like a food item to finish a great dish, pay for web or voicemail services, purchase large pots, outdoor kitchen supplies, or even bike carts), more well off individual members often fund things. This can create a situation where some have more power or feel special entitlements, and funding can focus the group in the direction certain individuals think is best.  Resource disparities in non-hierarchical groups can be and have been historically problematic, we all know that those with the dough usually run the show, hence collective funds are a great way to avoid such traps.  So, now that we have established the importance of fundraisers, maybe as a new volunteer you would like to organize an event or show to benefit FNB.  This could be a local concert, art show, dance, kegger, garage sale, bake sale, car wash, dinner party or even a bowl-a-thon.  A great one historically put on by FNB groups around the state is the music fest and Prom not Bombs, a punk rock dance or second chance prom.  Organizing an event is not hard but takes some planning, so here are the basics.  First you decide the type of event, venue (a list of local venues and contacts is in the appendix), bands/entertainment, and the date/time.  Then, you’ve got to promote it like hell; flyers, posters, and press releases/announcements to local newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and web list servers (some contacts are listed in the appendix).  It is highly recommended to do this at least a month before, and then again the week before, an event to remind people and get a good attendance.  Lastly, remember to round up some volunteers for the day of the event, so you and your significant other can sleep the night before, not be up doing last minute details.  If work is not shared an event can be no fun for the cranky organizers, volunteers, and create a bad feeling for participants.




Organizing School or College Clubs

If your are a student, there are tons of resources you can access by starting a FNB group on your campus or high school, as well as it is a great way to meet other like minded students and get them involved.  For most schools, this first means finding a faculty advisor, a few friends, a bit of paper work, and then planning a first meeting.  Many colleges have volunteer fairs for school groups the first month of class, so it is good idea to get things set up right away since this is the best way to promote the group.  Other ways of promotion include flyers, posters, and sidewalk chalk.  The first meeting should be fun and informative (maybe some free food, a video, or speaker), leave the business/ paper work to second, so one can see who plans to really get involved and to not scare people away with commitment the first night.

 

Organizing Trainings and Meetings

As new volunteers get involved, sometimes it can seem like seasoned FNB volunteers speak a whole other language. Especially if you attend a meeting run by consensus; no voting, gatekeepers, vibes watcher, hand signals…it can be rather confusing.  Most FNB groups have some kind of weekly meetings, usually at the serving; so all people in the community can be involved.  One thing a new volunteer can do to get involved is organizing a training to learn the meeting agenda style, and system of consensus.  Organizing a training is like planning any other event, chose the time, location, find trainers, and begin the promotion process (see section on Fundraising- Benefit Shows and Events and Organizing School or College Clubs for relevant tips).  Some common FNB related trainings include consensus, non-violence, direct action, political theatre, and diversity or anti-oppression, as well as gender circles.  Local trainers are available in this area, for these email grommit77@juno.com, or the FNB website (http://www.stpetefnb.org)

Building Green Technology

Many people involved with FNB also try to live a lifestyle that leaves a light footprint on the earth.  They do this in many ways: driving less, taking mass transit or riding a bike, reducing consumption by shopping at thrift stores or sewing their clothes, recycling and reusing, eating locally grown food, gardening or farming to grow their own food, reducing water, gas/electric usage, using solar power and green technology.   FNB groups often do this too by using bike carts to transport food and even using solar power and green technology to cook FNB’s gourmet cuisine.  One way new volunteers who have mechanical inclination and like building stuff can get involved is by building solar cookers, rocket stoves and ovens, insulated cookers.  These use fewer resources, are fun to build and use, but do require more cooking time and space.  They can be great, but require additional planning by FNB volunteers.  In formation about these can be found online, by calling Aprovecho Research Center at (541) 942-8198, or can be found locally in Seedhead Zine or Capturing HEAT from Star Booty (address in appendix).

 

Community Building beyond FNB

 

Literature Distribution

Radical literature distribution is a fun community-building project for the bookworm. It can be a mail order, tabling at events and shows, or consignment project at local businesses (like Starbooty).  It can be as easy as ordering extra copies of a zine, getting some pamphlets you really liked reading, then photocopying and handing them out or even getting donations for them. As you begin to have to pay more for books you may want to set prices to make sure you can pay your distributors, like AK press and others (remember to ask for a wholesale rate). For literature contact DMM distribution at grommit77@juno.com, Downward Mobility at www.downwardmoblityLW.org, or AK Press at www.akpress.org.

 

Info Shops

Infoshops/radical libraries have been a tradition around the state of Florida, and are the logical outgrowth out of FNB and literature distribution projects.  They are space for literature, meetings, shows and events, often cookhouses for FNB.  Shows, memberships, and lots of donations and fundraising have financed most of them.  They are a great project but a lot of work, one example currently is the Civic Media Center in Gainesville, but many have existed around the state in the past, like Third Place in Venice, CORE in St. Pete, Stone Soup Collective in Orlando, and others in Tally, Pensacola, Tampa and Sarasota.  (St. Pete’s own, developing radical library is ‘Logan’s Library’…See www.stpetefnb.org/loganslibrary)

 

Pirate/Community Radio

Pirate radio is another fun project, but somewhat time consuming and complicated. For books on starting a station, contact AK press.  Community radio is another project not currently in Da’ Burg, but we can hear WMNF (88.5 FM) from Tampa.

 

Others

Other great community building projects to start in St. Pete include Community Gardens, Community supported Agriculture (CSA) Organic Farms, like Sweetwater in Tampa (www.sweetwater-organic.org), Critical Mass, Bikes Not Bombs, Books for Prisoners, Cooperatives, Co-housing, and Intentional Communities.  For more information about these, search on the Internet.

Appendix

Venue List for Booking Benefits Shows

The Emerald Bar

550 Central Ave.

727-898-6054

Contact Krisy Thursday after 10 PM

 

The Globe Café

1st Ave N. and 5th St. N.

727-898-5282 (Joellen)

 

The State Theatre

687 Central Ave.

Email Tony at Noclubs@tampabay.rr.com

 

The Uptown Bar

658 Central Ave.

727-463-0567 (Please, No Moshing)

 

Press Source List

WMNF 88.5

813-238-8001

psa@wmnf.org

 

The Weekly Planet

Send PSA to: The List, 810 N. Howard, Tampa, FL 33606

Fax: 813-739-4801

Online form at http://www.creativeloafing.com/tampa/survey.htm

 

Star Booty

681 Central Ave.

727-895-STAR

 

FNB Related  Literature (available at Star Booty or AK Press)

World FNB Operation Manual

Food Not Bombs Handbook

CORE Consensus Reader

Handbook of Non-Violence

Wise Fools Basics

Manual on Co-operation

Every Thing You Want to Know about Anarchism…

Kropotkin’s Mutual Aid

The Nature of Cooperation

Off Their Backs

Cultural Etiquette

Breaking Old Patterns, Weaving New Ties

An Appeal to the Young

A White Persons Reader on Racism

A Reader for Men 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donation Request Letter

http://www.tampafnb.org/donatefoodform.doc

 

        FOOD NOT BOMBS

 

The date

 

 

Dear manager,

 

Food not Bombs would like to pick up any surplus food you might have. Food not Bombs is a non-profit organization that delivers food to local shelters and soup kitchens, as well as serving it ourselves to the hungry.

 

Food Not Bombs prides itself in being prompt and reliable in both its pickups and deliveries.

 

Your store will benefit in knowing your surplus food is really reaching those in need. Many storeowners have seen a saving in waste disposal fees and taxes.

 

Please contact us and tell us when it would be most convenient to pick up your surplus. Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Your name

Volunteer

 

 






 Text of Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act

PUBLIC LAW 104-210

An Act

To encourage the donation of food and grocery products to nonprofit organizations for distribution to needy individuals by giving the Model Good Samaritan Food Donation Act the full force and effect of law.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

    (a) Conversion to Permanent Law.--Title IV of the National and
Community Service Act of 1990 is amended--
      (1) by striking the title heading and sections 401
          and 403 (42 U.S.C. 12671 and 12673); and
      (2) in section 402 (42 U.S.C.12672)--
      (A) in the section heading, by striking ``model'' and
      inserting ``Bill Emerson'';
      (B) in subsection (a), by striking ``Good Samaritan'' and
      inserting ``Bill Emerson Good Samaritan'';
      (C) in subsection (b)(7), to read as follows:
       ``(7) Gross negligence.--The term `gross negligence' means
             voluntary and conscious conduct (including a failure to act)
             by a person who, at the time of the conduct, knew that the
             conduct was likely to be harmful to the health or well-being
             of another person.'';
      (D) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
         (c) Liability for Damages From Donated Food and Grocery Products.--
         (1) Liability of person or gleaner.--A person or gleaner
              shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability arising
              from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of apparently
              wholesome food or an apparently fit grocery product that
              the person or gleaner  donates in good faith to a
              non-profit organization for ultimate distribution to needy
              individuals.
         (2) Liability of non-profit organization.--A non-profit
              organization shall not be subject to civil or criminal
              liability arising from the  nature, age, packaging, or
              condition of apparently wholesome food or an    apparently
              fit grocery product that the non-profit organization
              received as a donation in good faith from a person or
              gleaner for ultimate distribution to needy individuals.
         (3) Exception.--Paragraphs (1) and (2) shall not apply to an
              injury to or death of an ultimate user or recipient of the
              food or grocery product that results from an act or
              omission of the person, gleaner, or non-profit
              organization, as applicable, constituting gross negligence
              or intentional misconduct.''; and 
      (E) in subsection (f), by adding at the end the following:
      ``Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede State
      or local health regulations.''.
        (b) Transfer to Child Nutrition Act of 1966.--Section 402 of
            the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.12672)
            (as amended by subsection (a))--
          (1) is transferred from the National and Community
              Service Act of 1990 to the Child Nutrition Act of 1966;
          (2) is redesignated as section 22 of the Child Nutrition
              Act of 1966; and 
          (3) is added at the end of such Act.
      (c) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents for the
            National and Community Service Act of 1990 is amended by
            striking the items relating to title IV.
 

SECTION 1.
CONVERSION TO PERMANENT LAW OF MODEL GOOD SAMARITAN FOOD DONATION ACT AND TRANSFER OF THAT ACT TO CHILD NUTRITION ACT OF 1966.

SECTION OF THE NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT OF 1990 THAT WAS AMENDED BY THE EMERSON GOOD SAMARITAN FOOD DONATION ACT:

Public Law No. 101-610, 104 Stat. 3183 (codified at 42 U.S.C. 12671-12673) (1990)

TITLE IV- FOOD DONATIONS
SEC. 401. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING ENACTMENT OF GOOD SAMARITAN FOOD DONATION ACT.

(a) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of Congress that each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States should
(1) encourage the donation of apparently wholesome food or grocery products to nonprofit organizations for distribution to needy individuals; and
(2) consider the model Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (provided in section 402) as a means of encouraging the donation of food and grocery products.

(b) DISTRIBUTION OF COPIES. -The Archivist of the United States shall distribute a copy of this title to the chief executive officer of each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States.

SEC. 402. MODEL GOOD SAMARITAN FOOD DONATION ACT.

(a) SHORT TITLE. —This section may be cited as the "Good Samaritan Food Donation Act".

(b) DEFINITIONS. —As used in this section:
(1) APPARENTLY FIT GROCERY PRODUCT.—The term "apparently fit grocery product" means a grocery product that meets a quality and labeling standards imposed by Federal, State, and local laws and regulations even though the product may not be readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplus, or other conditions.
(2) APPARENTLY WHOLESOME FOOD. —The term "apparently wholesome food" means food that meets all quality and labeling standards imposed by Federal, State, and local laws and regulations even though the food may not be readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplus, or other conditions.
(3) DONATE.—The term "donate" means to give without requiring anything of monetary value from the recipient, except that the term shall include giving by a nonprofit organization to another nonprofit organization, notwithstanding that the donor organization has charged a nominal fee to the donee organization, if the ultimate recipient or user is not required anything of monetary value.
(4) FOOD.—The term "food" means any raw, cooked, processed, or prepared edible substance, ice, beverage, or ingredient used or intended for use in whole or in part for human consumption.
(5) GLEANER. —The term "gleaner" means a person who harvests for free distribution to the needy, or for donation to a nonprofit organization for ultimate distribution to the needy, an agricultural crop that has been donated by the owner.
(6) GROCERY PRODUCT. —The term "grocery product" means a nonfood grocery product, including a disposable paper or plastic product, household cleaning product, laundry detergent, cleaning product, or miscellaneous household item.
(7) GROSS NEGLIGENCE.—The term "gross negligence" means voluntary and conscious conduct by a person with knowledge (at the time of the conduct) that the conduct is likely to be harmful to the health or well-being of another person.
(8) INTENTIONAL MISCONDUCT.—The term "intentional misconduct" means conduct by a person with knowledge (at the time of the conduct) that the conduct is harmful to the health or well-being of another person.
(9) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term "nonprofit organization" means an incorporated or unincorporated entity that —-
(A) is operating for religious, charitable, or educational purposes; and
(B) does not provide net earnings to, or operate in any other manner that inures to the benefit of, any officer, employee, or shareholder of the entity.
(10) PERSON.—The term "person" means an individual, corporation, partnership, organization, association, or governmental entity, including a retail grocer, wholesaler, hotel, motel, manufacturer, restaurant, caterer, farmer, and nonprofit food distributor or hospital. In the case of a corporation, partnership, organization, association, or governmental entity, the term includes an officer, director, partner, deacon, trustee, council member, or other elected or appointed individual responsible for the governance of the entity.

(c)LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES FROM DONATED FOOD AND GROCERY PRODUCTS. - A person or gleaner shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability arising from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of apparently wholesome food or an apparently fit grocery product that the person or gleaner donates in good faith to a nonprofit organization for ultimate distribution to needy individuals, except that this paragraph shall not apply to an injury to or death of an ultimate user or recipient of the food or grocery product that results from an act or omission of the donor constituting gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

(d) COLLECTION OR GLEANING OF DONATIONS.—A person who allows the collection or gleaning of donations on property owned or occupied by the person by gleaners, or paid or unpaid representatives of a nonprofit organization, for ultimate distribution to needy individuals shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability that arises due to the injury of death of the gleaner or representative, except that this paragraph shall not apply to an injury or death that results from an act or omission of the person constituting gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

 (e) PARTIAL COMPLIANCE.—If some or all of the donated food and grocery products do not meet all quality and labeling standards imposed by Federal, State, and local laws and regulations, the person or gleaner who donates the food and grocery products shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability in accordance with this section if the nonprofit organization that receives the donated food or grocery products-
(1) is informed by the donor of the distressed or defective condition of the donated food or grocery products;
(2) agrees to recondition the donated food or grocery products to comply with all the quality and labeling standards prior to distribution; and
(3) is knowledgeable of the standards to properly recondition the donated food or grocery product.
(f) CONSTRUCTION.—This section shall not be construed to create any liability.

SEC. 403. EFFECT OF SECTION. 402

The model Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (provided in section 402) is intended only to serve as a model law for enactment by the States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States. The enactment of section 402 shall have no force or effect in law.

http://www.usda.gov/news/pubs/gleaning/appc.htm