Charity???

Question

Okay, i'm 17 and i live in New York. I want to start a charity(or foundation or whatever it might be called) that would connect with places like Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, etc. and collect food from them which they throw out at the end of a day.

I know they do this because once i was eating at Dunking Donuts and they were just dumping bagels, donuts, etc. into bags and taking it outside to a large trashcan. It was a total waste of food!!

So anyway, my foundation would collect this food from the different places and bring them over to local(and maybe if the program gets expanded then national) homeless shelters, food banks, etc. so that people that cant afford their own food can atleast have something.

My question is what do i need to do to start this type of foundation?

What papers should i file?

Who should i contact?

Also is it possible for me to start this kind of project since i am 17 or do i have to be 18?

Any other information also helpfull...thanks!!!

Answer 1

Check out an organization called Second Harvest - they are doing a similar thing...

Answer 2

Do you know why the companies you mention don't do it themselves

They are worried about liability....If someone complains that the food made them sick after it was donated, the company has to defend a court case, but more importantly the bad press about their products that will slow sales to normal customers.

So they throw the stuff away to avoid liability...if someone gets sick eating garbage, it is not the donut companies fault.

Answer 3

Check out Food Not Bombs- (http://www.foodnotbombs.net/) they cook it up themselves and serve it to hungry people.  This would not be something you will make money doing.  It's simply to cut waste and feed hungry people.  

Corporations do not do this because they would be serving "substandard" food and there's supposedly legal ramifications.  Also, they're afraid cooks will "accidentally on purpose" cook too much so there will be more free food at closing time.  At McDonald's, the policy is for the manager  to smush all the leftover food so no one can fish it out of the dumpster it later.