Member Services

Foodlink's food bank is only as strong as the members within its network.

Below you will find information, resources, and access to trainings to help you better serve those in need of food assistance. To connect with a member of the Foodlink team, please email: memberservices@foodlinkny.org. Thank you for your partnership! 

Agency Advisory Committee

The Agency Advisory Committee (AAC) comprises representatives from member agencies. The AAC reviews and advises on Foodlink policies and procedures, and assists with new initiatives and strategic plans. This group meets quarterly.

Members

Carol Dodge, Salvation Army – Wellsville 

Katrina Chaffee, Genesee/Orleans CAP

Molly Cummings, Foodlink Board 

Deb MacLean, Geneseo Groveland

Dan Astuto, Mission Share

Carmen Allen, Beyond the Sanctuary

Charles Brown, Northside Church

Les Moore, Wellspring Church

Chris Ehlers, Seneca/Cayuga CAP

Shannon Brown, Wayne CAP

Lisa Barrett, Newark Food Closet

Robert Williams (Chair), Open Door Mission

This group meets quarterly with Foodlink’s Member Services team.

Foodlink Policies and Ordering Resources

Ordering Training

Foodlink requires any individual who will be ordering or shopping with us to attend our ordering orientation. To register or learn more, contact the Member Services Manager or visit our library of training resources.

Credit & Return Policy

When requesting a return or credit, email Member Services with the following information within TWO BUSINESS DAYS of your delivery:

• Your Agency Code
• Order Number
• Item code(s) and quantities of product being credited/returned.
• Reason for credit/return request.

Member Services will work with you to approve the credit/return of the items.

• If making a return, we will arrange to pick up the product with your next delivery.
• If product is damaged, we will ask you to safely dispose of the product at your own facilities.
• DO NOT mark or write on the product. You will not be able to return product if you have written on it.
• We do not accept returns for frozen and perishable items (incl. bread, produce, & dairy). Contact us if there are issues with this product.

Billing & Payment

• Invoices and monthly statements are available on the PWW online Portal under the MyDocs tab.
• We encourage sites to send payments for the total due balance on your monthly statements once per month, rather than sending payments for each invoice separately.
• We accept payment via an organizational check or credit/debit card. To submit payment via a credit or debit card please complete this form prior to your first payment. No personal checks, money orders or cash will be accepted.
• Checks can be mailed to:
Foodlink Inc.
PO Box 60766
Rochester, NY 14606
• Billing questions can be directed to our Program Accountant in our Finance Department.

Deliveries

Foodlink drivers have limited time for each stop. We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring necessary manpower is available to quickly receive, check, and store incoming orders when the driver arrives. In order to decrease delivery time, our drivers will:

• Call ahead to give you time to gather the necessary personnel to assist with unloading and storage.
• Be required to safely unload all products from the truck to a specified drop point at the delivery location. Drivers will NOT be responsible for unloading the product from the pallets into your facility.
• Assist checking the order for accuracy upon delivery.

Monthly Statistics

Food Pantries, Emergency Meal Programs, and School Pantries are required to submit monthly statistics via the online Agency Express portal by the 5th of each month. You can enter your statistics in Agency Express by clicking the Report tab and selecting Survey Management. Questions regarding monthly statistics can be directed to memberservices@foodlinkny.org or 585-413-5090.

Food Recalls

Members are responsible for following recall notifications in order to be aware if product received at your food program may be subject to a recall.  Please view this brief training and take the accompanying short quiz to receive a certificate of completion. You can also keep up with current recalls via this list:

Food Safety Trainings & Resources

Trainings

Foodlink requires valid food safety training certification for all member agencies. In order to distribute food, a member agency must be in compliance at a minimum of the level required for their agency type. The individual(s) meeting the requirement should be in a supervisory role and present for the receiving, storage, and/or distribution of the food at their agency.

Foodlink offers free Basic Food Safety training to all member agency staff and volunteers. Foodlink encourages member agencies to have multiple staff and volunteers trained at the Basic Food Safety level. Minimum training requirements are listed below, based on membership.

For Food Pantries & Nonprofit Partners

  • Basic Food Safety: minimum one person
  • New staff or volunteers in charge of food program are encouraged to take Basic Food Safety training
  • Basic Food Safety certification is valid for 5 years.
  • An 80% or higher score is required to pass the quizzes and receive a certificate. 

For Meal Programs Open to the Public

Level 1 (L1) Food Manager

  • Minimum one person needs certification (For members operating out of a certified kitchen in Monroe & Orleans counties only)
  • Just for these two counties, Foodlink offers this course for free to one individual per HPNAP-funded meal program. Foodlink typically offers this class two times per year. 
  • Certification is valid for 5 years.

Level 2 (L2) Food Handler

  • Minimum one person needs certification.
  • Foodlink offers this course multiple times per year. Each HPNAP-funded meal program can send any individual in a lead kitchen role for free. 
  • Certification is valid for 3 years.

Questions regarding food safety training should be directed to our Nutrition Resource Manager.

Resources

(for meal sites)
(for meal sites)
(for meal sites)

Civil Rights Training

The primary program supervisor is required to take the online Civil Rights training annually. 

All other staff/volunteers with direct client contact should review and sign the Civil Rights Training Handout for Non-supervisory Workers annually. Please keep these records available onsite as the USDA has the authority to conduct unannounced audits.

Please download, print and utilize the Civil Rights Compliance Checklist.

TEFAP Attestation

Members that distribute USDA (TEFAP) foods for home consumption are responsible for collecting a TEFAP Attestation form for each client annually or more often if the client’s information for the form has changed. Note: This does not apply to meal programs.

Nutrition Resources & Recipes

The Healthy Choice: Foodlink's Nutrition Ranking

Foodlink ranks the relative nutritional quality of the foods in our inventory to assist our community partners in choosing items that best meet the needs of their clients. The system, called The Healthy Choice, incorporates evidence-based research about which foods are the most and least supportive and impactful to long-term individual health. The color-coded ranking is as follows: 

Look for the Nutrition Ranking column on the PWW Shopping List page. 

Other Nutrition Resources

Food Pantries

  • The NYS Department of Health’s Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) developed these Pantry Packing Guidelines to help food pantries determine equitable and nutritious distribution of food:
  • Foodlink requires all food pantries operate under a model of Client Choice. There are many ways to incorporate choice into your pantry. Check out the 2022 revision to our Client Choice Handbook!

Meal Programs

  • Everything we eat and drink over time matters. Providing healthy choices will help your clients now and in the future. HPNAP-supported meal programs are required to follow these Prepared Meal Guidelines.

Recipes

USDA Statement of Non-Discrimination

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation.

 

The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
  3. email:
    program.intake@usda.gov

 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

HPNAP Seed Grants

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Apply

Application are due june 1, 2020
For question, please contact carrie hoey at choey@foodlinkny.org or 585-413-4098.

2019 seed grant winners

Seneca Waterways Council, Boy Scout of America

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Cameron Community Ministries

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Community Action of Orleans Genesee

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Cuba Cultural Center

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Impact of Our Network

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