New World Survival · Community Garden Field Manual

Produce Donation System Binder

Coordinate recipient needs, planting, harvest quality, food handling, cooling, traceability, transport, delivery, rejection and feedback.

Recipient first. Do not build a donation crop plan around surplus alone. Confirm what the receiving organization can accept, store and distribute.

1. Donation system owner

Garden donation steward

Backup steward

Food-safety contact

Insurance/legal contact if needed

2. Recipient directory

Organization	Type	Contact	Receiving location	Hours	Backup?
	☐ pantry ☐ school ☐ meal site ☐ nonprofit ☐ direct				☐
	☐ pantry ☐ school ☐ meal site ☐ nonprofit ☐ direct				☐
	☐ pantry ☐ school ☐ meal site ☐ nonprofit ☐ direct				☐
	☐ pantry ☐ school ☐ meal site ☐ nonprofit ☐ direct				☐
	☐ pantry ☐ school ☐ meal site ☐ nonprofit ☐ direct				☐
	☐ pantry ☐ school ☐ meal site ☐ nonprofit ☐ direct				☐
	☐ pantry ☐ school ☐ meal site ☐ nonprofit ☐ direct				☐
	☐ pantry ☐ school ☐ meal site ☐ nonprofit ☐ direct				☐

3. Recipient Agreement Card

Recipient / contact

Review date

Desired crops

Do not send / cannot use

Useful quantity range

Delivery days/times

Quality / reject criteria

Washed / unwashed / brush-off

Container / packaging

Cooling / refrigeration

Traceability / labels

Transport requirements

4. Crop and quantity plan

Crop	Recipient wants?	Planned donation space	Expected harvest window	Useful quantity/delivery	Adjust?
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5. Delivery calendar / blackout periods

Week/date	Recipient open?	Expected crops	Harvest lead	Delivery lead	Conflict / holiday?

6. Donation harvest roles

Role	Primary	Backup	Training / procedure
Harvest lead
Container/tools
Quality/rejection check
Cooling/holding
Records/lot identity
Driver/delivery
Recipient contact

7. Food-handling training record

Clean hands / illness	Contamination stops	Container/tool procedure	Recipient SOP reviewed
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8. Preharvest contamination / quality check

☐ No direct animal-feces contamination on donation produce

☐ No unresolved pesticide/chemical interval question

☐ No rot/spoilage included

☐ Harvest maturity fits recipient quality standard

☐ Harvesters meet illness/hygiene procedure

☐ Clean tools/containers ready

9. Harvest / donation lot record

Internal ID	Crop / variety if needed	Harvest date	Harvesters	Qty	Recipient

10. Container / packaging record

Clean / food-suitable?	Recipient accepts?	Reusable?
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11. Washing / brush-off decision

Crop	Recipient instruction	Field dirt/debris	Action before delivery	Why
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off
	☐ unwashed ☐ washed by SOP ☐ brush-off

12. Cooling / holding plan

Crop	Needs cooling?	Garden holding method	Recipient cold capacity	Max planned delay	Owner

13. Transport check

☐ Vehicle/cargo area visually clean

☐ No chemicals/trash/animal contamination

☐ Produce protected from sun/weather

☐ Cold-control method in place if required

☐ Delivery contact confirms someone is present

☐ Source/date/record travels with donation if required

14. School / institutional addendum

☐ Nutrition/food-service contact approved donation pathway

☐ Growing/handling expectations provided

☐ Delivery only while authorized staff are present

☐ Source/date identified

☐ Product/variety + harvesters recorded if required

☐ Produce kept identifiable from other sources if required

☐ Refrigeration/receiving SOP confirmed

☐ Transport meets institution's cleanliness rule

15. Legal / insurance pathway check

Donation route
☐ nonprofit recipient ☐ direct distribution ☐ school/institution ☐ other

Recipient nonprofit status / pathway verified if relevant?
☐ yes ☐ investigate

State/local health requirements checked?
☐ yes ☐ investigate

Insurer/sponsor position

Good Samaritan Act legal question needs counsel?
☐ no ☐ yes

Notes

16. Delivery / receipt record

Date/time	Recipient	Donation ID / crops	Quantity	Accepted?	Receiver	Notes
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no
				☐ yes ☐ partial ☐ no

17. Rejection / problem record

Date	Donation ID	Reason	Safety question?	Disposition	Corrective action
		☐ crop/qty ☐ quality ☐ temp ☐ contamination ☐ timing ☐ records ☐ other	☐
		☐ crop/qty ☐ quality ☐ temp ☐ contamination ☐ timing ☐ records ☐ other	☐
		☐ crop/qty ☐ quality ☐ temp ☐ contamination ☐ timing ☐ records ☐ other	☐
		☐ crop/qty ☐ quality ☐ temp ☐ contamination ☐ timing ☐ records ☐ other	☐
		☐ crop/qty ☐ quality ☐ temp ☐ contamination ☐ timing ☐ records ☐ other	☐
		☐ crop/qty ☐ quality ☐ temp ☐ contamination ☐ timing ☐ records ☐ other	☐
		☐ crop/qty ☐ quality ☐ temp ☐ contamination ☐ timing ☐ records ☐ other	☐
		☐ crop/qty ☐ quality ☐ temp ☐ contamination ☐ timing ☐ records ☐ other	☐

18. Donation performance / loss record

Crop	Harvested for donation	Accepted	Rejected	Reported spoilage	Main lesson

19. Recipient feedback / next-season plan

Question	Recipient feedback	Garden change
Most useful crops?
Least useful / too much?
Best delivery day/time?
Quality/packing problem?
Cold-storage problem?
Crop/cultural preference change?
New record/label need?

20. Annual handoff

☐ Recipient contacts current

☐ Recipient Agreement Cards reviewed

☐ Delivery calendar current

☐ Food-handling training current

☐ Container/cooling process documented

☐ Legal/insurance pathway reviewed if relevant

☐ Open rejection/corrective issues closed

☐ Recipient feedback incorporated into crop plan

☐ Backup donation steward can locate all records

Clean hands / illness	Contamination stops	Container/tool procedure	Recipient SOP reviewed
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Clean / food-suitable?	Recipient accepts?	Reusable?
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Clean hands / illness	Contamination stops	Container/tool procedure	Recipient SOP reviewed
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Clean / food-suitable?	Recipient accepts?	Reusable?
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