With about 90% of the food we distribute being donated, cultivating strong relationships is central to our mission.
And as Mike Thomsen can tell you, urgency and flexibility are two important factors in building those bonds. Mike joined our food sourcing team nearly five years ago. A colleague forwarded him an email from Reser’s Fine Foods, a family-owned business that began when Mildred Reser began making and selling potato salads in her Cornelius, Oregon, kitchen in 1950. Still family owned and operated, Reser’s is a major packaged food company.
Mike responded to the email and began a conversation with Gilbert Loera, who manages the warehouse at Reser’s mashed potato and macaroni and cheese facility in Pasco, a five-minute drive from our Pasco distribution center.
What began as a one-off donation of a couple
pallets grew. From June 2022 to June 2023, Reser’s donated over eight truckloads of nutritious food. In the seven months since June 2023, we’ve already received over 17 truckloads.
Being responsive is key, Mike explained: “Gilbert will text, ‘I’ve got a load for you. When can you pick it up?’ Knowing warehouse space is always at a premium, we need to make it as easy as possible for our donors to donate to us so we can get the great food our recipients appreciate. And I feel we do that daily.”
“The Reser’s team is not only a strong partner in helping fight hunger,” Mike added. “They are friends.”
If you’re interested in donating food, please visit 2-harvest.org/givefood.
