Honest Weight Co-Op has been donating food to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York for years.

“I’d definitely say a couple hundred pounds a week,” says Stephen Quickenton, director of operations at Honest Weight.

Even though Honest Weight has made a habit of donations, right now, larger supermarkets in New York are required to donate excess food. The Excess Food Law went into effect earlier this year in an effort to meet the needs of rising food insecurity.

Starting next year, it won’t be only supermarkets. The Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling law goes into effect in January 2022. Any business or institution that generates an annual average of two tons or more of wasted food each week is required to donate its excess edible food.

“Non-profits have been hit really hard with needing help and needing resources that their use and their demand has increased, so their need is greater than ever, really,” Quickenton said.

Rondi Edmonson, donation program manager for the food bank, says this law will not only stock their shelves, but provide healthy items for families across the state.

“Especially for kids, you know they need the good nutrition. You can’t think straight, you can’t learn when you’re hungry,” Edmonson said.

Until this law fully goes into effect, Edmonson said she knows she can count on Honest Weight to keep families fed.