No plate wasted, no neighbor hungry.

Any home cook or food business can list surplus food in about a minute, with or without an account. A listing includes the food type, a short description, the number of portions, any dietary information (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, halal, kosher), a pickup address with autocomplete, an optional pickup window, and how you would like to be notified — text message or email.

The pickup address appears on the listing so neighbors can plan; posters choose the pickup style (porch pickup, business, or a public location).

When a neighbor reserves portions, the poster is notified through their chosen channel. Coordination happens without either party seeing the other's contact information:

1. By text: reply DONE when the food is picked up, or DECLINE if you can no longer share.
2. By email: each message includes one-tap action links ("Mark picked up", "Decline") that perform the same updates.
3. In-browser chat (when enabled) offers the same actions as buttons within the conversation.

Portions are tracked automatically: a declined or cancelled reservation returns its portions to the listing, and a listing closes on its own when the last portion is claimed.

Food donors with an account receive tax documentation for their completed donations. Neighbor Plates! is a registered 501(c)(3), so qualifying donations may be tax-deductible.

1. Sign in and open "My donations" from the navigation.
2. Completed donations are organized by tax year.
3. Enter your ingredient cost and container cost for each donation. Per IRS guidance, the donor determines the value; for prepared food this is your cost, not retail price.
4. Use the Print option to generate an annual donation acknowledgment: organization name, 501(c)(3) status, EIN, your name and address, and an itemized table.
5. For total non-cash donations over $500 in a year, IRS Form 8283 applies — the acknowledgment includes a note to that effect.

Consult a tax professional for advice specific to your situation.

Posters with an account can prevent specific individuals from interacting with their listings. From your profile, open Blocked neighbors and add the person's phone number or email address (an optional name helps you remember the entry).

A blocked person, matched by account, phone, or email:

1. Cannot reserve any of your plates (they see the same message as a listing that is no longer available — the block itself is never revealed to them).
2. No longer receives alerts about your listings. Alerts about other posters’ food are unaffected.
3. Cannot open a new chat conversation with you.

Blocks apply to all of your listings, current and future, and can be removed at any time.

Available food appears on the browse feed and the map, sorted by distance when location is shared — no account required. If nothing is available nearby, submit a food request with your zip code: the moment food is posted in your area, you receive an alert with a direct link to the listing.

Reserving takes one tap. Households can reserve multiple portions at once, and the listing's remaining count updates immediately for everyone else.

After reserving, you receive the pickup address through your chosen channel. When you head out, let the poster know:

1. By text: reply READY.
2. By email: use the "I’m on my way" one-tap link.
3. In-browser chat (when enabled): use the action buttons in the conversation.

The poster is notified at each step. Neither side ever sees the other's phone number or email — all communication is relayed through the platform.

Some neighbors can't pick up the food they reserve — no car, mobility limits, a sick kid at home. Volunteers bridge that gap. Joining the crew takes a free Neighbor Plates account plus a name, phone number, zip code, and how far you're willing to drive — the account keeps every volunteer's deliveries, mileage record, and preferences in one accountable place.

1. When a reservation requests delivery, the nearest available volunteers are texted first — pickup and drop-off zip codes only — with more volunteers added in waves every few minutes until someone claims it.
2. The first volunteer to claim it (by text reply or one tap while signed in) gets the delivery; everyone else is told it’s taken. Volunteers handle one delivery at a time unless they’ve opted into more.
3. Only the claiming volunteer receives the two addresses. They text PICKED when they have the food and DELIVERED when it’s dropped off, and both neighbors are kept informed at each step.
4. If no volunteer claims a delivery within about 45 minutes, both neighbors are told so nobody waits on food that isn’t coming.

Volunteering is unpaid and commitment-free. Each volunteer's dashboard sets available days and hours, quiet hours, and pause periods — or pause anytime by texting PAUSE and leave the list with STOP.

Volunteer time is never tax-deductible — the IRS is unambiguous on that. But unreimbursed out-of-pocket costs of volunteering for a qualified 501(c)(3) can be, for volunteers who itemize: primarily mileage at the statutory charitable rate of 14 cents per mile (or actual gas and oil costs), plus parking and tolls.

Neighbor Plates! records an estimated distance for every completed delivery, and each volunteer can request a year-end Volunteer Service Acknowledgment letter — the written acknowledgment the IRS requires when claiming $250 or more of volunteer expenses in a year. Our estimates are straight-line distances; keep your own odometer log, which controls for tax purposes.

See IRS Publication 526 (Charitable Contributions) for the details — and this is general information, not tax advice; consult a tax professional about your situation.

Every form asks how you would like to be reached — text message or email — and that choice is used for exactly two purposes: food-availability alerts near you and coordination of pickups you are part of. Consent is per-submission and never required to browse.

1. Text messages: reply STOP at any time to end all texts; reply START to resume. Message frequency varies and message & data rates may apply.
2. Email: every message includes a one-click unsubscribe link.
3. Contact information is never shared between neighbors and never sold.

All coordination can be done by replying to Neighbor Plates! texts with a single word:

1. READY — you are on your way to a pickup (receivers).
2. DONE — the food was picked up (posters).
3. DECLINE — cancel a reservation you can no longer fulfill (posters) .
4. YES — re-send the link to a food alert you received (receivers).
5. STOP — end all text messages immediately. START — resume them.

Keywords are case-insensitive and tolerate punctuation ("Done!" works).

No. Sharing, requesting, and reserving food all work with just a name and a contact channel. An account adds conveniences: saved contact details, donation history and tax receipts, the blocked-neighbors list, and an email notification preference. Accounts are free.

Good-faith food donors are protected by the federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. Recipients inspect food at their own discretion. Posters choose where pickups happen (porch, business, or a public location), contact details stay private on both sides, and posters can block anyone they are uncomfortable with.

Our full liability terms are in the Terms & Waiver.

Neighbor Plates! is completely free for everyone — no fees for posting, reserving, or receiving food, ever. As a nonprofit we operate on donations and grants. Service is rolling out region by region, beginning with Michigan; new regions open as local partners come aboard.