What is the food rescue pickup log form template?
Food rescue groups move surplus food from shops, restaurants and caterers to people who need it, usually within a few hours. Donors want to know how much they've given, funders want totals by weight, and everyone needs confidence that chilled food stayed cold and out-of-date food didn't get passed on.
This log is designed to be completed on a phone during a run. The first page records the volunteer, date, donor, collection time and vehicle. The second records what was collected, quantities, total weight, temperatures for chilled or frozen food, use-by and best-before checks, condition, rejected items and a photo. The third records where the food went and when.
Every pickup is saved as a PDF in your FileIt vault, and the Responses table adds up to a running record of food rescued.
- Best for
- Food rescue charities, community fridges, food banks and surplus food apps' volunteer networks
- Filled in by
- The volunteer doing the pickup
- Time to complete
- About 3-5 minutes per run
- Includes
- Donor details, food categories and weight, chilled temperature checks, date and condition checks, rejected items, photos and recipient details
Who uses a food rescue pickup log form?
- A food rescue charity logging nightly supermarket collections
- A community fridge recording donations from local cafes
- A food bank collecting surplus from a wholesaler
- Students rescuing leftover food from campus canteens
- A caterer's leftovers taken to a shelter after an event
Questions on this food rescue pickup log form
26 questions over 3 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages.
1 Collection
- Volunteer*
- Date*
- Donor business*
- Type of donor* Supermarket · Restaurant or cafe · Bakery · Caterer or event · Farm or market stall · School or workplace canteen · Wholesaler · Other
- Staff member who handed over
- Collection time*
- Transported by Car · Van · Bike or cargo bike · On foot · Refrigerated vehicle
2 Food collected
- What was collected?* Bread and bakery · Fruit and vegetables · Dairy · Meat or fish · Prepared meals · Sandwiches and chilled snacks · Ambient or dry goods · Frozen food · Drinks
- Items and quantities*
- Total weight (kg)*
- Weight is Weighed · Estimated
- Any chilled or frozen food?*
- Temperature at collection (°C)* asked only when it applies
- Temperature at delivery (°C)* asked only when it applies
- Use-by and best-before dates* All checked and in date · Some past best-before (still safe to eat) · Some past use-by — discarded
- Packaging and condition* Good · Some damaged — removed · Poor — most rejected
- Allergen information available for prepared foods? asked only when it applies
- Anything rejected and why
- Photo of the collection
3 Delivery
- Delivered to*
- Recipient type Food bank or pantry · Shelter or hostel · Community kitchen · Community fridge · School or youth club · Older people's group · Other
- Delivery time*
- Received by
- Was the collection split between recipients?
- Who received what* asked only when it applies
- Problems or notes for the coordinator
The food rescue pickup log form, page by page
1 Collection
The volunteer records their name, the date, the donor business and type — supermarket, restaurant, bakery, caterer, farm, canteen or wholesaler — the staff member who handed over, the collection time and how the food was transported.
2 Food collected
Volunteers tick food categories, list items and quantities, and enter the total weight in kilograms, noting whether it was weighed or estimated. "Any chilled or frozen food?" asks for the temperature at collection and at delivery on a yes, with a reminder to follow food safety guidance.
Required questions check use-by and best-before dates and the packaging and condition. When prepared meals are collected, the log asks whether allergen information is available. Rejected items and a photo complete the page.
3 Delivery
The volunteer records the recipient and its type, delivery time and who received the food. If the collection was split between recipients, they note who received what, and a final box records problems for the coordinator.
Make the template yours
- Replace the donor field with a dropdown of your regular donors
- Add your recipient organisations as a dropdown
- Change kilograms to pounds if you report in pounds
- Edit the temperature note to quote your local food safety guidance
- Send personal links to volunteers with their names filled in
- File logs by month to make donor and funder reports easier
Tips for a better food rescue pickup log form
- Weigh food when you can — funders and donors value real numbers
- Carry a probe thermometer on runs with chilled food
- Never pass on food that is past its use-by date
- Tell the coordinator straight away if a donor is regularly not ready
- Thank donors with their own totals from your CSV export
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each pickup is saved as a PDF in your FileIt vault with any photos, and the coordinator is emailed. Volunteers don't get a copy by default to keep inboxes clear.
Use the Responses table to filter pickups by donor, recipient or date and export to a CSV to total the weight rescued each month.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Food rescue pickup log form: frequently asked questions
Is the food rescue pickup log free?
Yes. It's a FileIt Forms starter template, on every plan.
Can volunteers use it on a phone?
Yes. It's built for phones, and no account is needed.
Does it calculate total weight rescued?
Each log records the weight. Export the responses to a CSV to total them by donor or month.
What temperatures should chilled food be kept at?
That depends on your local food safety rules. The form records the temperatures; check your local guidance for the limits.
Can we record food that was rejected?
Yes. There's a box for anything rejected and why, and the date check records food past its use-by being discarded.
Can donors see their logs?
Not directly. Share PDFs or totals from your export with donors.