Target Acts Quickly to Rescue Food in Power Outage

An unexpected power outage in February put tons of food at risk of spoilage at the Keizer Target store. Thanks to you and the quick thinking of the team at Target, this food was saved from the trash and was sent through Marion Polk Food Share to families in need.

The power outage meant that the refrigerators and freezers within Target would not be able to keep food at a safe temperature for very long. A team of Marion Polk Food Share and Target employees worked quickly to pull as much food as possible and get it into cold storage trucks. The food then went through the Food Share distribution system to people in need.

Target is an active participant in the Retail Food Recovery Program, which captures and diverts fresh food to hungry families. With all participating retail recovery partners, the Food Share collects nutritious, perishable food that might otherwise be discarded.

More than 9,000 pounds of food was ultimately rescued from the power outage at Keizer Target store, including milk, yogurt, juice, cheese and meat.

“No retail store wants to have a power outage and risk losing food,” said Rick Gaupo, President of Marion Polk Food Share. “The team at Keizer Target faced this crisis by saving the food so that it could help hungry families. It would not have been possible without our refrigerated trucks and coolers, which are entirely supported by the community.”

Thank you to the team at Keizer Target for making the best of a challenging problem by feeding people in need our community.