Marriott workers give back to local charities, shelters
Food services no longer are able to donate leftovers but help through food drives

By Jonathan Sampson
Staff Reporter

For Marriott Food Service, food is business, and community service is good business.

In the past, Marriott donated leftovers to food shelters at the end of the day. But now, because of new ways to cook in smaller batches and heightened safety concerns, the company has decided to turn to its employees for its community outreach, said Richard Flores, general manager for Marriott at TCU.

Flores said Marriott participates in internal canned food drives and other programs with the Tarrant County Food Bank.
Each unit for Marriott can decide how it wants to be involved with the community.

“It’s pretty much left up to the individual accounts to handle,” he said.

Marriott also helps the food bank with a summer program for children. Flores said workers prepare food that is delivered to sites served by the food bank.

Tim Cox/SKIFF STAFF Charles Kraus, employee for Marriott Food Service, prepares to serve food in The Main.

Andrea Helms, Tarrant Area Food Bank public relations director, said the food bank is grateful for the help TCU’s food service provides, but the food bank does not accept leftover food. However, they usually refer offers of donations to other agencies, she said.

The Presbyterian Night Shelter, who also used to benefit from Marriott’s leftovers, has adopted a similar policy, Robbie Tombrella, shelter volunteer coordinator, said.

He said individuals can choose to feed residents outside the shelter, but because of safety policies, the shelter does not usually accept already prepared food.

Because shelters are changing food preparation requirements, other universities are changing the way they donate to the community.

Jerry Finch, Baylor University’s food service director, said the state has strict laws regarding the donation of leftover food.

The donating company is liable for the safety and sanitation of the food from the time it leaves the provider until it gets to the food bank, he said. If anything was found wrong with it after consumption, the provider is held accountable for that as well. It has made donating food hard for the larger organizations, he said.

“We’re held to a very high accountability when it comes to food sanitation and safety,” Finch said.

He said Baylor’s food service, which is run by ARAMARK, does not have a policy for donating food, but it helps sponsor campus groups which do food drives.

Marriot’s next internal drive, called “STOP Hunger,” begins Thursday.

Jonathan Sampson
j.m.Sampson@student.tcu.edu