Help Michigan Feed Families, Not Landfills—Pass Food Donation Tax Credits
The Issue
Good food should feed Michigan families, not fill landfills. We’re calling on Michigan’s Legislature to pass HB 5166, a proposal to reward eligible farms and food businesses for donating food to hunger-relief organizations.
I’m Robb Marrocco, a Metro Detroit local. I’ve been working on a way to connect local businesses that have extra food with the neighbors who need it. My goal is simple: food that could become someone’s next meal should reach their table, not a dumpster.
Here in Metro Detroit, we can already see what food rescue makes possible. Forgotten Harvest reports delivering 144,000 pounds of surplus food to local charities each weekday, providing families with fresh, nutritious food free of charge. That is food reaching people instead of going to waste.
But getting surplus food to families takes coordination, safe storage, and transportation. Michigan’s own food-rescue initiatives recognize the need for vehicles, cold storage, and other infrastructure to make those connections work. We should also make donating more financially practical for the businesses supplying that food.
HB 5166 offers a concrete step forward. As introduced, it would allow eligible farms, food processors, food manufacturers, and food distributors to claim a state tax credit for donating food to certified food banks and emergency food providers. The credit would equal 65% of the food’s fair-market value, capped annually at the lower of $10,000 or 50% of the taxpayer’s tax liability before other credits.
This would not solve hunger on its own. The goal is to encourage more businesses to make food donation a regular practice—and help more good food reach our neighbors.
Yet nearly a year after its introduction on October 30, 2025, HB 5166 remains in the House Committee on Economic Competitiveness. The legislative record shows no subsequent passage. We should not let this opportunity slip away.
I’m asking Committee Chair Mike Hoadley to schedule a hearing and committee vote on HB 5166, and Michigan’s Legislature to pass it before the 2025–2026 session ends.
Sign this petition to add your voice to that call. Then share it with someone who believes good food belongs on a family’s table.
Help Michigan feed families, not landfills.
Paid partnership. Robb Marrocco is a Change Ambassador who receives compensation in connection with this petition.
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The Issue
Good food should feed Michigan families, not fill landfills. We’re calling on Michigan’s Legislature to pass HB 5166, a proposal to reward eligible farms and food businesses for donating food to hunger-relief organizations.
I’m Robb Marrocco, a Metro Detroit local. I’ve been working on a way to connect local businesses that have extra food with the neighbors who need it. My goal is simple: food that could become someone’s next meal should reach their table, not a dumpster.
Here in Metro Detroit, we can already see what food rescue makes possible. Forgotten Harvest reports delivering 144,000 pounds of surplus food to local charities each weekday, providing families with fresh, nutritious food free of charge. That is food reaching people instead of going to waste.
But getting surplus food to families takes coordination, safe storage, and transportation. Michigan’s own food-rescue initiatives recognize the need for vehicles, cold storage, and other infrastructure to make those connections work. We should also make donating more financially practical for the businesses supplying that food.
HB 5166 offers a concrete step forward. As introduced, it would allow eligible farms, food processors, food manufacturers, and food distributors to claim a state tax credit for donating food to certified food banks and emergency food providers. The credit would equal 65% of the food’s fair-market value, capped annually at the lower of $10,000 or 50% of the taxpayer’s tax liability before other credits.
This would not solve hunger on its own. The goal is to encourage more businesses to make food donation a regular practice—and help more good food reach our neighbors.
Yet nearly a year after its introduction on October 30, 2025, HB 5166 remains in the House Committee on Economic Competitiveness. The legislative record shows no subsequent passage. We should not let this opportunity slip away.
I’m asking Committee Chair Mike Hoadley to schedule a hearing and committee vote on HB 5166, and Michigan’s Legislature to pass it before the 2025–2026 session ends.
Sign this petition to add your voice to that call. Then share it with someone who believes good food belongs on a family’s table.
Help Michigan feed families, not landfills.
Paid partnership. Robb Marrocco is a Change Ambassador who receives compensation in connection with this petition.
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Petition created on October 25, 2026