Here are some of the most common questions Today’s Harvest shoppers have. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us.
How often can I come get food?
Today’s Harvest is designed to provide a 1-2 day supply of food during each visit. You are welcome to shop at Today’s Harvest as often as you need – even daily- to keep your fridge stocked with fresh food!
If you need additional food resources, please visit opencupboard.org.
What is the best time to come?
We’d recommend coming in after 3pm. The first hour or so tends to be our busiest time at both locations.
We begin handing out pagers when we open to people who want to arrive early. Once you receive your pager, you are welcome to wait in your car.
What will you ask me? Do I need to bring anything?
We encourage you to bring your own bags to shop, but we do provide bags if needed.
No ID or personal info is needed! We’ll just ask for your zip code, and the number of adults, children, and seniors in your household.
You can optionally provide your phone number. By providing your phone number as an ID for return visits, you can skip those questions for future fast check out. We will never use the number to contact you without your permission.
Do I need to make an appointment?
No appointment is needed – just stop by!
Why do you have limits on items?
We receive a majority of our food from food rescue–food donated by local grocery stores that are nearing their expiration date. Because of this, we never know what we will have that day.
To ensure that everyone has a chance to shop for various food, we limit how much you can choose of each item.
If you need additional food resources, visit opencupboard.org.
What do you do about lines?
We typically are busiest right when we open. When there are lines, we will hand out pagers. These will buzz when it is your turn to shop. After you get your pager, we encourage you to wait in your vehicle.
Can you shop for more than one family at Today’s Harvest?
We have recently changed our policy regarding the number of households a person can shop for each day at Today’s Harvest. Starting on Monday, April 28, 2025, one person can shop for one household once a day. You are welcome to shop for another family on a different day of the week or visit our drive-up service for another family.
If you have any questions about this policy change, please reach out to the Today’s Harvest Director at contact@opencupboard.org.
Why This Change
We are serving more people than ever across our two sites, and we’re seeing longer wait times and many new shoppers each day. While we will continue to welcome people to shop as many days a week as they need, we now ask that you shop for only one household a day. If you shop in our market and also want to pick up food for another household, you can still shop for them – but the additional visit needs to be on a different day.
I use Metro Mobility or a similar service. When is the best time to come to Today’s Harvest?
If you use Metro Mobility or a similar program to visit our Today’s Harvest market, you can use our special shopping hours to help reduce your wait time and get to your bus on time. Metro Mobility users are welcome to come shop at 11:30 AM Monday-Friday, half an hour before we open, along with our Harvest Express shoppers to create an easier experience. You can still visit Today’s Harvest using Metro Mobility during other days of the week, but there may be a longer wait time.
Who can use the market?
The market is open to anyone who can use these fresh and frozen items while they are still fresh. So much food is wasted in our country – we want to make this great food available to all. It’s really that simple!