Gaylord boxes for food drives and nonprofits
Food banks, drives and nonprofits can ask for ten or fifty gaylord boxes; small requests are welcome, and food-contact rules decide which boxes are right.
A small request is a real request
Coordinators of food drives, church pantries, school fundraisers and small nonprofits search for "free gaylord boxes near me" and "large cardboard boxes for food drive". They do not need a trailer. They need a handful of big, clean boxes that a few volunteers can fill.
We welcome that request. Say how many, what size you can handle, when the drive is and what will go in. We reply by email. We do not publish prices or minimums on this site, and we do not promise that any request is free, but we do not turn small ones away.
Which box suits a drive
| Drive | Box | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Canned goods and dry staples | 40 x 30 x 30 or a short 48 x 40 | Dense, so a short box is easier to lift |
| Bread and light packaged food | 48 x 40 x 36 double wall | Light, bulky |
| Fresh produce | New box with a food-grade liner | Direct food contact |
| A cleanout or move | Any dry Grade A or B | No food in the box |
Fill a box with canned goods and it gets heavy fast. Check the maker's rating, or stay well under it, and do not stack past what the volunteers can lift.
Food contact: our conservative answer
Used gaylords are not presented as food-safe for direct contact without a liner and your own food-safety rules. If your drive takes sealed cans, bottles and wrapped packages, the box does not touch the food and a clean used box is fine. If you are taking loose produce or bulk dry food, use a liner or buy new, and ask your own food-safety contact.
The food contact guide sets out where we stop. We answer conservatively because a wrong answer is a risk to people, not just boxes.
Who we serve
Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania counties, South Jersey and northern Delaware. The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market gives over two million pounds of produce to local charities each year and diverts about 80 percent of its waste stream, which tells you how much food moves through the region and how many donors and pantries handle it. A small drive here may sit in that same chain.
Give your ZIP on the form and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Planning the boxes for a drive
- Count the expected donations by weight, not by item.
- Choose a small box a volunteer can lift, such as the 40 x 30 x 30.
- Decide before the drive whether used boxes are allowed under your food-safety plan.
- Put liners in boxes that will carry loose food.
- Plan where the empties go afterwards, because a drive ends with a stack of them.
Questions people ask
Can I get free gaylord boxes?
We state no prices on this site. Ask on the form and we answer by email.
How many can I ask for?
Ten or fifty are normal requests.
Are used boxes safe for food?
Only for sealed, wrapped goods, or with a liner and your own food-safety rules.
Sources
- Perishable News on the produce market, last reviewed November 11, 2026
- Container Exchanger: the gaylord box guide, last reviewed November 11, 2026