Most stabilized countries have laws in place for food and protections for donations.

I'm guessing there's rules behind this one but in the US:

The Food Donation Improvement Act: This act expands those protections. It allows qualified businesses (like restaurants, supermarkets, and schools) to donate food directly to individuals in need rather than having to route it through a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary. It also allows nonprofits to charge a nominal "Good Samaritan" fee just to cover the logistics and handling costs of distributing the food.

I don't know the specifics of that one though.

No, actually, most Americans are not happy about it, but you probably don't care about nuance and just want to throw a fit

Because the US is only a small handful of people with the same worldview...

this... people were gaslit to believe it's a liability thing.

You are disregarding the storage and transportation of food that has a very limited shelf life along with requiring strict temperature control. It's not as simple as tossing it all into a bag at the end of the night. It's a significant logistical overhead.

unfortunately not really, there is a limit to how much liability you can waive and it's not knowable before it's tried in court.