Survival inside the Ark required an unprecedented logistical effort, placing the responsibility of feeding the entire animal kingdom squarely on Noah. While the animals were driven by a divine urge to enter the Ark on their own, Noah was required to actively do his part by preparing their provisions [קאסוטו]. He could not rely on the creatures to gather their own winter supplies, as some do in nature, and instead had to take complete responsibility for their nourishment [מלבי״ם].
Gathering the necessary food meant providing a highly diverse diet tailored to the specific needs of each species. Every animal required its own unique food, such as branches for elephants and specific plants for camels, allowing each kind to eat appropriately [ספורנו, חזקוני, קיצור בעל הטורים]. The primary approach among commentators is that this massive food supply was entirely vegetarian, consisting of fruits, seeds, and grasses. Even predators survived on plant life, returning to the natural order established at the dawn of creation. Had meat been required, Noah would have needed to load hundreds of sheep into the Ark for food, which would directly contradict the command to bring only two of each species [רד״ק, ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו].
The instruction to gather these supplies carried specific boundaries. Noah was expected to take only from his own rightful property. He was not permitted to take from the resources of others, even though the rest of humanity was facing imminent destruction [כלי יקר]. Furthermore, God did not burden Noah with traveling great distances to find exotic foods; He simply expected him to gather what was readily available in his immediate surroundings [העמק דבר]. Some explain that the gathering process involved a clear division, setting aside specific provisions for human consumption and designating the rest for the animals [אלשיך].
Storing a year of food for an entire ecosystem involved a dual miracle. Under natural circumstances, the Ark could not possibly hold enough food to sustain so many creatures for an entire year, nor could the supplies survive the damp, enclosed environment without rotting. However, because Noah dedicated himself to caring for the animals, God sent a blessing upon the limited provisions. The food miraculously lasted for everyone and never spoiled [כלי יקר, פרדס יוסף, אלשיך], ensuring abundance and well-being for all the inhabitants of the Ark [העמק דבר].
Beyond the immediate need for survival, this massive feeding operation served a higher moral purpose. By personally sustaining the animals from his own table and saving them from certain death, Noah established the moral justification for humanity to be permitted to consume meat after the Flood [מלבי״ם].