Food Forward Puts their Best Fruit Forward to Fight Hunger our Community

          It's a pleasantly warm afternoon in early June, and I bounce straight from work, head east on the 134, and cross the Arroyo Seco just in time for a sunset pick—a fruit pick, that is. As a Food Forward pick leader, I have been invited to come and pick hanging globes of ripe yellow grapefruit from an abundant 50-year-old tree. The homeowners tell me that when they first moved in in the ‘60s, it was just a lil’ sprout; now, it’s crankin’ out fruit like a factory. Meeting me at the property is a group of feisty, gung-ho junior high school kids (plus moms) who have signed up to help. Within an hour and a half, we’ve picked over 400 lbs of fruit (off only one tree!) that would have otherwise split open and called over the flies during a slow decay on the grass. But instead, these 400 lbs will be dropped off within hours to a local food bank.

           This is the work of Food Forward—the largest non-profit fruit gleaning organization in Southern California. Food Forward has been rescuing fresh local produce that would otherwise go to waste since 2009, donating 100% of the harvested food to people in need. When a fruit donor in the neighborhood has fruit to spare, they invite volunteers from the local community to pick it, provide harvesting equipment and a trained leader as support, and then arrange for a local food pantry or receiving agency to collect the fruit donation.

           As Los Angeles is home to some of the nicest weather anywhere in the world, it also has some of the best growing conditions. Because of this, fruit grows wildly on healthy trees, often producing more than the owner can eat by him or herself (and more than they can share with friends and neighbors). The abundance on the branches hangs in stark contrast to LA’s serious problem of food insecurity. One in six adults, and one in four children in LA County are food insecure, meaning they don’t get enough nutritious food to lead a healthy and active lifestyle[1]. Food Forward fills a vital role in the community by connecting those with abundance to those who need it the most.

          In the 5 years since their establishment, Food Forward has picked over 2 million lbs of fruit, donated 8 million servings, engaged 8 thousand volunteers, and picked at over a thousand properties. In order to continue growing, Food Forward is always looking for more properties and volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering can check out foodforward.org/events to find a pick happening in their neighborhood; the picks are fun, highly rewarding, and delicious (you can nom on fruit that falls or splits)… so grab a friend or two and come out for a pick! Anyone who has been on previous picks with Food Forward and wants to become a pick leader can sign up for the June 28th pick leader training on the events page. Furthermore, if you or someone you know has a fruit tree to share, please let us know at foodforward.org.

[1]  http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap/~/media/Files/research/m...