Our Story

Food Forward is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to rescue fresh local produce that would otherwise go to waste, connecting this abundance with people in need and inspiring others to do the same. Since 2009, we have been been harvesting fruit from backyards and public spaces in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. In 2012, we started collecting unsold produce from Los Angeles area farmers markets and early this year, we piloted our new Wholesale Recovery Program to collect otherwise wasted produce from the downtown Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market. 

Our initial goal was to recover and distribute 300,000 pounds of produce in the first year of the program. We are pleased to say we have collected and donated nearly 2 million pounds in just 5 months. AND this was accomplished with a borrowed truck, operating with limited hours, only three days a week. Imagine what we could do with our own truck, running at capacity five days a week?!?

With your support, we hope to raise the funds to purchase a 24-foot box truck and begin daily collections of produce. We believe that a truck, dedicated to the Wholesale Recovery Program full-time, will allow us to grow from an average of 6 market runs a week to 12-15 runs, in effect doubling our recovery efforts.

Food Waste at the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market

What We Need & What You Get

We need to raise $40,000 in 40 days to purchase a 24-foot box truck. This truck will collect and distribute produce that would otherwise be thrown away from the Wholesale Produce Market in Downtown Los Angeles.

As a thank you for your tax-deductible contribution, we have put together some fruity perks: 

$10 - Help us collect 500 pounds of produce AND get a fruity shout-out on social media.  (unlimited)

$25 - Help us collect 1,250 pounds of produce AND get a postcard of the Food Forward team with the new Wholesale truck.  (unlimited) 

$50 - Help us collect 2,500 pounds of produce, get a postcard of the team in front of the new Wholesale truck AND a Food Forward sticker. (unlimited)

$75 - Help us collect 3,750 pounds of produce AND get a Limited Edition Fruitanthropist T-shirt.  (100)

$100 - Help us collect 5,000 pounds of produce AND get an awesome heavy-duty multi-pocketed beach-worthy Food Forward Canvas Tote Bag.  (75)

$200 - Help us collect 10,000 pounds of produce AND receive a Food Forward Limited Edition Signed/Numbered 5th Anniversary Print.  (10)

$250 - Help us collect AN ENTIRE TRUCKLOAD (12,500 pounds) of produce AND receive an exclusive invite to a Jam Making Class led by Food Forward Founder/Executive Director Rick Nahmias.  (30)

$500 - Help us collect TWO ENTIRE TRUCKLOADS OF PRODUCE (25,000 pounds) AND get your name emblazoned on our new Wholesale Market Recovery Truck.  (50)

$1,000 - Help us collect 50,000 pounds of produce, get your name emblazoned on our new Wholesale Market Recovery Truck AND join the Food Forward family for a private donor cocktail party at the Fruit Cave.  (25)

$2,500 - Help us collect 125,000 pounds of produce, get your name emblazoned on our new Wholesale Market Recovery Truck AND gather 15 of your closest friends & family for a Private Pick with members of the Food Forward crew.  (4)  *Location and time/date is subject to Mother Nature and Food Forward's current geographic capabilities.

$5,000 - Help us collect 250,000 pounds of produce, get your name emblazoned on our new Wholesale Market Recovery Truck, join the Food Forward Family for a cocktail party at the Fruit Cave AND take a ride in the new Truck to the downtown Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market for an insider tour with our Wholesale Market Manager, Luis.  (2) *Time/date is subject to mutual availability and Los Angeles Wholesale Market hours of operation.

All donations are tax-deductible, as allowed by law.

Food Forward (Tax id #90-0678872) 

The Impact

In greater Los Angeles, 2.4 million people are food insecure, many with little to no access to fresh fruits and vegetables. In just 5 years, Food Forward has become a bridge, connecting fresh unused produce with agencies serving hundreds of thousands of our region's neediest. We plan to continue and expand upon this work with the Wholesale Recovery Program - redirecting the enormous waste of 90 - 100% perfectly edible produce thrown away at the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market. 

Your INVESTMENT in this truck will yield nutritious returns for years to come, helping us launch this new era in fighting hunger and preventing food waste. A new truck will allow us to distribute over ONE MILLION additional servings PER MONTH of fresh free local produce to more than 200 hunger-relief and social service agencies, 100% donated free of charge.

The Programs of Food Forward

Over the past five years, with the help of a volunteer corps of 7,000+ individuals, Food Forward has rescued OVER 4 million pounds of fruits and vegetables, donating through three programs: Backyard Harvesting, Farmers Market Recovery and, now, Wholesale Market Recovery. 

Wholesale Produce Market Recovery conducts systematic rescue of fresh, unsold produce from wholesale vendors in downtown Los Angeles. This program rescues massive amounts of produce, connecting this abundance with the largest hunger-relief, food distribution agencies across the region.

Backyard Harvesting conducts 100% volunteer-powered picks on both private and public properties throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. This program not only delivers fresh produce to agencies serving those in need, but also brings awareness to our community to look at the fruit hanging in their own backyards as a way to combat hunger.

Farmers Market Recovery offers the only formal, market-endorsed donation system in the region for farmers wanting to help fight hunger with their unsold produce. First piloted in 2012, this program currently operates at 11 markets. Each week over 30 hunger relief and social service agencies benefit from the unsold, nutritious and seasonal produce collected by volunteer Glean Teams from the nearly 200 generous farmers market vendors we partner with.

Over 200 direct service agencies distribute our donated produce to the hungry across three counties. The recipients of Food Forward recovered produce include dozens of demographics: children, women, the elderly and disabled, people living with HIV/AIDS, veterans, immigrants, food insecure college students, farm workers, the homeless and many many more. Recipient agencies include: SOVA Food & Resource Center, MEND Poverty, Union Mission, Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing, Westside Foodbank, Catholic Charities, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), Downtown Women's Center, Valley Interfaith Council, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Under The Bridges, Heart of Compassion, St. Francis Center, Project Chicken Soup and Boys & Girls Clubs. 

We invite you to invest in Food Forward's new era of fighting hunger and preventing food waste in Southern California.

Other Ways You Can Help

Interested in supporting Food Forward but don't have the funds to help with this campaign? We have tons of other ways you can get involved!

Volunteer: We are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to get up in the trees and pick fruit, help us out at our 11 Los Angeles-area farmers markets or lend us their office skills. To sign up for one of our many volunteer events visit: www.foodforward.org/events

Got Fruit Trees? Register your tree here: http://foodforward.org/get-involved/property-owners/

Ask your company to get involved by participating in a Private Group Event or matching donations. Email ericag@foodforward.org for more information. 

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