I've volunteered with this group several times now, and worked with many different team leaders from the organization as well as other volunteers. Every single time, the leaders/organizers are welcoming and friendly, informative, and happy to help. It's because of their efforts that every event has been an absolute delight.
Volunteering with Food Forward is so much fun! Bringing the community together and taking care of our less fortunate neighbors makes a big difference. :)
This was a great experience well organized, friendly people. This was mine and my daughter’s second time volunteering and will do this again.
Super fun event!! Love to be able to help the community in an organized and safe way!! Cannot wait to come back for the next event!
Food forward is so amazing and does incredible work connecting communities and helping reduce food insecurity. First became aware of food forward through my job at Smog City Brewing a company whose values of sustainability and environmental action mirror Food Forward's.
This was an amazing experience (harvesting oranges to be donated) that helps us the general public to help to community. Food Forward is an amazing non profit. I will be back next year!
Such an incredible experience! Get to be outside, picked fresh fruit and donated it to families in need. So nice to save it from waste and to have food donation be healthy!
I learned about this organization around 2012 from an article in the Los Angeles Times. I first volunteered at a backyard pick in 2014 and decided almost immediately that I wanted to be involved with this group. Outdoors, flexible volunteering, different places, and a cause that appealed: reduce waste and feed people.
I trained as a harvest leader later that year and I have been involved ever since.
I have gone into many people's back yards, led groups ranging from one other person to nearly a hundred, driven an ancient, rickety stake truck, loaded more boxes of fruit than I can count, and I have a growing file of recipes for using up split citrus fruit.
We have visited some people's yards every year for a decade, and we're constantly adding new properties and new volunteers. I have frequently gone back to homes to pick more fruit because we couldn't get it all the first time. Sometimes I will bring the homeowner a baked good made with their fruit, or a jar of marmalade.
We continued solo harvests throughout the pandemic, and sometimes in the summer of 2020 the homeowners came out to chat from a social distance while I collected their fruit. They were as starved for human contact as the pantries were for the produce.
My employer, MMC, sponsors a pick each year as part of our volunteer month. I lead this.
I like to calculate the number of servings we harvest during a property visit and tell the group "we got 20 boxes, so 800 pounds, so about 1600 servings of oranges. Think of that as 1600 sticky little kids." You can see the smiles as people imagine a swarm of little kids eating those oranges and getting the juice all over them.
The pantries and their clients benefit from the bounty, the volunteers benefit, the homeowners benefit, even the tree benefits because it has the fruit that's weighing it down removed and now it can grow more fruit! Win win all around.
My friend and I volunteered with Food Forward a few years ago. We picked grapefruits off trees to be donated to food pantries. As city dwellers, we loved the opportunity to get outside, be in a grapefruit orchard, and pick fresh fruit for communities. Food Forward's organizers did a great job, and we look forward to future volunteer opportunities.
Food Forward does an amazing job on saving produce. I have been volunteering with them for over a decade and the staff are very friendly and helpful.
I am a long time volunteer and look forward to continuing for as long as I am able. The community I have met is wonderful and the cause is simple and something people from all walks of life can get behind, which I love!
Food Forward is an ideal organization for my goals. It is decreasing the amount of waste from produce while increasing the availability of fruit and vegetables for those with food insecurity. Most people need to eat more fruit and vegetables, but a large number live in areas where produce is difficult to obtain. In Southern California, there are residential trees that produce more fruit than the owners can consume, there are fields where farmers are unable to harvest all of their products, and there are farmers markets that have leftovers from potential sales that are costly to take back to the farms. Food Forward gleans from each of these (and more), then distributes the produce to organizations which can supply needy residents with the bounty. I do not live near Southern California where Food Forward does its magic, but I support them in any way that I can.
An excellent non-profit, effectively addressing a number of UN sustainability goals by balancing natural excess food production and a dearth in the availability of healthy foods to urban populations.
Structurally, Food Forward is very sound and well-run by a diverse team of professionals who are perennially driven toward improvement.
I regard Food Forward in the highest esteem as a responsible, effective and dedicated non-profit and would not hesitate to recommend them.
I have been working with Food Forward for almost a decade and it still provides me with so much joy and satisfaction every time I volunteer! Whether is be at a farmers market picking up the left over produce from the farm stands or harvesting abundant citrus from a tree, it is an experience that I thoroughly enjoy and leave feeling great about the impact I am helping make. I also love that I can being along my children to participate in the harvests!
Volunteering with Food Forward has not only allowed me and my children to give back to the community but has also enriched my own life in countless ways. The friendships I’ve made, and the sense of purpose my family felt are invaluable. I am proud to be part of an organization that is truly making a positive and lasting impact.
Ive had such a positive experience with Food Forward, the whole process was very easy from beginning to end. Everyone from the admins to volunteers were great and made this more rewarding than it already was. I will definitely be continuing to donate and spreading the word for others, it is such a great cause and so thankful there are programs that exist to help so many.
I volunteer with various charities in the LA area, and Food Forward is by far my favorite. Their staff is very organized and friendly. You can tell they really care about their mission and all the partners they work with. I especially love meeting all the farmers, working outside and attending all beautiful markets throughout the region. I can’t recommend Food Forward enough for any volunteer that wants to make a difference in their city.
I met the founder when the organization was first forming. I was massively impressed not only by his passion but his remarkable ability to follow through. As the organization progressed and grew, I was further impressed that it grew at a solid pace, not exceeding its expectations but only taking on that which they knew they could make succeed. In 15 years, this small but mighty nonprofit has surpassed its own goals and has had an exponentially larger impact on the community (and beyond) than could ever have been imagined. I continue to support Food Forward financially, experientially and emotionally because to me, it is simply one of the very BEST non profit organizations I have ever had the pleasure to know and be involved with.
Such an awesome organization! I had a blast harvesting oranges from the trees. It feels so good knowing that the produce will be donated to local food banks. Way to go Food Forward!
So much fun!! I went to an orange picking event and the time flew by. It feels great to make a difference, especially when it includes being outside and doing something with your body.
We loved our glean experience at Food Forward’s Zest Fest! It was my first time gleaning. Loved how fun and rewarding it was to pick the oranges for a great cause.
Loved getting to pick oranges for an hour and filling a box to fight hunger! Well organized and easy to show up and get picking. Thanks for all you do!
It was new experience for me since I have never picked oranges and it was fun to meet new people who are getting involved to help pick oranges within the community and university at csun
Food forward is an amazing organization that has been helpful and an exciting experience. Family friendly and fun for adults as well.
Got this opportunity thanks to my mom, and I’m glad that I did it. Everyone was nice, the roles were very organized, and I had a lot of fun. Thank you for the great experience!
I found this organization through my company. So happy to have participated in the Zest Fest event harvesting oranges. Thank you!
Great experience! Well trained staff with good coordination. Well organized from start to finish. Will consider volunteering again.
I’m continually inspired by how Food Forward reduces waste and fights food insecurity. The volunteers I meet are always so kind and passionate and everyone connected with Food Forward has a shared love of food, the environment, and ensuring that everyone has access to healthy food.
Food Forward donates to hundreds of food banks, while reducing waste across the region. Donating allows me to join the fight against food insecurity and food waste a win-win.
Food Forward is one of two organizations I've identified, in my County, which allows kids to volunteer. It has been a great experience for my children to not only be active and outside, but to help meet the needs of other people while learning about what a nonprofit it and how they make a difference!
Food Forward connects a great resource, the fruit going to waste all around us, with food pantries and other service organizations in Southern California. Volunteering with Food Forward has been fun and worthwhile, and you can see the huge impact when you're harvesting fruit!
Food Forward takes the resources around us, and the spirit of volunteerism, and creates a huge impact for families in need all over Los Angeles. They provide massive amounts of fresh fruit, as well as greens and highly nutrious and natural foods, to food pantries and food banks in Southern California. Best of all they know how to make volunteering fun, while getting results, and direct impact for the community.
Food Forward is one of the best volunteer experiences there is, hands down. It is so much fun to get involved with this particular non-profit, in a word, this is probably the most "Organic" way to directly feed those in need with your volunteer spirit.
I have been a volunteer with Food Forward for several years now, and I get involved again and again, because each pick, each opportunity, each spring melt, creates great memories, a sense of community, and best of all, creates a way to feed those in great need in our community.
A lot of times, when you volunteer for an organization, you might be in an office or warehouse facility, but with Food Forward, you really get in touch with the natural wonder that is Southern California, and a community of people that are truly inspiring to work with.
Another amazing thing about this particular non profit ,it's one of the most creative, diverse, and enjoyable non profits I have seen or experienced. There is no better time to get involved in Food Forward; Both intimate, and communal, Food Forward is an experience and a movement that is a great expression of the the following: Southern California Abundance, the Nature of Community, and Creative Compassion
The results the Non-profit gets are excellent, as they literally create bounty, from that which would otherwise go to waste. In that way, Food Forward is extremely good for people, community, and especially the environment.
This is also a great organization to bring first time volunteers, and for people to just jump in and try volunteering for the first time. The organization creates a lot of options for volunteers; they have really learned how to grow the experience, adding new options, fresh sites and challenges, and for those that are interested; there are ways to get more involved, and develop leadership opportunities, which is wonderful. The picks and gleaning teamwork, really brings out the best in people, and yourself.
The art of volunteerism has never been this fun! Volunteers meet up at a site and we are all laughing, and making a difference within minutes. It comes naturally when you get involved with this particular non profit.