About
Food Forward rescues surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste and donates it to hundreds of nonprofit agencies serving individuals experiencing food insecurity. Staff and volunteers collect an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables from backyard fruit trees, public orchards, farmers markets, and with a large percentage coming from the Wholesale Produce district in downtown Los Angeles. The fresh fruits and vegetables we recover are donated to us, and we in turn donate them to hunger relief agencies across 12 counties in Southern California, 6 neighboring states and tribal lands.
Why we're Green
Food Forward’s work is explicitly focused on environmental stewardship. By collecting produce from backyards, farms, public spaces, farmers markets, and wholesale markets, we are not only feeding people but we are also diverting this food from the landfill, utilizing the many resources that went into growing that food at the highest point on the food recovery hierarchy, and keeping thousands of tons of methane and other greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. As we harvest food, fight hunger, and build community, our goal is to do so with the least amount of environmental impact.