activities · 3
what they do
direct service · 3
- Environmental impact reporting Fresh Produce Rescue & DistributionMeasures and reports environmental benefits of food recovery, including prevention of over 444,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions and saving 3.1 million gallons of water per day from going to waste.
- Fruit and vegetable recovery and distributionRecovers surplus fresh fruits and vegetables from backyard fruit trees, public orchards, farmers markets, and the downtown Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market, and donates 100% of recovered produce to hunger-relief agencies. Distributes food to serve 250,000 people daily across 13 California counties, 7 adjacent states, and tribal lands.
- Impact reporting and organizational transparency Annual Impact & Transparency ReportingMaintains a dedicated "Our Impact" section to report on organizational outcomes and performance, including volume of food recovered and people served.
strategies · 3
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Distribution through partner networks and volunteer engagement partner_network_distributionExpands geographic reach and operational capacity by distributing rescued produce through a network of partner organizations and relying on volunteer-driven logistics for community-based delivery.
- Integrated model combining recovery, distribution, and advocacy integrated_hunger_reliefCombines food recovery and community distribution with policy advocacy to create a holistic approach to addressing both hunger and systemic food waste.
- Surplus produce rescue and redistribution to reduce food waste and increase access surplus_produce_rescueRescues fresh surplus produce from multiple sources such as farms, wholesalers, and farmers markets, and redirects it to communities in need, simultaneously addressing food insecurity and reducing food waste.
named programs · 4
what they call their work
Backyard Harvest
Recovers surplus fruits and vegetables from residential fruit trees in neighborhoods across Southern California
Farmers Market Recovery
Collects unsold fresh produce from farmers markets in Los Angeles and Ventura counties for donation to hunger relief agencies
Orchard Harvest
Harvests surplus fruit from public orchards and distributes it to communities in need
Wholesale Recovery
Rescues surplus produce from the downtown Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market before it goes to waste
relationships · 9
who they work with
- Double the Donation Government — Provider of matching gift and volunteer grant information on the Food Forward website.
- Food Oasis LA Partner — Recommends using the Food Oasis LA directory to help individuals locate free produce distributions.
- LA Food Bank Partner — Many of Los Angeles’s food pantries and food assistance programs that receive produce from Food Forward are listed in the LA Food Bank Pantry Locator.
- Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market Partner — Source of surplus produce for recovery efforts.
- Produce Industry Partner — Collaborates with the produce industry to recover surplus fruits and vegetables.
- The Oppenheimer Group Partner — Partnership to upcycle surplus produce and reduce carbon footprint through repurposing programs.
- hunger relief agencies Partner — Receives donated produce recovered by Food Forward
- local community groups Partner — Community-based organizations that distribute fresh produce in their neighborhoods
- national nonprofits Partner — Hunger-relief organizations that receive recovered produce for distribution