(Attacking Hunger at a Food Forward pick)
This time of year there’s tons of charities jones-ing for you tax-deductible
end of the year money. But when it comes making a BIG change in the world of
food look no further than Food Forward, LA's largest urban gleaning
organization.
In a nutshell gleaning is when volunteers pick fruit off of donated trees
and bring it to SoCal food banks in need. The volunteers get to spend couple of
hours in the California sunshine picking fruit and climbing trees (which has
the potential to make you absolutely giddy!). SoCal Food Banks such as SOVA and
MEND Poverty are happy to receive desperately needed fresh fruit and veggies.
The people who donate their trees get a tax write off for the market value of
fruit that would otherwise go to waste. And the tree is healthier for being
picked of excess fruit.
One tree here and one tree there makes a difference! Since forming in 2009,
Food Forward has harvested/rescued over 370,000 lbs of fruits & vegetables
at hundreds of properties with 100% of what they pick going to feed the hungry.
Combined, their distribution partners provide food to over 35,000 clients a
month across Southern California.
Right now Food Forward is in the middle of a campaign to reach all the food
on the tree (versus only the low stuff we can reach with the equipment we
have). Below are the Deets. So if you’re looking for something that will put a
smile on your face, take that five dollars you might spend on a Latte in the
next couple of days and help make a BIG change with a little act!
Food Forward’s progress over the last 2.5 years has been remarkable.
But as our tiny organization has blossomed over the last two and a half
years, we have routinely found we are unable to harvest approximately 25% of
the fruit we encounter on any given pick ONLY because we cannot reach it.
Something as simple as not having enough of the professional harvesting tools
it takes to reach the crown of a tree has hampered us from gleaning literally
tens of thousands of additional pounds for the nearly 30 food pantries and
other agencies across Southern California whom have now come to depend on us
for their supply fresh free local fruit.
So, we put our heads together with the incredibly generous Plum Foundation
(whom helped – along with you all - to make the Fruitmobile a reality this time
last year.) We are juiced to announce our
CLIMB HIGHER WITH FOOD FORWARD
CAMPAIGN
With a Plum Foundation matching grant - for the first $7,500 we raise from
now through the end of this year - we are appealing to you, the beloved members
of Fruitland, to
DONATE IN ANY AMOUNT to
HELP US CLIMB HIGHER AND HARVEST MORE FRUIT.
Funds raised during this campaign will go towards purchasing badly needed
tools and other items that allow us to continue improving the important work we
do in touching the lives of Southern California’s most vulnerable: at last
count we have served, over 400,000 people in the past year alone!!
Here’s the best part - for those of you Fruitanthropists making (fully tax
deductible!) donations at the special levels below during this campaign,
there’s a zesty “gimme” simply for stepping up to help us in this special way:
For a $100 donation or above you will receive a pair of our nifty Food Forward
gloves.
For a $250 donation you will have your (or your family’s) name emblemized
along with others on a rung of one of our ladders + a pair of FF gloves.
For a $500 donation you will have your name emblemized on an exclusive rung
of a ladder + a pair of FF gloves.
For a $1,000 donation you will receive your name on a top rung + two pairs
of FF gloves.
For a $2,500 donation you will have an exclusive naming opportunity of an
entire ladder with up to five names of your choice to be placed on any of the
rungs + five pairs of FF gloves.
For a $15,000 donation you will be buying us another badly needed tool: a
stake side truck (enabling us to haul upward of 5,000 lbs of fruit at any given
time.) For this bountiful gesture your name will be emblemized on the cab of
this fine vehicle – and you will help us choose the vanity plate!
REMEMBER THE FUNDS MUST BE RECEIVED BY DEC 31ST in order to qualify for the
Plum Foundation match.
You may donate via
PayPal – or check (send
to Food Forward 7412 Fulton Ave. #3 North Hollywood, CA 91605.) Either way,
when you make your tax-deductible donation, please notify us of: 1) your gloves
size S, M, L, XL; and 2) if donating at a higher level, how you would like you
or your family’s name to read on the ladder, and; 3) whether or not you would
like to be acknowledged on our website. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery of
your goodies.
Every dollar counts, so thank you for a helping make Food Forward’s harvests
that much more abundant.
Thanks for Sharing the Abundance and helping us do the same. Happy
Holidays!
See you up a tree!
The Food Forward Team.
