Food Forward

Food Forward fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce, connecting this abundance with people experiencing food insecurity, and inspiring others to do the same. Our Community Programs (Backyard Harvest and Farmers Market Recovery) engage thousands of volunteers and members of the public annually as stewards of the local food system through harvests at hundreds of fruit tree properties, gleans at over a dozen weekly farmers markets, and a strong presence at community events. Meanwhile, the staff-powered Wholesale Recovery Program recovers surplus fruits and vegetables from regional and national produce distributors, educating the industry on how large-scale food recovery improves communities’ access to fresh, nutrient-dense foods and reduces the environmental impacts of food waste. Produce recovered by our award-winning programs is distributed to over 250 local hunger relief organizations to share free of charge with their service communities.

Since Food Forward’s founding in 2009, our staff and volunteers have distributed over 480 million pounds (2.7 billion servings) of surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste to the communities that need it most, preventing over 427,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions.