In the San Fernando Valley, volunteers go 'gleaning' to pick citrus fruit for those in need

Food Forward's volunteers are committed to the goal of eliminating food insecurity and reducing food waste.

Food Forward is an organization in the LA area that is unique for its backyard gleaning program Tuesday, Northridge Feb 24, 2026. The Backyard gleaning refers to picking produce from your yard and donating it to reduce food waste.

and Samantha Teslik box up oranges for Food Forward, an organization in the LA area that is unique for its backyard gleaning program Tuesday, Northridge Feb 24, 2026. The Backyard gleaning refers to picking produce from your yard and donating it to reduce food waste. and Samantha Teslik box up oranges for Food Forward, an organization in the LA area that is unique for its backyard gleaning program Tuesday, Northridge Feb 24, 2026. The Backyard gleaning refers to picking produce from your yard and donating it to reduce food waste. (Photo by Gene Blevins, Contributing PhotographerFood Forward is driven by the staff and volunteers that harvest the citrus around Los Angeles. Volunteers have the option to glean produce from their own backyards or participate in larger-scale community harvests organized through Food Forward. "We've been able to donate around 489,000 pounds of fresh produce around Los Angeles in the past year," Forest said. "This is all through backyard harvest alone." Kristen Johnson COO, who is in charge of food distribution and day-to-day operations at Food Forward, said, "We have about 1,400 volunteers that collect fallen fruit from their own yards and neighboring yards," Johnson started at Food Forward as one of its many volunteers. "I worked in education and I saw how much poor access to proper nutrition impacted students' learning," Johnson said. "That's when I decided to seek out opportunities in nutrition equity to make a difference." Food Forward's volunteers are committed to the goal of eliminating food insecurity and reducing food waste. Food Forward has been able to donate almost 1 million pounds of otherwise-discarded produce around Los Angeles.Kelly Akins has been a volunteer harvest leader at Food Forward for ten years. Akins spends her Tuesdays and Thursdays collecting produce from her neighborhood's yards before driving out to a food bank at the end of the week. "Food insecurity is just something that makes me crazy," Akins said. "I love being outside and getting my hands dirty, so volunteering is really a win-win for everyone." Akins volunteered throughout Covid, at a time where food distribution became all the more necessary, yet increasingly difficult to coordinate. "There was a special moment I had at a church in Woodland Hills during Covid," Akins said. "I brought a huge box of these beautiful oranges to a food distribution and the people in the line got so excited. It just gives me chills and reminds me what this is all about." Over 2 million people in Los Angeles are currently facing food insecurity, according to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. "There are just so many hungry people, but all it is is a matter of logistics," Akins said. "You get the food from point A where it's being wasted to point B to the people who need it." Food Forward is committed to doing its part to bridge that gap between Point A and Point B. "The backyard harvest program keeps food within the region, which strengthens the relationship between us and the community," Ally Forest said. "The volunteer model in general allows people to get involved in any aspect of the food distribution process." Food Forward aims to continue expanding its outreach through more harvesting events in the coming years. "The most influential thing about this backyard harvest program is how accessible it is," Kristen Johnson said. "It's one of the most accessible ways people can make a difference in their communities, so I really encourage everyone to volunteer if they can."Thousands brace for fallout from unreported LA County criminal convictionsWoman falls into river and dies while hiking in the Angeles National ForestWater polo abuse allegations detailed in civil suit filed against Harvard-WestlakeManslaughter conviction upheld for captain in deaths of 34 people in 2019 Conception dive boat fire

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We've been able to donate around 489,000 pounds of fresh produce around Los Angeles in the past year.

Where this fits

It is easy to treat each new announcement as an isolated headline. The interesting part is almost always what it implies for everyone else operating in the same space.

The short version

• Food Forward's volunteers are committed to the goal of eliminating food insecurity and reducing food waste
• Food Forward is an organization in the LA area that is unique for its backyard gleaning program Tuesday, Northridge Feb 24, 2026
• Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources
• Woman badly injured in dog attack at San Fernando Valley shelter awarded $5.4 million by juryGenice Horta was attacked by a Belgian Malinois at the East Valley Animal Shelter in 2020
• Walk among giants at San Diego Zoo Safari Park's new Elephant ValleyThe new Elephant Valley at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in North County allows guests to get up close with one of Earth's biggest creatures

Figures worth noting

• Samantha Teslik box up oranges for Food Forward, an organization in the LA area that is unique for its backyard gleaning program Tuesday, Northridge Feb 24, 2026
• "We've been able to donate around 489,000 pounds of fresh produce around Los Angeles in the past year," Forest said
• Bass delivers update on cleanup at 2028 Olympics San Fernando Valley venueThe Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the west San

In short

Whether this marks the start of something larger or simply reflects the moment, it is a fair indication of the direction things are heading.