Food Forward Collects Urban Fruit For Local Food Banks In Los Angeles
Food Forward forages fruit for a good cause
Last year, photographer Rick Nahmias was tired of watching the fruit from the trees in his neighborhood go to waste. Instead of watching it rot, he enlisted two people (via Craigslist) to help him pick and donate the fruit to charity.
After that, Food Forward was born.
The group has since picked thousands of pounds of lemons, oranges, persimmons, grapefruit and tomatoes from around Los Angeles, and 100 percent of the fruit they glean goes directly to local organizations like SOVA Community Food and Resource Program and MEND Poverty.
One year in, there's no shortage of volunteer pickers, but the group does need more backyards and gardens.
"It could be one tree or 100 trees," says Nahmias. "We don't discriminate." But the trees should be mature, and yield at least 100 to 150 pounds of fruit (or enough to fill about six to eight shopping bags).
To help, simply call the "fruit line" (818-530-4125) or go online and leave your name, number and tree specs. Staffers are sent to scope out the property and test the fruit, and then a pick is scheduled.
After the group does their thing, your yard is cleaner than it was before, and the fruit is put to good use within 24 hours. And it's all tax-deductible, to boot.
Giving was never so easy.