About us
Food Forward is a local nonprofit that recovers surplus fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste and connects it with hunger relief organizations. We work across Ventura County and are primarily volunteer-run! Our Backyard Harvests are an opportunity to get out amongst the fruit trees and collect produce that would otherwise go to waste, while connecting with like-minded community members and giving back to your neighborhood. Our volunteer opportunities are generally open to ages 5+, making it an apple-solutely awesome family outing!
Upcoming events
70
Fight food waste at the Ojai Farmers Market (Register before joining the event)!
Ojai Certified Farmers Market, 300 E Matilija St, Ojai, CA, USPlease complete an interest form to learn more about registering for a Farmers Market gleaning event. We do not accept walk-ons at the market.
Who: Glean Team Leaders (GTLs) are trained volunteers who collect produce at Farmers Market "gleaning" events. If you are passionate about fighting hunger & food waste in your own community and are detail-oriented, you will love being a Glean Team Leader! You must be at least 16 years old to train as a GTL, and volunteers 16 - 17 years old must have a parent or legal guardian who trains and volunteers with them.
What: At the Ojai market, GTLs can glean on their own or with one or two other trained GTLs. GTLs distribute empty boxes to participating vendors, collect the food donations at the end of the market, weigh and record the donations, and prepare the produce for pick-up by one of Food Forward’s partner hunger relief receiving agencies.
You may need to lift boxes weighing up to 40 pounds, and you’ll need a smartphone to record donations or send us a photograph of the record. Food Forward provides liability insurance for the event.
When: The market glean is on Sundays from 1:15 to 2:30 pm. We ask Glean Team Leaders to commit to volunteering at 6 market events over the course of a year or less. Of course, if you’d like to volunteer more, we’d be thrilled. Shifts are about 1 hour long.
How: We'll have you check out a glean at the market first with a trained Glean Team Leader. If you love it, we'll get you through the rest of our training and paperwork process! A background check (free to you) is required.
***Email volunteer@foodforward.org to let us know you're interested!***
1 attendeeRescue food at the Channel Islands Harbor Farmers Market (Register first)!
Channel Islands Harbor Farmers Market, 3600 Harbor Blvd, Oxnard, CA, USPlease complete an interest form to learn more about registering for a Farmers Market gleaning event. We do not accept walk-ons at the market.
Who: Glean Team Leaders (GTLs) are trained volunteers who collect produce at Farmers Market "gleaning" events. If you are passionate about fighting hunger & food waste in your own community and are detail-oriented, you will love being a Glean Team Leader! You must be at least 16 years old to train as a GTL, and volunteers 16 - 17 years old must have a parent or legal guardian who trains and volunteers with them.
What: At the Channel Islands market, GTLs can glean on their own or with one or two other trained GTLs. GTLs distribute empty boxes to participating vendors, collect the food donations at the end of the market, weigh and record the donations, and prepare the produce for pick-up by one of Food Forward’s partner hunger relief receiving agencies.
You may need to lift boxes weighing up to 40 pounds, and you’ll need a smartphone to record donations or send us a photograph of the record. Food Forward provides liability insurance for the event.
When: The market glean is on Sundays from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. We ask Glean Team Leaders to commit to volunteering at 6 market events over the course of a year or less. Of course, if you’d like to volunteer more, we’d be thrilled. Shifts are about 1 hour long.
How: We'll have you check out a glean at the market first with a trained Glean Team Leader. If you love it, we'll get you through the rest of our training and paperwork process! A background check (free to you) is required.
***Email volunteer@foodforward.org to let us know you're interested!***
1 attendeeRescue food at the Thousand Oaks Farmers Market (register first)!
Thousand Oaks Farmers Market, Wilbur Rd. & Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA, USPlease complete an interest form to learn more about registering for a Farmers Market gleaning event. We do not accept walk-ons at the market.
Who: Glean Team Leaders (GTLs) are trained volunteers who collect produce at Farmers Market "gleaning" events. If you are passionate about fighting hunger & food waste in your own community and are detail-oriented, you will love being a Glean Team Leader! You must be at least 16 years old to train as a GTL, and volunteers 16 - 17 years old must have a parent or legal guardian who trains and volunteers with them.
What: At the Thousand Oaks market, GTLs can glean on their own or with one or two other trained GTLs. GTLs distribute empty boxes to participating vendors, collect the food donations at the end of the market, weigh and record the donations, and prepare the produce for pick-up by one of Food Forward’s partner hunger relief receiving agencies.
You may need to lift boxes weighing up to 40 pounds, and you’ll need a smartphone to record donations or send us a photograph of the record. Food Forward provides liability insurance for the event.
When: The market glean is on Thursdays from 3:15pm to 4:30pm. We ask Glean Team Leaders to commit to volunteering at 6 market events over the course of a year or less. Of course, if you’d like to volunteer more, we’d be thrilled. Shifts are about 1 hour long.
How: We'll have you check out a glean at the market first with a trained Glean Team Leader. If you love it, we'll get you through the rest of our training and paperwork process! A background check (free to you) is required.
***Email volunteer@foodforward.org to let us know you're interested!***
1 attendeeFight food waste at the Ventura Farmers Market (register before joining)!
Ventura Farmers Market, 200 E. Main St., Ventura, CA, USPlease complete an interest form to learn more about registering for a Farmers Market gleaning event. We do not accept walk-ons at the market.
Who: Glean Team Leaders (GTLs) are trained volunteers who collect produce at Farmers Market "gleaning" events. If you are passionate about fighting hunger & food waste in your own community and are detail-oriented, you will love being a Glean Team Leader! You must be at least 16 years old to train as a GTL, and volunteers 16 - 17 years old must have a parent or legal guardian who trains and volunteers with them.
What: At the Ventura market, GTLs can glean on their own or with one or two other trained GTLs. GTLs distribute empty boxes to participating vendors, collect the food donations at the end of the market, weigh and record the donations, and prepare the produce for pick-up by one of Food Forward’s partner hunger relief receiving agencies.
You may need to lift boxes weighing up to 40 pounds, and you’ll need a smartphone to record donations or send us a photograph of the record. Food Forward provides liability insurance for the event.
When: The market glean is on Saturdays from 11:15 am to 1:00 pm. We ask Glean Team Leaders to commit to volunteering at 6 market events over the course of a year or less. Of course, if you’d like to volunteer more, we’d be thrilled. Shifts are about 1 hour long.
How: We'll have you check out a glean at the market first with a trained Glean Team Leader. If you love it, we'll get you through the rest of our training and paperwork process! A background check (free to you) is required.
***Email volunteer@foodforward.org to let us know you're interested!***
1 attendee
Past events
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