VENTURA — Food Forward, a Southern California nonprofit founded in 2009, is celebrating 8 years in Ventura County on November 10 at the Branch Out.
Food Forward addresses food waste and food insecurity by rescuing perfectly viable surplus fruits and vegetables from going to waste and donating this healthy food, free of charge, to hunger relief agencies. Through Backyard Harvesting, Farmers Market Recovery, and Wholesale Recovery, the Ventura County branch has recovered 1.5 million pounds of surplus produce and donated this bounty to over 65 agencies across the county.
This work wouldn’t be possible without the help of thousands of volunteers, agency partners, and supporters.
Now it’s time to celebrate all this hard work by honoring those who have helped Food Forward over the years and inviting the public to learn more about the nonprofit — from homeowners who are anticipating some excess fruit on their trees to volunteers interested in harvesting that fruit or gleaning at Farmers Markets.
The Branch Out is a free, family-friendly event hosted by Topa Topa Brewing Co. that features food for sale from Chef Tayo Waugh’s SO Truck, live music, a raffle, and a silent auction.
WHAT: Food Forward’s 4th Annual Ventura County Branch Out, a free, family-friendly community-building event to celebrate the organization’s work to fight food waste and food insecurity.
WHEN: Sunday, November 10, 2019, 1 pm – 4 pm.
WHERE:
Topa Topa Brewing Co.
4880 Colt Street
Ventura, CA 93003
About Food Forward (foodforward.org): Food Forward (501(c)(3)) fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh, surplus produce, connecting this abundance with people in need and inspiring others to do the same. Fruits and vegetables are collected from backyard fruit trees, public orchards, farmers markets, and the downtown Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Terminal. 100% of the recovered produce is donated to hunger relief agencies across eight counties in Southern California. The organization has won four consecutive Food Recovery Challenge awards from the U.S. EPA (2015-18) for its work to prevent and reduce food waste.