Our Programs Are Simple
We Collect Fresh, Surplus Produce
We run a Harvest Program. Over 50 local growers and shippers call us when there is a surplus of produce. Surplus can happen for a variety of reasons, such as the demand declining for a certain product. That's when growers and shippers call us! We send our trucks to pick-up their surplus produce. Every month from April though December, Ag Against Hunger receives approximately 1.2 million pounds of produce. To see a list of our produce donators, visit our Donor page.
We have a produce sharing program. We currently share produce with the Community Food Bank of Fresno and Northwest Harvest Food Bank in Washington. They share with us produce that is not grown on the Central Coast, such as tomatoes, potatoes, stone fruit, and apples. We share with them produce not grown in their areas, such as lettuce, spinach and strawberries. This program enables food banks in the Tri-County and surrounding areas access to produce they would normally not receive.
We run a winter produce program. From January though March, there is not much surplus produce on the central coast. But, we still receive produce for our local and surrounding area food banks. Once a week, we rent a truck that travels to the Imperial Valley and Yuma Arizona to pick-up fresh, surplus produce from growers and shippers.
We organize a volunteer gleaning program. After a commercial harvest, there is an abundance of produce left in the fields. Every other Saturday, from May through October, we gather a group of volunteers to harvest or glean the produce from the fields. To participate in our volunteer program, visit our volunteer gleaning page.
We Consolidate the Fresh, Surplus Produce at our Cooler
Our cooler is large enough to accommodate multiple truckloads so that no produce goes to waste. We break-up loads so that several food banks will receive the same product. Our cooler is located at 495 Brunken Ave, Salinas, CA 93901. If you would like to donate produce, please call our cooler at 831-759-9057.
We Distribute the Produce to Food Banks and Non-Profit Agencies
We distribute our produce to four different levels of food banks and other non-profit agencies. Our primary recipients are food banks in the tri-county area. After they have been satisfied, we provide produce to surrounding area food banks. After they have been satisfied, our produce is then available to California FoodLink and state-wide food banks. After all food banks in California are satisfied, our produce is then available to out-of-state food banks in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Washington. For a list of food banks we supply, please visit our produce distribution page.
Food Banks Give the Fresh Produce to People in Need
After the produce reaches the food banks, it is then distributed to shelters, meals on wheels, group homes, emergency food distributors, rehab centers, and soup kitchens. |
