Food Forward is pleased to announce the launch of I-Pick It, a new program that allows homeowners to borrow our equipment in order to lead their own harvesting events!  Since we are unable to harvest every tree in Los Angeles, we hope that by sharing our resources, we can help glean more fruit and feed more people in need.

In the month of January, we experienced 80 new properties brimming with ripe tangerines, navel oranges, and grapefruits.  In order to get this fruit off the trees and into the hands of those who need it, we are providing homeowners with our equipment and tools so that they can harvest on their own time with friends, family and neighbors.   As of right now, our supplies are available M-F 10am-6pm at our North Hollywood office (7412 Fulton Ave. #3).  As this program grows, we hope to have our equipment available at various locations throughout Los Angeles.

In order to lead your own pick, Food Forward will provide you with a kit that includes:

• Volunteer release forms
• Equipment safety guide
• Harvesting and fruit guide
• Clippers
• Gloves
• First Aid Kit
• Goggles
• Hand wipes
• Sunscreen
• 4-5 pickers and extension
• 2 harvesting bags
• 5-10 Food Forward produce boxes
• Food Forward yard sign

The kit requires a $50 deposit.  Once you are done harvesting, you can bring back your supplies and the boxes of fruit to the office and we will take it to a receiving agency.  If you have too much fruit we can coordinate a pick up.

Our first I-Pick It event went off without a hitch over Presidents’ Day Weekend!  A big thank you to the Franzke family of Van Nuys for taking charge and harvesting 240 pounds of oranges from their neighbor’s tree!

If you are interested in leading your own harvesting event, please email Brenna, the Harvest Coordinator, at brenna@foodforward.org.

We are so pleased to award Rose Liggon of Glendale the honor of Volunteer of the Month! Rose is a true Food Forward triple threat! She is a Pick Leader, a Property Scout, and a receiving partner from the Silver Lake Church! Rose has been a wonderful addition to our fruitful family. She’s incredibly positive, pleasant, and dedicated. She may look small, but she’s a hearty fruit picker, one of the best! Thank you Rose, we’re immensely grateful to have you on our side! If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Rose, I hope you will soon, she’s lovely.

Rose’s words on Food Forward:  ”I started volunteering at my church food pantry in January 2012. We gave out a lot of canned fruit! In March, Dr. Cheryl Revkin, DC sent a note to the church telling us about Food Forward. As soon as I read about the organization, I went online and started volunteering. In August of 2012, I went on a small pick with two other volunteers. I told the pick leader how much I wanted to get fruit to our food pantry! So, I set up for a training and I started leading my own picks as a pick leader. I bring the fruit from my picks to my church’s food pantry, and I’m thrilled! Our food pantry now gives fresh fruit to our patrons every week. With the fresh fruit, they now can save the canned fruit for earthquake kits or emergency situations. I love Food Forward because it gives me the opportunity of serving both the fruit donors and the recipients. I believe in Food Forward, because it is such an important part of the movement to stamp out wonderful produce from going to waste! Also, most importantly, Food Forward brings out the best in people!”

Food Forward Community Builder

ORGANIZATION: Food Forward (501c3 non-profit), www.foodforward.org

HOURS: 10 – 12 hours per week: Twice a week at our North Hollywood office and/or in the field.

COMPENSATION: Unpaid internship. All non-commuter miles driven will be reimbursed

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW: Food Forward’s mission is to reconnect people with people – through food – by bringing together volunteers and neighbors to share in the gleaning and distributing of locally grown food from private homes and public spaces which is then distributed to local food pantries and organizations serving those in need.

POSITION OVERVIEW: We are looking for two (2) individuals to fill the responsibilities of the following positions.

Position 1: We are looking for one person to work in the field. This person will be responsible for scouting properties for ripe fruit as well as leading harvesting events every week. You will be required to do some heavy lifting of up to 40 pounds. This is an opportunity to develop community-building skills, local fruit knowledge, harvesting skills and team leadership skills.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: This position also requires driving an industrial van and a stake-side truck on a weekly basis. Applicant be 21 years or older!

Key Responsibilities:

- Property Scouting: visit 4-5 properties a week to determine ripe fruit

- Pick Leading: schedule and lead 1 harvest during the week with 2-10 volunteers

- Community Building/Volunteer Outreach: table events and engage with volunteers about Food Forward

Position 2: We are looking for one office-based Community Builder. This position will manage harvesting data and logistics, work on all major social media platforms and allow for Food Forward’s Backyard Harvesting for the Hungry Program to effectively increase capacity. We ask that applicants have a strong knowledge and interest in data management (Excel, Google Docs) community engagement (Facebook, WordPress, Twitter, Instagram), and have a strong sense of being a team player.

Key Responsibilities:

- Social Media: strong knowledge of WordPress, Twitter, and Facebook with the ability to update weekly

- Data Entry and Communication: update harvest, property, and volunteer information in database. Send out event volunteer confirmations and manage volunteer cancellations and sign ups.

- Community Building/Volunteer Outreach: table events and engage with volunteers about Food Forward

BOTH POSITIONS:

The Food Forward Community Builder will report to the Volunteer Manager and Harvest Coordinator.

An ideal candidate will have:

- An interest in food justice and community building

- Flexible schedule and ability to work in both office settings and in the field

- A valid drivers license and ability to easily navigate Los Angeles

HOW TO APPLY: Please attach your current resume as a PDF and create a cover letter in the body of the email explaining your interest in the position and email to info@foodforward.org, with the subject line reading, “Food Forward Community Builder – (YOUR NAME HERE).” Only the applicants who follow directions will be considered. Students earning credit are encouraged to apply.

FOOD FORWARD’S CAN IT ACADEMY LAUNCHES!

http://foodforward.org/get-involved/can-it/

Food Forward, California’s largest volunteer-powered, harvesting-for-the-hungry non-profit organization, extends its mission of eradicating food waste and creating community with the CAN IT! ACADEMY, offering two 2013 programs of hands-on education in food preservation and “foodsteading.”

Building on two prior years of sold out success, The 2013 Foodsteader* Tour presents a quarterly series that can also be taken as individual classes, offering in-depth explorations of food crafting at private locations with locally-celebrated food artisans and entrepreneurs, on location in their own kitchens and farms across the Southland.

And the all-new Food Preservation and Cottage Arts Certificate program is a 12-week series taught by Southern California’s foremost food preserving expert. The course will dig deep into myriad aspects of food preservation, including the nitty-gritty implications of the newly-enacted California Cottage Food Law (AB1616) as it relates to opening a small food business.

Meeting on Tuesday evenings for twelve weeks, this class runs from March 26th through June 11th, from 6 to 10 pm at The Gourmandise School located in The Marketplace at Santa Monica Place, and will be the most in-depth and broad-reaching course currently being offered in Southern California on food preserving.

The Food Preservation and Cottage Arts Certificate Program is aimed at the burgeoning professional, the serious hobbyist and the passionate amateur. It will be taught by Chef Ernest Miller, who for the past three years has been the lead instructor for the UC Cooperative Extension/LA County Master Food Preserver program.

The Food Preservation and Cottage Arts Certificate Program will be an enhanced and expanded version of
the courses that Chef Miller has taught in the past. [For a detailed curriculum - click here] Topics will include jams/jellies, fermentation, liqueurs/infusions, curing, bread making, beer brewing and other artisanal preservation methods.

SPACE IS VERY LIMITED AND SELLING FAST!!

MORE INFO AND APPLICATIONS VIA:

http://foodforward.org/get-involved/can-it/