LOS ANGELES, CA, October 13, 2026. Food Forward, Seeds of Hope, and The Farmlink Project have partnered to create a new Community Produce Point distribution point serving hunger relief organizations in Crenshaw and Leimert Park. The hub brings surplus produce closer to smaller organizations in the area, reducing the distance required for regular pickups. Since 2009, Food Forward’s waitlist has grown as more hunger relief organizations seek access to surplus produce. In South Los Angeles, the distance required to pick up produce from Food Forward in Bell, CA, made regular pickups too costly for some smaller organizations with limited budgets.
“The need for fresh produce is especially high right now, and strong partnerships are essential to meeting the demand,” said Ellen DeVine, Director of Agency Relations at Food Forward. “We wanted to find an effective way to get more produce into the communities we serve. The Crenshaw Community Produce Point makes it easier for hunger relief partners with limited transportation and resources.”
Food Forward provides surplus produce and coordinates the placement of produce pickups with participating hunger relief organizations. Seeds of Hope, in partnership with Christ the Good Shepherd Church, hosts the distribution site in the heart of Los Angeles’ historic Crenshaw district, steps from Africatown’s bustling cultural center, Leimert Park. This access point serves as the central distribution point for all community sites who pick up produce from this new location. The Farmlink Project provides the transportation of the produce from Food Forward’s Pit Stop in Bell to the new distribution site. The hub serves a growing network of community organizations, including food pantries, school programs, nonprofits serving unhoused neighbors, community health clinics, and many others. Initial partners were placed from Food Forward’s agency waitlist, with additional partners joining through Seeds of Hope’s community network. Currently, over fifteen organizations receive produce, all located within five miles of the hub.
“The Crenshaw community produce point brings fresh food closer and helps our partners go further. By cutting transportation time and costs, it frees agencies to put more energy into their programs and more produce into the hands of families. Expanding access to fresh, nutritious food helps build a healthier South LA and strengthens the fight against Los Angeles’ food insecurity crisis,” said Steven Trapasso, Executive Director at Seeds of Hope. Higher grocery and gas prices are increasing costs for households. In the Los Angeles area, grocery prices rose
33 percent between September 2019 and September 2026, or the equivalent to a $100 basket of groceries costing about $133. Gas prices were 26.6 percent higher in just one year.
Federal changes to CalFresh are also reducing food benefits and affecting work requirement eligibility. The Community Produce Point helps smaller hunger relief organizations reduce transportation costs and makes surplus produce more accessible to the communities they serve.
MEDIA CONTACT: For media inquiries, or to schedule interviews, please contact Laura Coholan at [email protected] or (213) 806-0020.
ABOUT FOOD FORWARD, INC.: Food Forward is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit specializing in produce recovery for nutrition equity, serving Los Angeles, Southern California, and nationwide. Learn more about Food Forward’s mission at foodforward.org.
ABOUT SEEDS OF HOPE: Seeds of Hope seeks to cultivate wellness in communities through nutrition education, food distribution, gardens, and garden-based programs. Its mission centers on food justice and equal, affordable access to healthy, nutritious food.
ABOUT THE FARMLINK PROJECT: The Farmlink Project is a national nonprofit working to ensure that good food does not go to waste while communities face food insecurity. Farmlink connects farms and food donors with food banks and community organizations, coordinating transportation to move surplus produce quickly and efficiently where it is needed. Farmlink uses what it learns from every truckload to close gaps in food recovery and help build a food system that works better for farmers, people, and the planet. Since 2020, Farmlink has delivered more than 500 million pounds of fresh food through a network of growers, distributors, and community partners. Learn more at https://www.farmlinkproject.org/.