Volunteer in the SGV!
Looking for places to volunteer in the San Gabriel Valley? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve been harvesting food, fighting hunger, and building community across the SGV for years.
Read on to learn more about different volunteer opportunities in the area, or go straight to our calendar of upcoming volunteer events:
Check Out Volunteer Opportunities in the SGV
Volunteer Fruit Harvests in the SGV
We harvest fruit from private properties all over the San Gabriel Valley. Volunteers will meet up with one of our trained Pick Leaders and work for 1.5 – 2 hours to pick as much fruit as they can. We pack the fruit into Food Forward boxes and donate 100% to local hunger relief agencies.
Volunteer at Fruit Picks Throughout the Year
We work with homeowners all over the SGV who donate the fruit from their trees to help us fight hunger. If you’re looking for a fun, outdoor, and unique service experience, we have volunteer opportunities in the San Gabriel Valley throughout the year. We pick fruit in the following neighborhoods:
- Arcadia
- Alhambra
- Azusa
- Baldwin Park
- Diamond Bar
- Duarte
- Glendora
- Monrovia
- Pasadena
- San Gabriel
- San Marino
- Sierra Madre
- South Pasadena
- and more!
Find a SGV Volunteer Fruit Harvest
Harvests at the Huntington
Every year Food Forward volunteers harvest thousands of pounds of fruit from the historic grove located at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. We typically offer several Huntington Harvests throughout the spring and summer: these events are fun volunteer opportunities for families, friends, and groups to spend a morning picking fruit and fighting hunger. The events will always be posted on our volunteer calendar, but you can also email [email protected] if you’d like to bring a team out.
Volunteer at San Gabriel Valley Farmers Markets
Our volunteers also collect produce at the Saturday Pasadena and Sunday Alhambra Farmers Markets every week. This is an incredible way to experience the abundance of LA’s vibrant Farmers Markets, connect with your local farmers, and help fight hunger in your home community.
Come out early to get your shopping done, and stick around to join the “Glean Team”. Check out our upcoming Farmers Markets and sign up quickly, because volunteer spots fill fast!
We’re Looking for SGV Pick Leaders!
Hoping to get more involved or planning to volunteer on a regular basis? We’d love to have you join our team of “Super Volunteer” Pick Leaders! We always need more Pick Leaders to help us lead our volunteer events in the San Gabriel Valley.
For more information on becoming a Pick Leader, and information on how to apply, go to foodforward.org/volunteer/volunteer-positions or email us at [email protected].
Food Banks in the San Gabriel Valley
While the San Gabriel Valley offers an incredible abundance of fresh food (along with amazing restaurants and stores), it also holds a huge amount of need. According to an LA County Public Health Study, 27% of low-income households in the Valley (households with incomes less than 3x the Federal Poverty Level) experienced some degree food insecurity, an increase of nearly 50% from the previous survey.
We’re proud to say that our volunteers help us provide thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to San Gabriel Valley food banks and pantries every year.
So, when you sign up to volunteer with us, you can be sure that you’re making an impact in your own neighborhood.