Nita Kurmins Gilson, Alexandra White and I founded ProduceGood in 2014 as a nonprofit that engages in community gleaning practices to recover unwanted or wasted produce to serve individuals who are hungry. In San Diego County there are 500,000 children, adults, seniors, homeless, veterans, low income military families and others who are considered food-insecure; yet, it is estimated that 40% of local fresh produce rots, goes to waste or gets plowed under each year. Our programs include picking fruit in residential orchards, vegetables on small farms and collecting fresh vegetables and fruit at farmers markets. ● We have rescued 184,000 pounds of produce, supplied 552,000 nutrient-rich fresh food servings to our FPP network and diverted 92 tons of organic waste (equal to 184 tons of CO2 avoidance);● 1 pound gleaned equals 3 servings of fresh food — with your help in 2018, we can harvest 111,000 pounds, equal to 333,000 servings of vitamin-filled produce for San Diego families, children, veterans and homeless;● Our vibrant volunteer program “Community Orchard” keeps 520 San Diegans active and healthy through the physicality of gleaning, community service and the camaraderie that propels the human engine to rescue and transport fresh produce;● We are fortunate to have 76 individual growers and market farmer/vendors who provide their surplus bounty each week to serve food-insecure people countywide with 176 harvesting event in 2017 and 260 planned for 2018. Through the support of our volunteers, community partners, donors and sponsors, ProduceGood is solving the problem of hunger and waste in one sweet step.