There are many groups which glean, harvest, collect, rescue, or recover fruit or produce for charitable purposes. The geographic list below is incomplete but may help site visitors locate a group in their location, either to donate their extra fruit/produce or to volunteer. Groups listed may or may not be official 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.

Last Update: 1/29/24

California

  • Alameda, CA: Alameda Backyard Growers is an all volunteer group harvesting extra fruit from backyards in Alameda and donating to the Alameda Food Bank. Fruit donors or volunteers should contact (510) 239-PICK (7425) or info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org.
  • Berkeley, CA: North Berkeley Harvest is an unofficial group of friends and volunteers who pick and share fruit with local food initiatives.  (510) 812-3369 or northberkeleyharvest@gmail.com
  • Castro Valley, CA: Castro Valley Gleans (with Forestr.org) organizes volunteers to harvest excess crops that are donated to food resource partners throughout the community.
  • Danville/San Ramon/Pleasanton, CA: Contra Costa Food Rescue (with Forestr.org) harvests fresh backyard fruit for donation to local soup kitchens, food patries, shelters and the food bank. 
  • Davis, CA: Community Harvest of Davis is a nonprofit volunteer run organization that harvests fruit from residential trees and donates it to agencies that feed people in need. (530) 759-9792. Facebook: Community Harvest of Davis
  • Healdsburg, CA: 
  • Los Angeles, CA:  Food Forward staff and volunteers rescue surplus produce from fruit trees, farmers markets and the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market and donate to hunger relief agencies across Southern California.
  • Marin County, CA: ExtraFood's Share the Bounty program harvests and collects fruit and produce from residences, community gardens, and farms.
  • Merced, CA: Merced County Food Bank operates a "Glean, Grow, Give" gleaning program to collect fresh fruit and vegetables from local homes and farms to reduce hunger and food waste. 
  • Nevada City, CA: Sierra Harvest operates a gleaning program in California's Gold Country. Their mission is to educate, inspire and connect Nevada County families to fresh, local, seasonal food. info@sierraharvest.org
  • Oakland, CA: Oakland Gleaners is a group of volunteers who glean fruit and deliver to Oakland organizations serving the community in need. They can be emailed at info@oaklandgleaners.org.
  • Petaluma, CA: Petaluma Bounty operates a Bounty Hunter gleaning program that collects fresh, healthy food from backyard gardeners, farms, orchards and businesses to assist those in need. bountyhunters@petalumabounty.org 
  • Sacramento, CA: 
    • Harvest Sacramento,  a project of Soil Born Farms, is a collaborative effort of area residents, non-profits, community groups and businesses that harvest surplus fruit and vegetables from backyards and small orchards and donate it to local food assistance agencies. Donate Fruit web page.
    • Find Out Farms is a gleaning organization in the Sacramento Area that started with a free fruit farmstand.  findoutfarms@gmail.com
  • San Diego, CA: 
    • Senior Gleaners of San Diego County is a group of volunteers 55 years of age and over who glean surplus food from fields, groves, backyards, stores, and restaurants to distribute to nonprofit agencies that feed the hungry throughout San Diego County. (619) 633-9180, SDGleaners@aol.com.
    • ProduceGood operates the Crop Swap gleaning program in San Diego County to harvest excess fruit from backyards and small farm, and donate to partner agencies to help those in need. 
  • Greater San Francisco Bay Area: Village Harvest is a 23 year old nonprofit volunteer organization harvesting fruit from backyards and small orchards to provide food for those in need. They also provide education on fruit tree care, harvesting, and using fruit. Headquartered in San Jose but with volunteer teams serving communities in Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties.  www.villageharvest.org , (888) FRUIT-411 (888-378-4841).
  • San Luis Obispo County: GleanSLO picks excess fruits and vegetables from commercial farms, small orchards, backyards, and farmer's market for the benefit of the community. gleanslo@slofoodbank.org, cell (805) 835-3750,  or office (805) 238-4664.
  • Santa Barbara, CA: Backyard Bounty is a volunteer-powered gleaning program of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, harvesting fruits and vegetables from private properties in the area and distributing to those in need.  backyardbounty@foodbanksbc.org (805) 319-9096
  • Stockton, CA:
    • Harvester Farms harvests fruit and nut trees in the Stockton area and donates to local food agencies. Contact (209) 808-3375 or Website Contact Page
    • Harvest Share harvests fruit in Stockton and donates to the Stockton Emergency Food Bank. Contact Katie Cox at (209) 662-9856.
  • Ventura County CA: Food Forward rescues surplus produce each week from fruit trees, farmers markets and the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market and donates to hunger relief agencies, including in Ventura County. Ventura contact (805) 630-2728 and volunteervc@foodforward.org.
  • Woodland, CA: Woodland Community Harvest (Yolo County) is a nonprofit volunteer organization that harvests extra fruit and vegetables from backyards and small farms, then passes it along to local charities to feed thodr in need. wcharvest@yahoo.com.

Oregon

  • Ashland, OR: Neighborhood Harvest is an organization dedicated to harvesting fruit, produce and nuts that would otherwise go to waste from people's yards in and around Ashland.  (541) 708-1807, info@neighborhoodharvest.org. Facebook: Neighborhood Harvest Ashland
  • Eugene, OR: Eugene Area Gleaners is a community based organization dedicated to reducing food wase and increasing food access in Eugene, Oregon and the surrounding area. 
  • Portland, OR: Portland Fruit Tree Project is a grass-roots non-profit organization. By empowering neighbors to share in the harvest and care of urban fruit trees, they are preventing waste, building commuity knowledge, and creating sustainable ways to obtain healthy, locally grown food. 
  • Salem, OR: Salem Harvest is a non-profit organization that connects farmers and backyard growers with volunteer pickers to harvest fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste, sharing the bounty between food pantries and participating volunteers. 

Washington

  • Pullman and Clarkston, WA: Backyard Harvest combats food insecurity and food waste in the Palouse and Lewis-Clark Valley through volunteer harvesting and farmers market food access initiatives. info@backyardharvest.org
  • Seattle, WA: City Fruit helps tree owners grow healthy fruit, provides assistance in harvesting and preserving fruit, promotes sharing, and works to protect urban fruit trees.
  • Spokane, WA: The Spokane Edible Tree Project educates the community on tree care and collects and donates fresh fruit for those in need.

Other West

  • Tucson, AZ: Iskashitaa Refugee Network is a nonprofit whose mission is to assist refugees. In the Harvesting Tucson program, volunteers work with refugees to harvest and distribute produce from local backyards, farms, and orchards to benefit food-insecure families. information@iskashitaa.org or (520) 440-0100
  • Moscow and Lewiston, ID: Backyard Harvest combats food insecurity and food waste in the Palouse and Lewis-Clark Valley through volunteer harvesting and farmers market food access initiatives. info@backyardharvest.org
  • Vancouver BC, Canada: Vancouver Fruit Tree Project is a grassroots organization on a mission to strengthen Vancouver’s food security by harvesting backyard fruit trees and delivering it to organizations serving members in our community who typically have reduced access to fresh produce.
  • Victoria BC, Canada: The Fruit Tree Project harvests small orchards and backyard trees, and divides the fruit among volunteers and those in need.  

Central US

  • Kansas City, KS and MO Area: After the Harvest is a nonprofit hunger relief organization that distributes rescued fruits and vegetables directly to agencies feeding hungry people. info@aftertheharvestkc.org, (816) 921-1903.

East

  • Baltimore, MD: The Baltimore Orchard Project strengthens communities through planting and cultivating orchards, teaching citizens to be long-term stewards, and sharing the harvest among neighbors. info@baltimoreorchard.org
  • New Hampshire: NH Gleans is a network of regional gleaning leaders that gather and distribute food recovered from local producers to organizations in an effort to increase food access in their communities. 
  • Keene, NH: The Gleaning Program of The Community Kitchen collects produce from local farms and charitable gardens.
  • Floyd, VA: Plenty! nourishes the community and feeds the hungry by growing and sharing food. plenty@swva.net
  • Berlin, VT: Community Harvest of Central Vermont is a grassroots volunteer-driven community service program which works with local farms to address food waste issues and provide healthy food for people in need. communityharvestvt@gmail.com, (802) 229-4281
  • Multiple states: Society of St. Andrew volunteers from congregations, groups, and individuals glean farms statewide in 11 southeastern states and in multi-county areas of 16 other eastern and central states (see website for locations). SOSA also works with people across the 48 contiguous United States to assist them in developing gleaning programs in their local areas.