Is that glorious backyard fruit tree bearing more oranges than your family and neighbors can possibly eat? Have you tried to share your bounty and still end up with piles of good fruit rotting on the ground? Now you can ensure good, fresh fruit doesn’t go to waste.
Find Out Farms is a small Community Fruit Program in Oak Park. They can schedule fruit pick-up or drop-off via email at findoutfarms@gmail.com. If folks are unable to harvest the fruit and need help with picking the fruit, they will do their best to connect them with our volunteers.
FOF founder, Matthew Ampersand, shares his story;
“About a year ago when my wife and I decided to start sharing extra fruit with the community, we knew that there was a lot of fruit that was potentially going to waste, but we had NO IDEA that there would be such a huge response from the community to offer up their fruit for sharing. In the last few weeks, we have received over 275 requests for us to come and harvest! In that same time, we have shared over 3,000lb of fruit with the local community! “
This project is fueled by enthusiasm and generosity. It is funded entirely by donations and volunteers. Find Out Farms is in the process of getting a larger team of volunteers registered and trained to manage as many harvest requests as possible. Anyone interested in volunteering can reach out to the email address above. They will also need a waiver to be signed from their umbrella non-profit https://alchemistcdc.org/.
On the last Saturday of each month, FindOutFarms hosts a farm stand giving fruit directly to the Oak Park community for free.
Curious where the rest of your fresh fruit donations go? Here is a list below;
Local Free Fruit Stand: On the last Saturday of each month, FindOutFarms hosts a farm stand giving fruit directly to the Oak Park community for free.
Community Connections 95820: Community Connections 95820 is working to make sure no kid in the 95820 zip code goes hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the lockdowns started and community food banks in South Oak Park closed, a team of community organizations came together to provide food to the most vulnerable families in the 95820 zip code. They are scrappy, ambitious, and passionate. The goal of the project is to deliver food to families until they no longer need it.
Wellspring Women’s Center: Wellspring Women’s Center in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood nurtures the innate goodness and personal self-esteem of women and their children. They serve nearly 200 women and children each weekday and offer four different programs: the Nutritious Meal Program, the Children’s Corner Program, the Safety Net Services Program, and the Women’s Wellness Program.
Next Move: Their 85-bed Family Shelter campus provides emergency shelter with intensive supportive services to homeless families with dependent children, including single fathers. Next Move Family Shelter is for families with minor children under the age of 18 years in their permanent custody.
River City Food Bank: As Sacramento’s oldest, continuously-serving food bank, their mission is to alleviate hunger in Sacramento County by providing healthy emergency food and other assistance, offering referrals, and promoting self-sufficiency through a variety of programs. From seniors to children, from the homeless to the working poor, they assist all struggling individuals and families in Sacramento County.
Neighbor Program: Neighbor Program is a community organization committed to serving the people of Sacramento through building survival programs. Find Out Farms has been giving them hundreds of pound of oranges each month to share with the unhoused community in Sacramento.
To learn how you can support their efforts, please visit their website at: www.findoutfarms.com.