Ag Against Hunger
Encyclopedia
Ag Against Hunger is a non-profit organization based in Salinas, California
that collects surplus produce from Monterey
, San Benito
and Santa Cruz County
growers on the central coast of California
. This fresh produce is then distributed to food bank
s throughout the west coast of the United States
.
Ag Against Hunger was the brainchild of Jess Brown, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, Willy Elliott-McCrae, Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank and Tim Driscoll of Driscoll Strawberry Associates. In 1990 they developed a system to distribute the abundance of surplus crops grown in the tri-county area to the hungry. Their simple solution has become a model for produce recovery and distribution programs.
Ag Against Hunger's trucks collect produce from approximately 50 different growers and shippers in the tri-county area. It is then distributed to food banks that make the fresh produce donations available to more than 240 nonprofit human service agencies and feeds 75,000 low-income people in the tri-county area each month and hundreds of thousands more throughout California and the West Coast.
When local food banks are satisfied, Ag Against Hunger provides California Emergency Foodlink, a statewide food distribution program, fresh produce which is distributed to over 50 food banks and community pantries in other parts of the state. After state organizations receive all the produce they needed, Ag Against Hunger works with food organizations in Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Utah to feed people throughout the West Coast.
program coordinates the picking of crops left behind after commercial harvest and the donation of the food. In 2006, volunteers harvested over 55,000 pounds of produce that would have otherwise been disked underground.
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
that collects surplus produce from Monterey
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
, San Benito
San Benito County, California
San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California, south of San Jose. As of 2010 the population was 55,269. The county seat is Hollister, which includes nearly two-thirds of the county's population. El Camino Real passes through the county and...
and Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
growers on the central coast of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. This fresh produce is then distributed to food bank
Food bank
A food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have...
s throughout the west coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
.
Ag Against Hunger was the brainchild of Jess Brown, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, Willy Elliott-McCrae, Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank and Tim Driscoll of Driscoll Strawberry Associates. In 1990 they developed a system to distribute the abundance of surplus crops grown in the tri-county area to the hungry. Their simple solution has become a model for produce recovery and distribution programs.
Ag Against Hunger's trucks collect produce from approximately 50 different growers and shippers in the tri-county area. It is then distributed to food banks that make the fresh produce donations available to more than 240 nonprofit human service agencies and feeds 75,000 low-income people in the tri-county area each month and hundreds of thousands more throughout California and the West Coast.
When local food banks are satisfied, Ag Against Hunger provides California Emergency Foodlink, a statewide food distribution program, fresh produce which is distributed to over 50 food banks and community pantries in other parts of the state. After state organizations receive all the produce they needed, Ag Against Hunger works with food organizations in Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Utah to feed people throughout the West Coast.
Gleaning
After harvest, there is an abundance of high quality, marketable produce left in the fields which cannot be harvested economically or does not meet commercial standards. Typically, it is tilled under in preparation for planting new crops. Ag Against Hunger’s gleaningGleaning
Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest...
program coordinates the picking of crops left behind after commercial harvest and the donation of the food. In 2006, volunteers harvested over 55,000 pounds of produce that would have otherwise been disked underground.
External links
- Official website
- Harry Cline, Ag Against Hunger provides fresh produce for needy, July 5, 2005, Western Farm Press. Retrieved 12 September 2007.