ExtraFood is thrilled to announce our partnership with Share the Bounty, a gleaning program that picks up excess fruit and vegetables from backyard gardens in the North Bay and delivers them to people struggling with hunger. The organization was started in 2016 by Jack, Scott, and Kate Van Hooser of Tiburon as they were walking around the neighborhood with their grandmother. They noticed how much fruit was rotting in their neighbors’ yards and the idea was born. To date, the organization has rescued over 17,000 pounds of produce.
Many people who experience food insecurity struggle to afford nutritious foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, which are typically more expensive. With this partnership, we will not only prevent more produce from going to waste and rotting in landfills, but we will also provide even more healthy fresh food to vulnerable people in our community.
ExtraFood Executive Director Will Dittmar says “We are thrilled to bring Share the Bounty into the ExtraFood family. We share a mission to end hunger and food waste in our community and we are impressed that it was started by three hard-working, caring teenagers. ExtraFood looks forward to expanding the current gleaning program to community gardens and farms, further decreasing food waste and providing healthy produce to people struggling with hunger.”
Kate from Share the Bounty says “I am really proud of my family in all that we have accomplished with our organization. Now that we will be working with ExtraFood, we can expand our volunteer network beyond friends and family as well as help more people have access to fresh, local fruits and vegetables.”
To learn more about ExtraFood’s gleaning program, go to: extrafood.org/sharethebounty
ExtraFood announced they were named Nonprofit of the Year for the North Bay by Assemblymember Marc Levine.
Assemblymember Levine represents California’s 10th Assembly District, which includes Marin and Sonoma counties. Each year, California Assemblymembers and State Senators are invited to honor a Nonprofit of the Year for their district. Co-sponsored by the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector, the Senate Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector, and the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), these awards:
Bring attention and recognition to outstanding nonprofits — especially in the local press where it often means the most.
Collectively illustrate the remarkable diversity and vibrancy of California’s nonprofit community: big and small they touch Californians every day through health clinics, churches, American Legion posts, choral groups, Meals on Wheels, prison reform organizations, wildfire relief organizations, museums, environmental advocacy organizations, and more.
Give legislators a way to highlight some types of nonprofits that are often overlooked: all-volunteer organizations and nonprofits based in Black and other communities of color.
ExtraFood Executive Director Will Dittmar says “We are truly honored to receive this award from Assemblymember Levine for our work to end hunger and food waste in the North Bay. We accept this award on behalf of not only our small, mighty staff but also the hundreds of volunteers, food donors, recipient partners, and financial partners that work with us 365 days a year. Together we serve our community’s most vulnerable children, seniors, and families.”
Assemblymember Marc Levine says “I am proud to recognize and celebrate the important work of ExtraFood. They are an exceptional model for how to address hunger, reduce food waste, and fight climate change all at the same time. They are providing fresh, healthy foods to many who would not otherwise have access to it. And they have become a critical part of Marin County’s emergency response, providing over 90,000 freshly-made meals during the COVID-19 pandemic alone. I am grateful for their work and service to the community.”
For ExtraFood, everything starts with the needs of people in the community. Because if they have the food they need, children can learn, seniors can age in place with dignity, and adults can find jobs to lift themselves out of poverty. ExtraFood’s vision is that food recovery will be a way of life in the North Bay, to enroll every possible business and school in their program and capture every possible pound of excess food.
