Farm to Pantry started with a walk…
around a Healdsburg neighborhood. Our founder, Melita Love, saw so many fruit trees in her neighbors’ yards with once beautiful fruit rotting on the ground beneath them. She thought what a shame it was to see waste like that when 1 in 4 people in Sonoma County are facing food insecurity. So, she DID something about it.
In 2008, the nonprofit Farm to Pantry was launched to serve a need in our local community: to provide a continuous supply of fresh, healthy produce to our most vulnerable neighbors who lack access to it by cultivating a community of growers and volunteers. The mission then and now is to bring together communities to end food injustice and reverse global warming by rescuing and sharing locally-grown food with those who have been systematically marginalized. We envision a just food system in which everyone has access to healthy food that honors and nourishes our community and heals the planet through eliminating food waste.
Our Mission
To bring together our communities to end food injustice and reverse global warming by rescuing and sharing locally-grown food with those who have been systematically marginalized.
Our Vision
For a just food system in which everyone has access to healthy food that honors and nourishes our community and heals the planet through eliminating food waste.
Our Roots
In 2008, Farm to Pantry was launched to serve a need in our local community: to provide a continuous supply of fresh, healthy produce to our most vulnerable neighbors who lack access to it by cultivating a community of growers and volunteers.
FACTS
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In 2023, we rescued 429,462 pounds of produce.
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Since 2008, we have delivered over 7.5 million servings of fruits and vegetables.
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We do this with the power and commitment of over 350 volunteer gleaners, 250+ property owners and more than 100 community partners.
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Up to 40% of all food in the U.S. ends up in landfills. By diverting food waste from landfills, we prevent methane pollution from entering the atmosphere; in 2023, we spared the air of emissions equivalent to taking 44 cars off the road for a year.
VALUES
We at Farm to Pantry condemn all forms of hate and violence and seek to lead in mending and healing our communities. Food justice is part of the continuum of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. We join those declaring that the nation must change now. As an organization, we are committed to cross the boundaries of race and privilege and to act with vigor in support of excluded people and under-served communities. We endeavor to bring our community together as farmers, landowners and volunteers to ensure access to healthy, fresh food for all. Our work is about ending harm and inequity. We are committed to authentic change through mutual care, non-violent communication, empathy, acts of courage and ally-ship, understanding and health for all in our community.