Fight Food Waste & Hunger at Sunday's Farmers Market in Melrose Place

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Quick Overview: Gleaning produce with the Farmers Market Recovery program.

Who: Glean Team Leaders (GTLs) are trained volunteers who collect produce at Farmers Market "gleaning" events. If you are passionate about fighting hunger & food waste in your own community and are detail-oriented, you will love being a Glean Team Leader! You must be at least 16 years old to train as a GTL, and volunteers 16 - 17 years old must have a parent or legal guardian who trains and volunteers with them.

What: At the Melrose Place market, GTLs can glean on their own or are welcome to bring a couple of family members and friends. GTLs distribute empty boxes to participating vendors, collect the food donations at the end of the market, weigh and record the donations, and prepare the produce for pick-up by one of Food Forward's partner hunger relief receiving agencies.

*In non-COVID-19 times, Glean Team Leaders will lead small groups of volunteers at gleaning events. When it's safe to invite volunteers to join GTLs again, Food Forward takes care of recruiting and coordinating all volunteers.

You may need to lift boxes weighing up to 40 pounds, and you'll need a smartphone to record donations or send us a photograph of the record. Food Forward provides liability insurance for the event.

When: The market glean is on Sundays from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. We ask Glean Team Leaders to commit to volunteering at 6 market events over the course of a year or less. Of course, if you'd like to volunteer more, we'd be thrilled. Shifts are about 1.5 hours long. This market requires a car, as GTLs are required to pick up equipment a couple of miles away before the glean.

Why: We rely on our Glean Team Leaders to donate thousands of pounds of surplus fruits and vegetables every month from our 24 weekly Farmers Market Recovery events. A GTL will recover and donate 580 pounds of food at an average Farmers Market Recovery event. Joining our Volunteer Event Leader community also connects you with folks from all walks of life who are passionate about food access, food waste, sustainability, and agriculture. You'll have a regular opportunity to make a big impact, and you'll get to know local farmers and local produce in a whole new way.

How: We'll have you check out a glean at the market first with a trained Glean Team Leader. If you love it, we'll get you through the rest of our training and paperwork process! A background check (free to you) is required.

After registering with L.A. Works,

interested volunteers must contact volunteer@foodforward.org. We will work together to find a date for you to check out a glean; please do not show up at the farmers market without emailing with us first. Thank you!

All volunteers participating in this volunteer opportunity should adhere to the health and safety guidelines outlined here: https://www.laworks.com/health-and-safety

By clicking "Express Interest," I acknowledge that I am aware and understand that I am being referred to Activities that are coordinated and managed by a third party Agency or Organization and that L.A. Works has no jurisdiction, control, or oversight over these Activities. The Activities may be inherently dangerous and may expose me to a variety of foreseen and unforeseen hazards and risks including exposure to Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19"). The Activities may involve a degree of contact with clients who need assistance and other volunteers who may be carriers of COVID-19 and that personal protective equipment may not be available for my use and/or effective against preventing transmission of COVID-19 whether as a result of my own actions or otherwise.

By clicking "Express Interest," I acknowledge that I am voluntarily participating in the Activities and have considered those risks. I hereby expressly and specifically assume such risks, including any and all risk of injury, illness, harm, or loss that I may incur as a result of my participation in the Activities. I hereby fully and forever release and discharge L.A. Works from, and expressly waive, any and all liability, claims, and demands of whatever kind or nature, either in law or in equity, that may arise from my participation in the Activities.