Lead a Produce Recovery Event at the Studio City Farmers Market

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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 Studio City market, GTLs will glean with several other trained GTLs and are also welcome to bring a family member or friend if they'd like. 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 12:30 to 2pm. 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 2 hours long.

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.

***Email volunteer@foodforward.org to let us know you're interested!***