Fight Food Waste at the Torrance Farmers Market on Saturdays!

Gleaning surplus produce at the Torrance Farmers Market on Saturdays with Food Forward's 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!

Why: We rely on our Glean Team Leaders to recover and donate thousands of pounds of surplus fruits and vegetables every week from our Farmers Market Recovery events. 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.

What To Expect:

The market gleans are on Saturdays from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm. Shifts are about 2 hours long.

At the Torrance Farmers Market, GTLs will lead the glean with a few volunteers from the public. GTLs are welcome to bring a friend/family member to glean with them!

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.

What's Required:

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!

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 us first.

A background check (free to you) is required.

You may need to lift boxes weighing up to 40 pounds.

You'll need a smartphone to record donations or send us a photograph of the record.

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.

Please note, that this opportunity is managed by our partner, Food Forward. To sign up, please select the Express Interest button below.

After clicking "Express Interest", keep an eye out for an email from our Volunteer Team! 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 us first. Thank you!

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

By clicking "Express Interest" I certify I have read and agree to the Volunteer Terms and Conditions