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Huntington Gardens Fruit Pick

Join Food Forward in gathering oranges for local food pantry donation.

By Alysia Gray Painter

| Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012 | Updated 6:57 PM PDT

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Pick oranges at the Huntington Gardens on Saturday, Aug. 18 and help Food Forward help local food pantries.

Oftentimes when we visit a public garden or museum or other institution devoted to landscaped beauty or culture, we see food in the form of fruit growing on trees. Some might admire the pretty hues of the lemons and limes and move on, while others think, "say, what does this place do with that fruit, anyway?"

The answer is very often something wonderful and positive. Take Food Forward, an "all-volunteer grassroots group" dedicated to addressing urban hunger. People in the group see the fruit heavy on trees and think, "someone needs that." And so they organize picking events, among their other goals and drives, at places laden with edible goodness.

Like The Huntington LIbrary, Art Collection, and Botantical Gardens in San Marino. And on Saturday, Aug. 18, volunteers will gather and pick fruit in the historic spread's orange grove, for donation to food banks around SoCal. The hours are 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and there are seven slots left at this typing.

But even if that fills up, or doesn't fit with your schedule, Food Forward always has several pick events going on; there's a Northridge Valencia Pick on Sunday, Aug. 19 as well as a fig-focused day in Orange County. Likewise, if you have fruit growing on your own trees, the organization will schedule a stop-by and gather your citrus and such for donation.

Thanks to the Huntington for the tip! Happy Huntington orange gathering, Food Forward.