Kevin Estrada under a canopy of cherry plum trees.

Whether because of expense or inaccessibility, many people in the US do not get enough fresh produce. Lauren Anderson, founder and director of Produce to the People (PttP), realized this problem and did something about it. Lauren now runs the San Francisco-based nonprofit that harvests and distributes organic backyard and community grown produce. With the help of organizations such as Free Farm Stand, food pantries and soup kitchens, PttP is making fresh produce more accessible. PttP also strives to create green jobs for youth and engages teens in garden and food education.

Founder and director of Produce to the People, Lauren Anderson, picks apricots.Anderson’s work started with her love of gardening. This passion soon led her to community gardening and then sparked her curiosity in composting. As her interest in the environment grew, so did her involvement with San Francisco teens. Lauren regularly volunteers and teaches art to high school students. It wasn’t long before she began to see a connection between gardening, food and education.
“It just became increasingly important to me to involve youth in the work that I was doing,” Lauren says. “They just seemed to benefit so much from the aspect of gardening that is full cycle.” She explains how empowered the teens feel when they are able to produce food and give it to others.

PARTNERSHIPS PRODUCE RESULTS

Burton Yu and Brenaja Cates use fruit pickers to reach tall plum trees at the Secret Garden, a food-producing community garden in San Francisco. With the help of government programs like the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program and End Up, PttP works with local youth in tending community gardens and carrying out backyard harvests. PttP is also supported by other organizations in the area. Mission Pie, a local pie shop, helps teach teens about life on a farm at Pie Ranch. Mission Pie may also be a future location of PttP’s jamming process. Another sponsor of PttP is The Bike Hut. This environmentally-friendly shop donated bicycles for Lauren and the teens to ride to harvest locations. Mission High School has allowed PttP to use their garden as a teaching device in return for tending it throughout the summer.

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

Students on a field trip to the Mission Science Center learn about watering vegetable plants from Produce to the People at the Mission High School Garden.

Through gardening PttP teaches youth about healthy food, propagating seeds and plants and what it means for food to be organic. A lot of the learning is hands-on experience in San Francisco gardens, orchards and even in Lauren’s kitchen. After a day of harvesting Bartlett pears or canning fig jam, PttP then takes the time to talk with teens about their experiences.

Lauren has been noticing great things about PttP’s work with the youth. “One is how much fruit they eat while we’re working! Which has been really wonderful, it’s kind of what I was hoping would happen. … Another thing is that they’ve been willing to come on days when they’re not working. They have been so invested that they’re willing to come on volunteer days.”

Lauren explains that the realization of how PttP positively impacts the teens is rewarding. “That was an amazing moment for me, just to realize that they understand how good it feels to be a part of your community, and to be doing work that you know supports other people.”

GROW YOUR OWN

Kristine Tubig, Burton Yu and Brenaja Cates help out at the hyper-local produce table at the Free Farm Stand.

Lauren says if you would like to help PttP, “Spread the word about the work that we’re doing, and about community gardening and backyard harvest in general.”

If you’re local to San Francisco you can contact PttP about volunteering or donating produce. If you’re somewhere else, Lauren would be happy to help you start a backyard harvesting initiative in your own neighborhood. “I had a lot of help getting started, so I’m always happy to pass that along,” she says.

Produce to the People
Free Farm Stand
Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program
Pie Ranch
The Bike Hut

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