FIND Food Bank works with local growers to get their extra produce from the fields to the hands that need it most

FIND Food Bank, the desert's regional food bank strives to not only put food in the hands of those in need but specifically healthy, sustainable food.

Thanks to FIND's partnership with our local agriculture community they provide some of the freshest produce straight from the fields in the east valley to people all over.

“The people in California are probably getting a better plate than other states where they don’t have the diverse produce and agriculture that we have here in California,” FIND Food Bank board member and a member of California Women for Agriculture Ellen Way told News Channel 3.

The Coachella Valley is an agriculture rich area. From iceberg lettuce to Brussel sprouts; all year around something fresh is growing right in our own backyard.

“FIND Food Bank as the only regional food bank, we are the expert at sourcing all of this fresh produce,” development and community relations coordinator for FIND Food Bank Kayleen Sullivan said.

FIND Food Bank's partnership with 29 of our local growers puts fresh healthy food in the hands of those who need it most.

“At FIND about 40 to 50 percent of what’s given away is done so in the way of fresh produce,” Ellen Way said.

Last year, FIND doubled their distribution from 12 to 24 million pounds of food but continued maintaining that ratio of 40 to 50 percent fresh produce.

“Because we know how important it is to keep our families who are experiencing food insecurity healthy through this time through this pandemic where we are in a health crisis and we don’t want them to be in a hunger crisis as well,” Sullivan said.

The partnership not only helps FIND bring healthy food to keep people in a pandemic healthy but also helps our local growers as well.

“With restaurants being closed our outlets for all of our produce have closed, a lot of places are not taking what they used to take and so we do have stuff leftover in the last six to eight months and we’ll probably have a lot more in the future so it works out well this partnership with FIND,” Mike Way, the managing partner at Prime Time International said.

The partnership ensures this perfect product doesn’t go to waste.

“The minute that a grower has too much they know FIND is here and they know who to reach out to to make sure it gets in the right hands," Ellen said.