One Woman Rescues Fruit and Feeds The Hungry

“Meet Nita Kurmins Gilson, the woman bringing fresh fruit to thousands of San Diegans in need. In 2009, Nita learned that 1 in 6 people in her county were going to bed hungry. She also saw an abundance of fresh produce going to waste all over the city. So, she connected the dots to be part of the solution for both food waste and hunger. She began by picking excess fruit from neighborhood trees and hand-delivered it to local food pantries. What started with “one woman, one box, and one car” has expanded to 300 volunteers, and they have harvested over 100,000 pounds of fresh fruit! Besides fruit trees, they also harvest excess crops from local small farms, and collect unsold produce from weekly farmers markets…all to feed children, families, seniors, veterans, and the homeless in need. Nita also speaks to and educates the community about sustainability and food justice. She co-founded ProduceGood with partners Jari and Alex White with the mission to feed the hungry and reduce waste, and she’s doing an amazing job!”