The FruitGuys and HGFB Team Up to Feed Those In Need

It’s bright and early on a Monday morning, and the team at Hawaiian Gardens Food Bank in Hawaiian Gardens, California, is busy packing bags to hand out to the community. Each one includes grains, canned goods, juice, tortillas, bread, and a few pieces of produce that Melisa Halloran, the food bank’s purchasing agent, managed to find for a good price. Then, they add something special: farm-fresh fruit from The FruitGuys. 

“The extra fruit has been really helpful,” Melisa told The FruitGuys. “Our clients are appreciative of the donations we receive. They definitely enhance the nutritional and health value of what we’re distributing.” 

Over 225,000 Servings Donated in 2024 

Hawaiian Gardens Food Bank (HGFB) has been a FruitGuys hunger relief partner since 2018. Every week, the nonprofit receives boxes of excess and visually imperfect produce that didn’t quite make the cut for our fresh fruit delivery boxes—like extra-sweet freckled bananas, bruised but juicy apples, or scarred pears. 

From January–October 2024 alone, The FruitGuys donated 227,566 servings of produce to HGFB. Most of those servings went into mixed bags of food for low-income residents who stop by on alternating weeks to pick them up and use them to feed their families. But sometimes, when The FruitGuys makes an extra-large donation, the food bank team packs a bonus bag of fresh fruit for everyone. 

Feeding Low-Income Families & Migrant Students

Hawaiian Gardens is the smallest city in Los Angeles County. It’s home to about 13,400 people, and almost 18% of them live below the poverty line. That’s the community HGFB helps by giving out food bags and distributing vouchers for more perishable products. 

“We don’t have refrigeration for storing milk and eggs, so we give our clients a $5 coupon for the local Food 4 Less store so they can go over there to redeem their purchases,” Melisa said.

HGFB also contributes to the ABCUSD Migrant Education Program, a local initiative that “supports migrant students in achieving high academic standards and prepares them for responsible citizenship, future learning, and productive employment.” 

“We’ll often donate extra produce from The FruitGuys to them for their after-school programs so the kids receive fresh produce,” Melisa said. “They love it—it’s usually apples or bananas.”

Spreading Holiday Cheer in the Community

Melisa and the HGFB team are dedicated to improving their clients’ lives as much as possible. When she’s buying produce, Melisa scours the market for the highest grade she can afford on her tight budget, hoping to bring more nutritionally dense options to the food bank’s giveaways.

“We want our people to be healthy,” she explained.

HGFB also does what it can to make the holidays merry and bright. It hands out $12 vouchers on Thanksgiving and Christmas to help residents buy a turkey or ham and even buys Christmas gifts for the kids that it serves. 

“We have about 100 kids right now,” Melisa told The FruitGuys in early December, “They’ll be receiving toys next week.”

HGFB will donate any leftover toys to the ABCUSD Migrant Education Program to bring holiday cheer to its students, too.

Support Organizations Like HGFB with Donate-a-Crate

Whether your office is closed for the holidays or you’re simply feeling generous, you can “fruit it forward” and donate one of your FruitGuys deliveries to a hunger relief partner like HGFB through The FruitGuys’ Donate-a-Crate Program. We’ll deliver your order directly to a charity near you, and your fruit and snacks will help feed folks in need. In 2023 alone, our amazing clients fed 40,972 people through this program. Click here to learn more.