By harvesting fruits and vegetables from public and privately owned trees, orchards, farms, and gardens, volunteer groups harvest produce that would otherwise go to waste and redistribute it to nonprofits that serve those who are experiencing food insecurity.
Hidden Harvest
Launched in the fall of 2016 in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, 412 Food Rescue’s Hidden Harvest program has since engaged over 1130 volunteers, 45 corporate and organizational groups, and harvested over 31,000 lbs of produce.
A percentage of the harvests, mostly inedible fruits, are earmarked for the production of innovative, value-added product partnerships with local businesses, including Wigle Whiskey, Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, Spring Hill Brewing, East End Brewing Co., and Threadbare Cider and Mead. These limited edition products serve to further our mission to end hunger and end food waste.
Our program is a continuation of the initiative founded in Pittsburgh in 2013 by Rose Tileston and Carolyn Barber, both of whom have since moved from Pittsburgh.
Register for a Hidden Harvest Event
Hidden Harvest runs from June through October and is a great opportunity for group volunteering!
Donate your Backyard Fruit Trees or Farm Fields to Hidden Harvest!
Have a fruit tree in your backyard that produces more than you can use? Donate your tree to Hidden Harvest and our volunteers will harvest the fruit and clean up the area around your tree, putting the produce to good use and protecting the health of the tree in future seasons!
412 Food Rescue also partners with farms that serve the Pittsburgh region to glean surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste. Our volunteers both harvest and deliver the produce directly to our nonprofit partners. Our farm partners include Triple B Farms, Braddock Farms, Triple A&R Farms, and Blackberry Meadows Farm.
Email hiddenharvest@412foodrescue.org to learn more.
Thank you to our awesome partners!
Mercer
Pittsburgh Zoo
26Capades
Elisco
Stantec
Giant Eagle
Cigna
Highmark
PittServes
Heinz SYP Interns
UPMC
Eat’n Park
Google
Industry Weapon
105.9 the X
NetHealth
Mandela Fellowship
Jewish Federation Volunteer Center
Oona
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden