![\"Backyard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PRN-L-Backyard-Produce-1.jpg\")
Backyard Produce Project tree picking volunteers Lance Leininger, Sue Ann Leininger, Linda Bouchard and Alexander Chucholowski. (Courtesy of Jane Radatz)<\/p>\nWant to help those in need and spend some time outdoors? Then the Backyard Produce Project wants you.<\/p>\n
Volunteers willing to pick fruit from trees at homes in Rancho Bernardo, Poway and surrounding communities are needed this spring as local citrus trees fill with ripe fruits.<\/p>\n
And those with more fruit growing on their trees than they can use are asked to consider donating their excess to help feed their less fortunate neighbors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is nice about our project is that we welcome volunteers at any level,\u201d said Linda Bouchard, the picking team coordinator who has been harvesting fruit for a dozen years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe take those who are working or only available Saturdays (for example),\u201d Bouchard said. \u201cWe do not ask volunteers to commit to specific days or times like libraries or schools do. We just provide opportunities for volunteers to sign up when they are available.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supplies and training are provided, she said.<\/p>\n
The Backyard Produce Project began in 2009 in the midst of the economic downturn when counselors at Poway Unified campuses spoke at a community meeting about an increase in local families who were unable to afford healthy food, said Jane Radatz, the project\u2019s co-founder.<\/p>\n
That prompted a discussion in which someone commented that \u201cIt\u2019s too bad we can\u2019t get ahold of all the fruit that goes to waste in people\u2019s backyards and donate it to families who are struggling,\u201d Radatz recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur initial plan was to set up donation sites in parking lots so people could bring us their excess produce,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we soon started getting calls from residents who wanted to donate their fruit, but needed someone to pick it. We recruited volunteers and formed a tree picking team.<\/p>\n
\u201cA year later, the owner of Sunshine Care Assisted Living \u2014 now Poway Gardens Senior Living \u2014 invited us to start a garden on their property to grow vegetables for the project,\u201d Radatz said. \u201cThe garden started small, but grew to 5,000 square feet plus a small orchard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Initially, what was grown or picked was distributed to local low-income families and seniors through a food distribution program operated by Friends & Family Community Connection. When FFCC disbanded in 2020, a new food program for those within Poway Unified\u2019s boundaries was created called 4 Community Care. It is based out of Pe\u00f1asquitos Lutheran Church.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a typical year, we\u2019re able to donate 50,000 pounds \u2014 25 tons \u2014 of fruits and vegetables,\u201d Radatz said. \u201cMultiplied by 16 years, that\u2019s 400 tons of fresh produce since we began.\u201d<\/p>\n
Backyard Produce Project tree picking volunteers Lance Leininger, Sue Ann Leininger, Linda Bouchard and Alexander Chucholowski. (Courtesy of Jane Radatz)<\/p>\n
Bouchard, a Scripps Ranch resident, said she joined the Backyard Produce Project to help in its garden. But after a couple years, she became bored with the same tasks with the same people. Seeking variety, she switched to the tree picking team, which she found more interesting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice because those you meet are always different, the sites are different \u2026 and there is a variety of different fruits,\u201d Bouchard said. \u201cWe have some nice options.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volunteers mostly harvest citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, limes, tangelos, pomelos and tangerines, which are popular in the RB\/Poway area. Occasionally, they pick apples, persimmons, figs and pomegranates, she said.<\/p>\n
When contacted by a potential donor, a team member goes to the property to see the condition of the fruit, number and size of the trees and logistical challenges, Bouchard said. They also check to make sure there is no insect infestation.<\/p>\n
Sometimes the volunteer determines the fruit is in poor condition, so not acceptable for donation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not give away fruit that\u2019s unappealing,\u201d Bouchard said.<\/p>\n
Other times, the volunteer says the fruit quality is good, but not ready for harvest and a plan is made to return in several weeks. The volunteer also determines if ladders, picking poles or other equipment will be needed, along with how many volunteers are needed depending on the number of trees with fruit, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no minimum. We will pick one tree or more if the fruit is worthy,\u201d Bouchard said. \u201cWe will also use fruit that has fallen on the ground if it is in OK condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tree owners can be on-site or absent, depending on what they are comfortable with when volunteers arrive. Some ask that a small amount of fruits remain, or a certain area is not picked so they can have it for themselves. Maybe they want to keep fruit from lower branches, but are donating fruit on branches they cannot reach, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very accommodating,\u201d Bouchard said.<\/p>\n
The picking team now has about 20 members who regularly participate, including Bouchard and her husband, Steve, and many more occasional volunteers on the email list.<\/p>\n
They primarily pick from trees in Poway, Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Rancho Pe\u00f1asquitos and Scripps Ranch. The northern limit is south Escondido and the southern limit is Tierrasanta.<\/p>\n
Since 2010, Poway resident Lori Shein has been volunteering on Sunday mornings in the Backyard Produce Project garden at Poway Gardens Senior Living. She is now the lead in garden one.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time, I wanted to do volunteer work and saw a notice in the (Poway News Chieftain),\u201d Shein said. \u201cI knew nothing about vegetable gardening, but really like digging in the dirt and liked the idea of growing food for people who are struggling, so it sounded good to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time, lots of volunteers taught me what to do and I learned so much due to their guidance,\u201d Shein said. \u201cSome knew a lot, some a little and we learned through trial and error.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said Roy Wilburn, nicknamed Farmer Roy, worked in the senior facility\u2019s gardens and taught the volunteers a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe learned by doing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Inspired by what she learned through the project, Shein said when redoing the landscaping at her home she had her husband and brother build her a vegetable garden.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took out the horrible trees and invasive plants in the backyard, took out the grass \u2026 and now grow our own vegetables,\u201d she said. \u201cI love it and learn from that too by following the seasons in San Diego, learning what to grow year round.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fall and winter crops in this area include cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, chard, carrots, sugar snap peas and spinach. Spring and summer crops include tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans and squash.<\/p>\n
For the first time, Shein said the garden team plans to try growing eggplant this spring.<\/p>\n
Her favorite vegetables to grow are tomatoes and sugar snap peas, Shein said, adding that she finds working in the project\u2019s garden on Sunday mornings to \u201cbe very quiet and peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The garden has three large sections, each managed by a team of volunteers tasked with planting, harvesting, weeding and prepping the space for the next planting season. Depending on their tasks, they spend one or two hours in the garden on their assigned day. There is someone volunteering daily.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get a lot of satisfaction,\u201d Shein said. \u201cWhen I grow vegetables they taste better (than store bought) and it feels nice \u2026. To grow for other people who are having problems with their finances.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary Cushing-Inman, a coordinator with 4 Community Care, said the nonprofit partners with the San Diego Food Bank to buy a lot of staple items \u2014 like boxed and canned goods. The nonprofit can purchase from the food bank at 10 cents per pound, so for example, it buys three boxes of macaroni and cheese for $1. It can also get some fresh produce for free, but the variety and quantities are limited.<\/p>\n
It also has volunteers pick up near-expiration foods such as meats, dairy and prepared meals, and dented canned goods from Vons in PQ, Jimbo\u2019s in 4S Ranch, Barons Market in Rancho Bernardo, O\u2019Brien\u2019s Bakery in Poway and Trader Joe\u2019s in Scripps Ranch. Surplus prepared foods at Poway, Rancho Bernardo and Westview high schools, along with Meadowbrook Middle School are also collected. Rancho Bernardo Community Church holds food drives for it occasionally.<\/p>\n
![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PRN-L-Backyard-Produce-3.jpg\")
Matt Sanseverino and Mary Cushing-Inman delivering items grown in the Backyard Produce Project garden to a 4 Community Care distribution site. (Courtesy of Christie Moran)<\/p>\n
The rest of the fruits and vegetables it distributes at the low-income housing developments in Poway and 4S Ranch it has partnered with, along with its drive-thru food distribution at Pe\u00f1asquitos Lutheran Church, comes from what is grown in the garden at Abraxas High School and through the Backyard Produce Project, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have 25 sites where we take food to about 400 to 500 families per month, with the drive-thru distribution serving around 120 more,\u201d Cushing-Inman said. Many residential sites are set up like a farmers market, so recipients select what they need.<\/p>\n
Demand has decreased in recent years, not as high as when the COVID pandemic began, but there is still a great need in the Poway Unified area, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to deliver bags of food to families on a weekly basis. \u2026 Now we are primarily a unique food bank for low-income apartments,\u201d she said, adding they also give food to families in Head Start at PUSD schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impact for us (from the Backyard Produce Project) is very good,\u201d Cushing-Inman said. \u201cGetting the food year-round is wonderful, \u2026 there is a huge variety and it is all organic and beautifully grown. We are blessed with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those involved said they are pleased with how the Backyard Produce Project has grown and helped the community over the past 16 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat started as a small idea turned into something amazing,\u201d Radatz said. \u201cWe have such wonderful volunteers. Thanks to them and to the generosity of the fruit donors, Poway Gardens Senior Living and other donors, we\u2019re able to help a lot of families and seniors in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels good knowing we\u2019re helping people and my guess is all the volunteers feel that way or we wouldn\u2019t be out there,\u201d Shein said.<\/p>\n
Those interested in volunteering with either the tree picking or garden teams can email Radatz at jradatz@att.net. To donate fruit harvested by a picking team at your residence, contact Bouchard at 858-722-2179 or sboucha1@san.rr.com.<\/p>\n
For information about 4 Community Care\u2019s drive-thru food distribution or to volunteer, visit 4communitycare.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Want to help those in need and spend some time outdoors? Then the Backyard Produce Project wants you.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173874,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[83080,83079,83083,74,3405,76,75,83082,83081],"class_list":["post-173873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-4-community-care","tag-backyard-produce-project","tag-food-banks-in-poway","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-food-bank","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-volunteer-opportunites-in-rancho-bernardo","tag-volunteer-opportunities-in-poway"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}