The day at the “Pit Stop” warehouse in Bell, California, starts at 4 a.m. Forklifts move pallets of tomatoes, broccoli and bell peppers into trucks. Boxes of grapes and bananas wait to be loaded while trucks arrive with an abundance of zucchinis and nectarines. The 10,000-square-foot warehouse looks like organized chaos: A dozen employees move an average of 265,000 pounds or 132 tons here every day. “Share the Abundance” is written in bright blue letters across a yellow wall. The best part: All this healthy abundance is free. The nonprofit Food Forward receives the fruits and vegetables at no cost from wholesalers and donates them to those in need in 13 counties.

“Because we focus 100 percent on perishable fresh fruit and vegetables, speed is of the essence,” says Jen Cox, Food Forward’s Chief Development Officer. “Hardly any produce stays here for more than 24 hours. The logistics are insane.”

Source: The Californians Rescuing Surplus Produce to Fight Hunger