Food donation guide for restaurants, grocers and caterers
Yes, your business can donate surplus food without getting sued. What federal and California law cover, what qualifies, and how to set up a pickup.
David Roberts
KEYT covered our first Shepherd Giving Farm volunteer day
Shepherd Giving Farm is our newest program: land west of Buellton where volunteers plant, harvest, and send produce straight to Santa Barbara County families facing food insecurity. Team Chumash and Veggie Rescue teams were out planting new crops and harvesting fresh produce, including close to 1,500 pounds of tomatoes and ambrosia melons in one morning.
What’s Growing & How You Can Be Part of It
This summer, Shepherd Giving Farm is in full production. The fields are growing zucchini, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, melons, eggplant, and more. Right now the farm is producing roughly 2,000 pounds of fresh, certified organic produce every single week.
Veggie Rescue Golf Classic
Santa Barbara County, CA — Veggie Rescue, the Santa Barbara County nonprofit dedicated to rescuing surplus produce and other food and donating it within 24 hours to nonprofits serving hungry community members via their refrigerated vehicles, celebrated a milestone Sweet 16 and 5 Million Pounds rescued event on May 21, 2026, raising more than $125,000 in net proceeds.
Executive Director Update-December 2025
As we come to the close of another year, I find myself filled with gratitude for this community and for each of you who make Veggie Rescue’s work possible. This holiday season, and throughout the year, the generosity of our donors and foundation partners has allowed us to grow our impact in meaningful ways.
Small Gleans, Big Impact: Keeping Good Food Moving
This past month, our community rolled up their sleeves and helped rescue fresh, local food through several small but meaningful gleans — from an apple orchard, to a walnut grove, to one generous neighbor’s backyard.