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OUR VISION
ABOUT GLEAN ON ME
Our mission at Glean On Me is to connect an unused resource to an unmet need: taking wasted fruit that would otherwise fall and rot, and giving it to members of our community who would otherwise go hungry. We recruit student volunteers to harvest backyard trees across the San Gabriel Valley, deliver what we pick to partner charities within a day, and incorporate education into every event, because to "glean" means both "to gather what would otherwise be wasted" and "to learn." In this way, we aim to improve sustainable food security both now and in the future: feeding our neighbors today while also inspiring students to think about sustainable systems for the generations of tomorrow. Ultimately, we hope to strive for a Los Angeles that converts cycles of waste into cycles of sustainability—as a community.
GLEAN. GIVE. GROW.
WHO WE ARE
While volunteering at a homeless shelter three years ago, our founder saw firsthand the food insecurity in the community. At the same time, he constantly noticed the wasted fruit rotting in neighbors' yards. All of this raised the question:
With so much excess food around, how could so many people be going hungry?
Founded in 2024 by Polytechnic School student Apollo Wong, Glean On Me is dedicated to answering that question by connecting the source of the waste to the source of the need. Through hands-on harvests that double as an outdoor classroom, we work to change how students and Angelenos see the food systems around them.
OUR JOURNEY SO FAR
FROM A STUDENT IDEA TO A NEIGHBORHOOD SOLUTION
SUMMER 2024
THE QUESTION
Volunteering at a Pasadena homeless shelter, Apollo Wong notices fresh produce missing from donations while fruit rots in yards a few blocks away.
FALL 2024
GLEAN ON ME IS FOUNDED
Apollo founds Glean On Me, consulting Food Forward and school faculty to learn safe harvesting and same-day delivery to receiving agencies.
LATE 2024
FIRST FUNDING
A $5,000 grant and leadership training from the Dragon Kim Foundation pay for equipment, a website, and the first round of neighborhood outreach.
EARLY 2025
PILOT HARVESTS
The first harvests are small and hard to staff. Recruiting shifts from individuals to groups: Scout troops, school assemblies, and summer programs.
MID 2025
THE MODEL WORKS
Events fill to capacity and volunteers return with friends. CBS News covers a harvest, and Glean On Me is named a top five finalist out of more than 600 Dragon Kim applicants. Our executive team grows to include more students.
2026
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Apollo earns recognition from the local UN Chapter in Pasadena, the California State Legislature, and the National Geographic Society. As of August 2026, Glean On Me has harvested and donated 11,000 pounds of fruit to partner charities across the San Gabriel Valley.
CURRENT
BUILDING FOR SUCCESSION
Younger students now train to lead harvests and run the school club, so the organization keeps running after its founding class graduates.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
HOW WE BRING OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER.
Students
Volunteers gain community service experience and hands-on learning about food sustainability. In addition, we integrate education through talks and demonstrations, reinforcing the idea of acting locally while thinking globally for future generations.
Our Local Community Food Cycle
Unused fruit, eager students, hungry neighbors, and the goodwill of our community: each factor of this cycle already existed. Glean On Me simply connected these parts to grow a sustainable cycle where everybody wins!
Homeowners
Members of our community share trees they cannot fully harvest themselves, knowing the fruit they would otherwise leave wasted reaches people who need it. Each harvest also leaves a cleaner yard, with fewer pests and less fallen fruit to attract rodents.
Recipients
1,000,000+ Los Angeles residents are food insecure, many in the same neighborhoods we harvest. What one household leaves unpicked, another cannot afford. Our fruit reaches partner charities within a day, providing the vitamin C, fiber, and nutrients needed most.
Whether you're a student, a homeowner, or a neighbor in need, Glean On Me can help you.
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