Be Part of the Solution

Updated October 2025.

The Bounty Hunters program invites community members to turn a food waste problem into a food access solution through the power of sharing our abundance.

In Sonoma County, we have a serious food distribution problem: One in five families live with hunger, while at the same time, 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to waste. By donating extra produce from farms, gardens, backyard trees, and farmers markets, we can help provide healthy, local food for everyone in our community.
To build the thriving, resilient local food system we all need, we should each consider what we can share with our community. Don’t worry–sharing can actually recharge your battery when you do it right. Spending time with other people who are fired up about food waste, feeling proud of our community’s commitment to taking care of our neighbors, and connecting with food-bearing plants might just leave you feeling like you got more out of the bargain than you gave.
Below, check out a few ways you can participate in the simple act of sharing in order to celebrate the abundance of our region and pay it forward with generosity.

How You Can Participate

I’d like to share my produce

If your farm, garden, or fruit tree provides more than you can eat, we’d love to help you find an appreciative home for your bounty! You can request a Bounty Hunters glean in southern Sonoma County here. If you are located outside of our geographical area, the Sonoma County Food Recovery Coalition has provided a list of more local gleaning groups here. 

Please note, as a small team often powered by volunteers, the harvesting capacity of the Bounty Hunters and similar programs is limited. Before you contact volunteer harvesters, consider the following options as well to help spare harvesting capacity for those neighbors who are unable to do it themselves. 

1. Learn where to donate produce locally yourself. Email BountyHunters@PetalumaBounty.org if you found the linked graphic useful, or if you’d like any further support!
2. Host a harvest party with your friends or neighbors and let many hands make light work!
3. Give your produce a second life–preserve your harvest by canning, freezing, or even dehydrating! If you don’t know how to safely preserve food, invest in learning this valuable skill with the UC Master Food Preservers or attend a preservation workshop at a local cooking school.
4. Share your produce with friends, family, and neighbors; give it away through Buy Nothing networks, Freecycle, NextDoor and other sharing platforms; or bring it to the Petaluma Produce Exchange (there’s also a Sebastopol Produce Exchange!).

If we have the capacity to harvest your food ourselves, we will not turn you away! We are passionate about getting local produce into the hands of families in our community who struggle to access healthy, local food.

I’d like to share my gardening space

Not everyone in our community has access to fresh produce or the space to grow their own. If you have more space to cultivate than you need to feed your family, share your green thumb when you:

1. Plant extra garden rows for donation to your local food pantry! Locate donation sites here or contact the Bounty Hunters for harvest help!
2. Start a garden share with your friends or neighbors! Sharing a garden space is a great way to get help with garden chores and share growing space with those who may not otherwise have access. Check out these great tips from Eartheasy to get started, or search for a local garden share through Shared Earth! 

I’d like to share my time

1. Volunteer with Petaluma Bounty! Sign up at our Calendly or visit our volunteer page to learn more about the many ways you can help us build a thriving and equitable local food system. From community gardens to food rescue to farming tasks, we have opportunities for everyone.
2. Visit Zero Waste Sonoma’s food page to learn about other food recovery organizations welcoming volunteers across Sonoma County.

I’d like to share my connections

1. Join the Bounty Hunters Outreach Volunteers to help with tasks like flyering to local tree owners, improving program communications, and learning from our food pantry partners! If you speak Spanish, we can use your help with translation. Email BountyHunters@PetalumaBounty.org for more information.
2. Tell gardeners and farmers you know in southern Sonoma County about the Bounty Hunters so they can donate their extra produce.
3. Spread the word about local food recovery organizations doing work that you admire, and follow along with the Sonoma County Food Recovery Coalition’s Instagram and Facebook pages!

I’d like to share my funds

Your tax-deductible donation is an investment in a sustainable, healthy food system for us all. Thank you for your gift to support our nonprofit food security programs!

If you would prefer to send a check, mail it to the address below, and don’t forget to put “Petaluma Bounty” in the memo line:

Petaluma Bounty
1500 Petaluma Blvd. South-A
Petaluma, CA 94952