ABOUT US

Co-Founder/President

Hi, I’m Andre Yeung. I’m studying at Stanford University. The reason why I’m launching this initiative “Fruit For Homeless” with my sister, Ashley, is because I’m personally intrigued about this critical social issue in my hometown Los Angeles.

In the summer before 7th grade when I was about 12 years old, I was an intern/docent for Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro. It’s far from home and I got a chance to take a long 2-hour bus ride couple times every week by myself. Many homeless folks, including veterans, were on the same route and we chatted. They were all nice people and became homeless due to various reasons. I wish I could house every single one of them.

Another summer right before 8th grade, I volunteered for the Los Angeles Food Bank in South LA. The communities we passed by while driving were very different from ours. Homeless people were everywhere and houses looked worn-out. We are really fortunate so we would like to help.

Fruit For Homeless is a handy solution we can do with our limited resources.

Co-Founder/President

Hi, I’m Ashley Yeung. I’m studying at Emory University. I have always wondered why the homeless people become homeless. Just the past summer, we had several rounds of heat waves. Most of the homeless people only have a tarp, very often a broken one. They already live in an undesirable environment so we want to at least feed them well. They deserve to enjoy fresh and nutritious food.

For a lot of people with a house and backyard, many of them do have extra fruits on their trees. Unfortunately, a good quantity of fruits go to waste simply because people are too busy to pay attention. We’re hoping to educate the community and the next generation, not just about the issue, but also be creative in finding solutions.

We want to let the homeless know that the community as a whole cares for them. Please call or text or email us for picking your fruits. Together we harvest fruit, fight hunger and build a stronger community!

626-487-8929 | info@fruit4homeless.org

Stay connected @fruit4homeless

Our team members are covered by insurance.

A nonprofit founded in 2017 and incorporated as 501(c)(3) in 2019, Fruit For Homeless, Inc. is a youth initiative launched by two students/siblings, Andre and Ashley Yeung, from Arcadia High School in California in support of the Los Angeles County homelessness efforts. Through fruit-picking and reaching out to various communities, our mission is to harvest fruit for the needy to fight hunger, build communities, bring social justice to all, reduce food waste, and promote environmental stewardship.

Homelessness is becoming an alarming crisis in the Los Angeles area. The 2023 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count estimates that over 75,000 people experience homelessness in the county on any given night. Homelessness continues to rise dramatically, increasing by 9% in Los Angeles County and 10% in the city of Los Angeles last year. Since the 2015 count, homelessness has increased by 70% in the county and 80% in the city. http://homeless.lacounty.gov/

Food waste has been a prevalent global issue. Currently 21% of all landfill volume is food waste, clogging our landﬁlls and releasing harmful methane into the environment. According to Do Something, a global movement for good, $218 billion worth of food is thrown away each year in the U.S. If we recovered all our wasted food, we could provide a 2,000-calorie diet to 84% of the population.