If you were driving by the CSUN campus’s orange grove Sunday afternoon you may have noticed the hundreds of people on ladders high at the tops of the orange trees. They were volunteers who came out on what has come to be known as National Day of Service, to help a small but growing organization known as Food Forward.

Food Forward was started by Rick Nahmias back in 2009, after he noticed one day when he was walking through his neighborhood the amount of fruit that was going to waste. The group donates all fruit harvested to local food pantries, churches, and other organizations that serve the needy.
Volunteers came out from all over to take part in the event.

Many were families who wanted their children to understand the importance of giving back to the community and helping those less fortunate. Church groups also came out in full force to assist in gathering almost 16,000 oranges from CSUN’s very own historic orange grove.
Rick Nahmias wanted people to come out and focus their attention on something positive rather than what most people will forever remember 9/11 for. It was evident the importance of coming together on a day of extreme sadness for the nation and being able to turn it into something positive is the best way in which we can honor the resilience of our nation’s spirit.