City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: MAY 16, 2023 FROM: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WARD: 4
SUBJECT: PUBLIC SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH FEEDING AMERICA RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES TO PROVIDE VOLUNTEER SERVICES TO HARVEST THE ORANGE TREES ALONG VICTORIA AVENUE BETWEEN MARY STREET AND WASHINGTON STREET FOR A FIVE-YEAR TERM, AND SECOND AMENDMENT TO CROP MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT WITH GLESS RANCH, INC., TO NOT HARVEST THE SECTION OF ORANGE TREES ON THE NORTH SIDE OF VICTORIA AVENUE BETWEEN MARY STREET AND WASHINGTON STREET ISSUES:
Consider approving a Public Service Agreement with Feeding America Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to provide volunteer services to harvest the oranges from the City-maintained Washington Navel Orange trees along Victoria Avenue between Mary Street and Washington Street for the purpose of stocking local food pantries to distribute to the community in need of food resources, for a five-year term; and approving a Second Amendment to the Crop Maintenance Agreement with Gless Ranch, Inc., to not harvest the section of orange trees on the north side of Victoria Avenue between Mary Street and Washington Street.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve a Public Service Agreement with Feeding America Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to provide volunteer services to harvest the oranges from the City-maintained Washington Navel Orange trees along Victoria Avenue between Mary Street and Washington Street for the purpose of stocking local food pantries to distribute to the community in need of food resources, for a five-year term; Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Public Service Agreement, including making minor and non-substantive changes; Approve the Second Amendment to the Crop Maintenance Agreement with Gless Ranch, Inc., of California, to not harvest the section of orange trees on the north side of Victoria Avenue between Mary Street and Washington Street; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Second Amendment, including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
According to their website, Feeding America Riverside and San Bernardino Counties (FARSB) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization that began in April 1980 as Survive Food Bank, distributing about 10,000 pounds of food per month and partnering with about 20 local nonprofit agencies. Today, FARSB distributes over 2.5 million pounds of food per month and partners with over 250 local nonprofit agencies. FARSB is one of 200 food banks affiliated with Feeding America, the National Food Bank Network. FARSB is the largest hunger-relief organization serving the Inland Empire with over 100,000 people relying on their services each month.
DISCUSSION:
In June of 2022, FARSB approached the City about partnering with them on their newly launched gleaning program that organizes fruit-picking events. Gleaning refers to the process of collecting excess produce to distribute to the community. Within a month of starting their program, FARSB had already collected approximately 600 pounds of produce from community members and wanted to build off this success by finding bigger areas to glean in the Inland Empire allowing more volunteers to help feed the Inland Empire. With the City of Riverside being surrounded by citrus trees, FARSB considered the city a good candidate for helping to advance their gleaning program.
In late 2022, FARSB and personnel from the City’s Public Works Department met and discussed the program details. It was determined that the proposed program would be an excellent partnership in helping the community in need of food resources. Personnel from both parties identified orange trees that are City-maintained on Victoria Avenue as a great location for the gleaning program and drove the Avenue to identify a starting point. The grove in-between Mary Street and Washington Street on the north side was selected as the volunteer site for gleaning efforts.
Currently, this area of grove is maintained and harvested by Gless Ranch, Inc., (Gless) on behalf of the City. Public Works personnel reached out to Gless to discuss the gleaning program and obtain their approval to allow FARSB volunteers to harvest this grove. Gless was supportive of the program and an amendment to the current Gless agreement was drafted to shift the harvesting work from Gless to FARSB. Gless will continue to provide maintenance and care to this section of orange trees.
The proposed FARSB agreement, while not providing any form of compensation from the City, clearly outlines the responsibilities of volunteers and the City, and formalizes the volunteer waiver and safety requirements.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This item contributes to Strategic Priority 2 - Community Well-Being and Goal 2.3 - Strengthen neighborhood identities and improve community health and the physical environment through amenities and programs that foster an increased sense of community and enhanced feelings of pride and belonging citywide.
Furthermore, this aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust – Working with FARSB on the gleaning program showcases the City’s willingness to enact programs and practices to maximize its natural resources in ways that benefit Riverside communities.
Equity – Approval of this action will benefit the community by providing additional food resources to those in need.
Fiscal Responsibility – This agreement helps to ensure responsible management of the City’s financial resources by supplementing city activities with volunteer hours that provide enhanced services to the community and beyond what the City provides.
Innovation – The Public Works Department is committed to investing in innovative ideas to help ensure the community has the resources needed to be healthy and active.
Sustainability & Resiliency – This agreement helps promote education, outreach, and continued support to the community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the approval of these agreements. All services provided under the scope of the agreements are donated voluntarily.
Prepared by: Gilbert Hernandez, Public Works Director
Certified as to
availability of funds: Edward Enriquez, Interim Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer/City Treasurer
Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
Public Service Agreement
Second Amendment to Crop Maintenance Agreement
Feeding America Public Service Agreement and Gless Ranch, Inc. ● Page 2