PALM DESERT, Calif. — West Coast Produce Expo 2025, which drew a record 200 exhibitors, 1,500 registrants and some 300 retail and foodservice buyers to the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, May 28-30, featured an abundance of fresh and flavorful fruits and vegetables, 19,000 pounds of which were donated to area food banks at the conclusion of the show.
The FIND Food Bank of the Desert received 16,000 pounds of produce and the Community Food Bank at the LGBTQ Center of the Desert received 3,000 pounds.
“We are a community food bank, and we help people in our community who have food insecurity issues — and we do this every week,” said Charles Huff, director of food security for the Community Food Bank at the LGBTQ Center of the Desert. A grateful Huff, who came to help collect the fresh produce at WCPE, says the center continues to see rising demand for nutritious foods.
“When I started at the center, we were feeding about 150 to 180 families a week. Just this past Thursday, we hit a new record in 385 families being fed, which impacted about 895 people, when you factor in how many are in a household,” he said.
“We are signing 12 to 20 new clients every week. We’re doing nothing but growing right now, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep the supply going,” he added.
The Community Food Bank distributes approximately 9,000 pounds of food every week, says Huff. The food bank distributes two bags of groceries a week to its clients. One is fresh produce and a protein, and the other bag includes nonperishables, rice, beans and other pantry items.
Huff, who is one of only two full-time employees at the food bank that relies heavily on volunteers, says the donation from WCPE comes at a particularly critical time.
“This is major for us, especially as summer is coming because in this area the summer comes [and] people leave so our donations go down — the volunteerism goes down,” he said. “So, this time of year for us to be benefit from something like that is major.”
Huff says the WCPE produce donation will enable the food bank to reach area seniors and families in need.
“There is a sense out there that we’re only giving to homeless people,” he said. “That is actually the lowest part of our population. Everyone else is either a senior on a fixed income or families who are trying to make ends meet with rent and utilities, and food is the last thing on the list.
“The impact [of this donation] is great, and we see it on the people’s faces,” he added. “We have clients that are regulars for us, and we look out for them.”
WCPE’s donation of fresh produce also supports the food bank’s recent partnership with the American Heart Association, which has given the Community Food Bank at the LGBTQ Center of the Desert a grant to develop a nutrition program.
“We are big on giving quality food to our people,” Huff said. “We don’t just give chips and sweets and all of that stuff. We want to give good nutritious food. So, fresh produce like this is major and it’s with our mission of providing nutritious food.”