Beginning Aug. 19, Project Angel Food clients will find something new in their deliveries: a summer fruit bag filled with locally sourced oranges, nectarines and plums from Southern California farmers.

The Local Food Initiative, now in a four-week pilot phase, builds on Project Angel Food’s ongoing work to source more proteins, fruits and vegetables closer to home — strengthening relationships with local farmers and producers and creating a more connected regional food system.

That work takes on particular meaning at Project Angel Food’s scale. Every day, the organization serves approximately 3,000 people living with serious and life-threatening illnesses across Los Angeles County, preparing and delivering roughly 130,000 medically tailored meals each month.

The volume extends well beyond the meals themselves. Project Angel Food distributes approximately 2,000 fruit bags each week, with seven pieces of fruit in every bag — about 14,000 pieces of fruit weekly. “For more than 37 years, Project Angel Food has been deeply rooted in Los Angeles through the people we serve, the volunteers and supporters who power our mission, and the communities we reach every day,” Project Angel Food CEO Richard Ayoub said. “This initiative extends those roots in a new direction, connecting us more closely with the local farmers and producers who help nourish Southern California.”

For a four-week pilot period, the locally sourced summer fruit will replace the standard fruit bags typically included with client deliveries. Instead of three Granny Smith apples, two Red Delicious apples and two oranges sourced through a national provider, clients will receive three nectarines, two plums and two local oranges — bringing seasonal stone fruit and citrus from California orchards directly to their doors.

For the launch of the initiative, Project Angel Food is working with Old Grove Orange, a fifth-generation, family-run Southern California farm and farmer-led food hub that coordinates with more than 30 local growers. Old Grove Orange is coordinating the sourcing and delivery of the fruit, including oranges from an old-growth orchard right here in Southern California.

Fresh produce will arrive each Monday, then be packed and distributed across Los Angeles County by Project Angel Food drivers and volunteers.

Following the final delivery of the pilot on Sept. 15, Project Angel Food will evaluate the initiative with the goal of scaling what works and incorporating more locally sourced produce into its long-term purchasing strategy.

“Our Local Food Taskforce has been looking at how we can build on the local sourcing already happening at Project Angel Food and be even more intentional about it,” Project Angel Food’s Senior Manager of Logistics Peter Cruz said. “Food is Medicine is about the quality of the food we provide, and where that food comes from can be part of the equation. Supporting local farmers while nourishing our clients makes a lot of sense for us.”

“Project Angel Food is a great example in L.A. of how Food is Medicine and a robust local food system can work hand in hand for community health,” Los Angeles County Office of Food Systems Executive Director Paula Daniels said. “This initiative is a smart step forward — supporting local farmers, strengthening our regional food system and recognizing that putting the health of Angelenos first includes caring for the ecosystem of people and planet we are situated in.”

Daniels and the Los Angeles County Office of Food Systems work to cultivate a fair, flourishing, resilient and healthy food system for all county residents. Food is Medicine programs are one of their priority initiatives, connecting organizations like Project Angel Food with farmers and food hubs across the region, strengthening the local food system and advancing Food is Medicine throughout Los Angeles County.