Petaluma Bounty

Located in Sonoma County, Petaluma Bounty centers around a community farm which uses sustainable agricultural methods. The fresh fruits and vegetables which are grown there are then distributed to low-income families or sold through the Petaluma Farmers' Market, local restaurants, or the Bounty Market stand. Petaluma Bounty is also responsible for creating and maintaining several community gardens throughout Petaluma, delivering boxes of fresh produce to local families, and helping people in town build their own backyard gardens or planter boxes.

Petaluma Bounty educates the community about gardening and healthy cooking with classes and events at the farm as well as through YouTube cooking videos: "Healthy Food on a Budget". In one of the more unique programs, a network of volunteers visit a person whose garden or farm has an over-abundance of produce available, but cannot harvest it themselves. These "Bounty Hunters" glean the produce and then Petaluma Bounty makes sure it is distributed among the needy in the community; the fresh food is not wasted and people who could not otherwise afford it get access to fresh, healthy, free food.

Petaluma Bounty received initial seed money from the Hub of Petaluma Foundation, but now is supported through a variety of donations and loans from various organizations.

The goal of the program is to create a sustainable, affordable, and healthy food system for a community through an urban farm and its various programs.

In 2010, Petaluma Bounty collected, gleaned, and distributed 75,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to seniors, families, and people in need.