Couple collects, donates backyard citrus in Fresno. ‘Something we knew we had to do’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Couple began forming Offer Kindness Inc. to harvest excess citrus.
- Volunteers harvested 10,000 pounds from one Clovis property for donation.
- USDA estimates 30–40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted.
When Simon and Aleeza Berman moved into their north Fresno home in October they quickly realized their lone backyard citrus tree was producing more fruit than they could eat.
At first the young couple, who relocated from Long Island, N.Y., loved the convenience of having fresh fruit just steps outside their backdoor.
But they could only eat so many oranges in a day. And it pained them to see the fruit fall to the ground and rot.
As they walked around their new neighborhood, they saw other homes with overloaded citrus trees. It’s a dilemma many homeowners face when they become overwhelmed by the volume of fruit one tree can produce.
The Berman’s didn’t want to see that happen to them so they vowed then and there to try and rescue any excess fruit they could and donate it directly to those in need and to local food banks.
As word spread about their group, and their gleaning program, more homeowners have reached out to have their trees picked.
Despite the amount of work and physical labor involved, the Bermans appear unfazed. Both also have regular jobs, Simon, 30, is a pilot for a charter airline, and Aleeza, 27, is a pilates and yoga instructor.
The couple also didn’t worry too much about overloading their compact cars with hundreds of pounds of citrus, six-foot ladders and harvesting equipment. They have since purchased a truck.
“This was something we knew we had to do,” said Simon.
They began the process of forming a non-profit organization called, Offer Kindness Inc. and jumped on social media, Facebook, Instagram and Nextdoor, to spread the word about their mission.
They even offered to deliver to people’s homes. The more they picked, the more they gave away. To date, the Berman’s estimate they have harvested about 10 tons of fruit.
They also plan to harvest other fruit when in season.
“People are so appreciative,” Aleeza said. “I was giving bags and bags of fruit away to people I would run into at Target or CVS. Some people were shocked to be receiving something that they didn’t expect, but it’s our way of showing kindness.”
So far, the Bermans have received plenty of support from volunteers.
Last week, about 25 volunteers helped harvest 10,000 pounds of fruit from a Clovis home with nearly 200 citrus trees. The fruit was distributed to about 10 food pantries, food banks and other groups that help the hungry.
Recently, several volunteers were maneuvering through the weeds and decaying oranges to harvest 30 trees at a northeast Clovis home.
The homeowner, Beverly Cardwell, used to have more than 200 fruit trees on her property before a bitter freeze killed them off several decades ago.
She was working with another gleaning organization until it no longer provided that service.
“It just kills me to see the fruit fall to the ground, knowing there are people who could use it,” Cardwell said. “I feel lucky to have found this nice couple.”
There were also several Fresno State nursing students, Carlee Annis, Luke Sloan and Kindall Grisham, who were volunteering to fulfill their community service requirement.
“I think I will continue to volunteer even after I graduate,” said Annis. “This is so worthwhile.”
Also harvesting fruit was Sherri Scoffield, a wife and mother of six children.
Scoffield saw the call for volunteers in the Nextdoor app for her neighborhood.
“It’s just terrible to see so much food go to waste,” she said. “There are so many wins with an organization like this. I’m all for it.”
As they moved from tree to tree with their ladders, Simon and Aleeza say this wasn’t in their life’s plan when they moved from Long Island to Fresno four months ago.
Simon was born and raised in Israel and moved to the U.S. when he was 21 to become a pilot. Aleeza, who also spent time in Israel, met Simon while the two were traveling.
“We saw a need and feel blessed that we have volunteers and so much support,” Aleeza said. “I would say that at least 1000 people have messaged us, saying thank you so much and this is an amazing thing you are doing.”
Offer Kindness Inc. is part of a growing number of gleaning organizations that are working to rescue food from being wasted.
Other groups in the region are Fresno Garden Collective and Gleanings for the Hungry in Dinuba.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that in the U.S. food waste is estimated at between 30% to 40% of the food supply.
This story was originally published February 7, 2026 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Couple collects, donates backyard citrus in Fresno. ‘Something we knew we had to do’."
