January 2026 Community Cultivator: Harry & David

Oregon Food Bank is proud to recognize Harry and David as our January 2026 Community Cultivator.

Oregon Food Bank’s January 2026 Community Cultivator is a name people will likely recognize across the nation — Harry & David, a Medford, Oregon based company made famous by its juicy pears, crisp apples and towering gift packages perfect for any occasion.

The 2025 season presented many challenges to pear growers in the Pacific Northwest. Record-breaking crops left many growers scrambling to find homes for their fruit. Rather than let the fruit rot in the field or in controlled atmosphere storage, the team at Harry & David decided to put labor and resources into donating the excess fruit. The results were staggering!

In addition to over 351,000 pounds of pears donated directly to Oregon Food Bank, local partner ACCESS in Medford and to pantries in their neighboring counties, they donated an additional 1,376,925 pounds of pears outside of Oregon. With the help of our friends at Washington-based Feeding the Northwest, 35 truckloads of pears were shipped to 11 states over the course of three weeks in December 2025. Food banks in California, Washington, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri and Idaho all received loads. Families across the country celebrated the holidays with delicious, fresh fruit thanks to the collaborative partnership of Harry & David.

In Jackson County and throughout the Oregon Food Bank Network, Harry & David is a close, strong, collaborative partner in our efforts to end hunger. In addition to pears, they donate other food items to Oregon Food Bank and ACCESS throughout the year. When there’s excess beyond what Oregon can absorb, they are quick to help us get the food to people in other states. It’s an ideal partnership!

Thank you, Harry & David, for your ongoing support and partnership!

Have questions about the Community Cultivator program or how your organization can get involved? Please don’t hesitate to reach out!