Angel Land Food Forest: Feeding people in Englewood

One of the mango trees supplied to the public by Angel Land Food Forest.

 

When asked to describe what Angel Land Food Forest’s mission is, English Jan replied without hesitation, “We feed people in Englewood”. Angel Land Food Forest (ALFF) is a local non-profit charity that works to alleviate hunger here in Englewood in several ways.

One way is to link surplus food items with those who need them. Volunteers visit stores such as the Jacaranda Publix and Bimbo Bakeries in North Port to pick up surplus baked good items, frozen food items and other food. These items are then dropped off for those who need them at The Jubilee Center, EARS thrift shop, Rotonda Lakes, Meals on Wheels and to some residential households in Grove City that act as “hubs” for other local churches. In 2023 they collected and distributed $100,000 worth of food! Another donation source is someone who has surplus fruit on their trees and doesn’t want to see it go to waste. If you know of a source for surplus food items or supermarkets who are willing to donate food, contact Angel Land Food Forest (ALFF) at 941-909-0500 for pick up.

You may have seen the Angel Land Food Forest van with the logo on the side: “Ask About Our Free Mango Tree Program”. Full-time Florida homeowners, churches and businesses can request a mango tree to plant in their yard, with the stipulation that the tree must be accessible from the street so that others in their neighborhood can also enjoy the fruit. You must also reside year round in Englewood. Angel Land Food Forest will plant, fertilize, prune and oversee the tree’s care and are available to answer any concerns. Each tree gets a sign saying they are a Community Mango Tree. All the homeowner is responsible for is watering the tree during the dry season and sharing the fruit. The program is free and donations towards purchasing more trees are greatly appreciated. Englewood neighborhoods will soon have more new Community Mango Trees as 22 tree plantings are scheduled so far for this 2024 season. The trees are seven-gallon grafted and 15-gallon grafted trees of mango varieties from around the world. Learn more at about this program at angellandfoodforest.org.

Did you know that there are over 1,500 varieties of mangos and ALFF has planted over 110 trees and 55 varieties so far here in Englewood, with delicious sounding names like Ice Cream, Coconut Cream, Fruit Punch, Pina Colada, Pineapple Pleasure and Lemon Meringue? The organization has the lofty dream to make Englewood the Mango Capital of the Suncoast with a possible mango festival in the future.

Angel Land Food Forest would like to see the growth of more food forests here in Englewood. Food forests, also known as food gardens, are man-made forests created through the diversified planting of edible plants to produce edibles such as fruit and nuts. If you have fruit tree seeds to share, contact ALFF and they will pass those seeds on to others wishing to start trees. Perhaps you know a restaurant or work in one that uses avocados; see if they will pass the seeds on to ALFF.

Hurricane Ian destroyed so many trees, including fruit trees, in this area. Afterwards, ALFF started a community tree replanting program called “Re-plant Englewood with Fruit Trees” so homeowners could replace their fruit trees. Over 120 FREE fruit trees were distributed during this initiative in May 2023 (program has ended).

If you would like to grow some or more of your own food, you can purchase gardening boxes made from recycled food grade plastic from ALFF. That’s a double win: you grow your own fresh food and you help the environment by purchasing a product made from recycled food grade plastic, reducing landfills. These garden boxes are available in pre-made sizes or you can order a custom size. They are manufactured by Plastic Recycle Factory, right here in Englewood.

Angel Land Food Forest is the visual manifestation of a desire by Jan Leather, aka “English Jan”. About ten years ago, she was raising chickens and would pick up surplus bread from Bimbo Bakeries to feed them. Her thoughts turned to how people could also be fed by the surplus bakery goods. Like-minded people joined her in pursuing this idea and Angel Land Food Forest was formed in 2017, with its vision of feeding those who need food here in Englewood. Angel Land Food Forest is a 501(c)3 organization with a Board of Directors: Joe Rispoli, Gela Gallant and English Jan. All board members and volunteers are unpaid. It doesn’t receive any government funding and is dependent upon fundraising events and charitable donations. Monetary donations are matched by the Flanzer Trust, so your donation amount is doubled.

The organization raises money in a variety of ways. Collecting scrap metal is one way. If you have scrap metal to get rid of, including soda/beer cans, copper wire & amp; pipes, aluminum or brass, please contact them for pick up and know that your items are being recycled for a good cause: buying more community mango trees. No appliances, please (the scrap metal volunteers are ladies who can only lift so much!)

Thanks to the generosity of local artist Gela Gallant, watercolor classes have been held monthly during the winter season, and Gela donates her fees to ALFF. If you are an artist or have a skill you would like to share by teaching a class, contact English Jan at 941-909-0500 for more information.

Lectures are held periodically on subjects such as growing bananas and sustainable farming by ECHO Global Farms in Ft. Myers. Mango/fruit tree grafting classes have been offered as well, so gardeners can acquire a desirable tree variety through grafting on a rootstock. The next class is tentatively scheduled for September.

If you would like to help advance the vision of Angel Land Food Forest by making a donation, requesting a mango tree, holding a class or lecture or volunteering, visit angellandfoodforest.org or call 941-909-0500.