San Fernando Valley, CA – Every April, something heartwarming happens in the San Fernando Valley: TreePeople and Follow Your Heart Market & Café collaborate on a special Earth Month festival and free fruit tree distribution! 2026 marks the fifth year of this much-anticipated gathering, and it’s a living tribute to a man who dedicated his life to building a more compassionate and sustainable world. TreePeople is honored to give away a variety of fruit and shade trees in what has become an inspiring day full of community and growth.
Paul Lewin, one of the original co-founders of Follow Your Heart Market & Café, passed away in 2021. Every year since, his family and the Follow Your Heart team have honored his memory by inviting the community he loved into the heart of the business he helped create. The fifth annual festival will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Follow Your Heart Market & Café at 21825 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303.
Paul Lewin, one of the original co-founders of Follow Your Heart Market & Café, passed away in 2021. Every year since, his family and the Follow Your Heart team have honored his memory by inviting the community he loved into the heart of the business he helped create. The fifth annual festival will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Follow Your Heart Market & Café at 21825 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303.
Paul Lewin, one of the original co-founders of Follow Your Heart Market & Café
The Follow Your Heart Earth Month Festival honors the planet and shares a nature-based gift with the amazing people who shape the Canoga Park community. The free tree distribution, led by TreePeople, a nonprofit Paul passionately supported, will include avocado, guava, apple, pomegranate, cherry, fig, jujube, and loquat trees, along with a variety of flowering and evergreen ornamental shade trees.
“Paul loved trees, the outdoors, and TreePeople’s mission. We are honored to be working with them for the fifth year in a row to give away free fruit trees to our community.” – Follow Your Heart Market & Café.
“Paul loved trees, the outdoors, and TreePeople’s mission. We are honored to be working with them for the fifth year in a row to give away free fruit trees to our community.” – Follow Your Heart Market & Café.
The tree giveaway allows local families and individuals to take home one fruit tree or multiple shade trees. No registration is required, but early attendance is recommended as all trees will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis and a line of people tends to start early. TreePeople’s San Fernando Valley team will provide bilingual English-Spanish planting demonstrations so recipients can walk away with an understanding of how to plant and care for their newly adopted fruit tree, helping it grow and stay healthy.
“It’s so wonderful to see how one person’s life and legacy can help provide shade and fruit for future generations,” said Xiomara Durán, TreePeople’s Community Forestry Associate Manager (SFV). “Fruit tree giveaways are vital because so many Los Angelenos face food insecurity. Once these trees are planted, they'll give fruit and feed families, friends, and neighbors. Depending on where they're planted and how big they get, the trees can provide shade on hot Valley summer days, and increase energy efficiency of homes.”
“It’s so wonderful to see how one person’s life and legacy can help provide shade and fruit for future generations,” said Xiomara Durán, TreePeople’s Community Forestry Associate Manager (SFV). “Fruit tree giveaways are vital because so many Los Angelenos face food insecurity. Once these trees are planted, they'll give fruit and feed families, friends, and neighbors. Depending on where they're planted and how big they get, the trees can provide shade on hot Valley summer days, and increase energy efficiency of homes.”
Couple taking home free fruit trees
The Follow Your Heart Earth Month Festival will also feature live music, fresh coffee, delicious vegan food from Follow Your Heart’s fully plant-based café, sustainable goods from their market, and samples and demonstrations from local vendors. The café and market will be open and serving community favorites from 9AM to 9PM.
The festival is part of Follow Your Heart’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, community, and plant-based living. Since its founding in 1970, Follow Your Heart has been a staple in Canoga Park and one of LA’s pioneering plant-based hubs. It was also the birthplace of Vegenaise, a beloved egg-free mayo that helped pave the way for the modern vegan food movement.
EVENT DETAILS
EVENT DETAILS
- Saturday, April 25, 2026 | 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Follow Your Heart Market & Café | 21825 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303
- Live music, coffee, vegan baked goods, and more!
- Fruit and Shade Tree Distribution by TreePeople
About Follow Your Heart Market & Café
Founded in 1970 in Canoga Park, CA, Follow Your Heart Market & Café has been a trailblazer in vegetarian and vegan food, as well as sustainable business practices. As the birthplace of Vegenaise and many other beloved plant-based products, Follow Your Heart continues to nourish people and the planet through its market, café, and community efforts. Visit theheartmarketcafe.com for more information.
About TreePeople
Founded in 1973 from the vision of a teenager determined to restore Los Angeles’ forests, TreePeople has grown into a regional leader in restoring landscapes and cultivating environmental stewardship. Guided by the belief that trees need people and people need trees, TreePeople brings communities together to plant and care for trees in mountains, neighborhoods, schools, and parks – creating cooler streets, healthier ecosystems, and resilient communities across the region. With hundreds of thousands of volunteers engaged and millions of trees planted, TreePeople continues to grow solutions that help people and nature thrive together. Learn more at treepeople.org.
For more information, contact:
Kai McDaniel
Public Relations Specialist, TreePeople
kmcdaniel@treepeople.org
Founded in 1970 in Canoga Park, CA, Follow Your Heart Market & Café has been a trailblazer in vegetarian and vegan food, as well as sustainable business practices. As the birthplace of Vegenaise and many other beloved plant-based products, Follow Your Heart continues to nourish people and the planet through its market, café, and community efforts. Visit theheartmarketcafe.com for more information.
About TreePeople
Founded in 1973 from the vision of a teenager determined to restore Los Angeles’ forests, TreePeople has grown into a regional leader in restoring landscapes and cultivating environmental stewardship. Guided by the belief that trees need people and people need trees, TreePeople brings communities together to plant and care for trees in mountains, neighborhoods, schools, and parks – creating cooler streets, healthier ecosystems, and resilient communities across the region. With hundreds of thousands of volunteers engaged and millions of trees planted, TreePeople continues to grow solutions that help people and nature thrive together. Learn more at treepeople.org.
For more information, contact:
Kai McDaniel
Public Relations Specialist, TreePeople
kmcdaniel@treepeople.org
