Spring SPF: Make the Most of Community Giving & National Skin Cancer Awareness Month

The tangerine grove at E. Waldo Ward & Son.

Citrus fruit makes my soul sing—especially oranges and tangerines. These sweet spheres of succulence pack a lot of flavor, nutrition and healing health benefits into each bite. So imagine my delight when I discovered an organization that recruits volunteers to harvest citrus fruit for needy community members. 

Los Angeles-based Food Forward engages in "fruitanthropy" to pick, donate and distribute produce for humanitarian purposes. Volunteers rescue excess fruit, such as oranges, grapefruits and tangerines, that would otherwise go to waste from the properties of local homeowners. The produce then gets dispersed to food banks and homeless shelters in the Southern California area. Since its founding in 2009, the grassroots organization has harvested almost 1.5 million pounds of fruit.

SHINE Beauty Beacon recently participated in a weekend pick at E. Waldo Ward & Son, which produces marmalades, jams, jellies and marinades from fruit trees located on its 30-acre property. The ranch was originally built in the late 1800s by Edwin Waldo Ward Sr. to fulfill his dream of making his own English-style marmalades. The business is now run by Ward's grandson and great-grandson, and they generously donated the fruit from one of their abundant tangerine groves to Food Forward. The harvest yielded approximately 1,200 pounds (see pics below).

Outdoor activity requires lots of sun protection. May marks National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, so we've compiled the latest spring SPF sensations. They're designed to shield your skin from the harsh rays of the sun and provide transparent application while also helping your complexion maintain a youthful glow. Plus, as an added benefit, the manufacturers follow no animal testing practices.

When you give back to your community, you get so much more in return. The same can be said about the health of your skin. If you give it the products it needs for overall wellbeing, you'll see radiant results for years to come.

Volunteers wear large shoulder satchels to temporarily store the tangerines, which ultimately speeds the picking process.

 Clipping the tangerines with garden sheers, rather than pulling them from the tree, helps save the integrity of the fruit.

Volunteers retrieve even more fruit from the tops of the trees.

Once the fruit comes off the tree, the stems and leaves need to be trimmed.

Boxes quickly fill up with ripe fruit.

Volunteers then load up the tangerines, so they can be transported to local homeless shelters and food banks.

Group pic of our group pick.

SPRING SPF SENSATIONS

SHINE: CellCeuticals PhotoDefense Daily Skin Protector SPF 55+. BEAUTY: Protect and pamper your skin with active ingredients, such as avobenzone and oxybenzone, and moisturizing fruit extracts, such as pear and pumpkin. BEACON: No animal testing and vegan. Contains no artificial colorants or fragrances, sodium lauryl sulfates, phthalates or parabens.

SHINE: Coola Mineral Sunscreen Rose Essence Moisturizer SPF 20. BEAUTY: Titanium dioxide, coriander and acai fruit oils, and cucumber fruit extract minimize sun damage and early signs of aging. BEACON: No animal testing. Free of paba, parabens, petroleum and phthalates. Supports Save Our Seas.

SHINE: IT Cosmetics Color Correcting Cream SPF 50+. BEAUTY: This multitasking moisturizer evens your skin tone and helps you steer clear of sun damage with titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and grape and pomegranate seed oils. BEACON: No animal testing. Paraben and fragrance free. Supports Look Good...Feel Better.

SHINE: Juice Beauty SPF 30 Oil-Free Moisturizer. BEAUTY: Zinc oxide, hyaluronic acid, and aloe, apple, pomegranate and white grape juices soothe, shield and soften skin. BEACON: USDA Organic certified, vegan and no animal testing. Free of parabens, sodium lauryl sulfates, pesticides, artificial dyes and synthetic fragrances.

SHINE: Murad Essential-C Sun Balm SPF 35 | PA+++. BEAUTY: Defend your skin from dehydration and damaging UVA and UVB rays with avobenzone, tangerine peel oil, sweet almond oil, vitamins A, C and E, and broccoli extract. BEACON: No animal testing.

SHINE: Pevonia Botanica Ligne Soleil Hydrating Sunscreen SPF 30. BEAUTY: Nourish your skin and nullify environmental effects with titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, vitamins C and E, and green tea and aloe vera leaf extracts. BEACON: No animal testing. Supports the Beauty Bus Foundation.

SHINE: Prana SpaCeuticals Reflect SPF 45. BEAUTY: Zinc oxide, hyaluronic acid, sesame seed oil extract, and vitamins C and E safeguard and soften your skin. BEACON: No animal testing. Free of parabens and SLS.

SHINE: Refineé Daily Defense Cream SPF 30. BEAUTY: Prevent sunburn and signs of premature aging with titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, aloe vera leaf juice powder, green tea extract and vitamin E. BEACON: No animal testing.

 SHINE: Skin Authority Sunscreen Moisturizer SPF 30. BEAUTY: Avobenzone, oxybenzone, algae extract, vitamin E and aloe vera leaf juice help hydrate, create a protective barrier and control blotchy skin tone. BEACON: No animal testing. Supports Look Good...Feel Better.