Filling the Gaps: Introducing Backyard Gleaning
21 Nov 2025, by in Harvest Blog, Harvest VISTA, Gleaning, Harvest Against Hunger, FISHAs the Food Rescue Program Coordinator VISTA with FISH Community Food Bank in Ellensburg, Grace is building a food rescue program that increases the amount of fresh foods at the pantry. Grace will coordinate the collaborative efforts of farm and restaurant donors, volunteers, and the staff at FISH to divert still good but unsellable food from landfills into the hands of the community.
In Ellensburg, WA, FISH Community Food Bank’s newly expanded backyard gleaning initiative harvested an impressive 2,165 pounds of apples over five gleans in the 2025 season. This initiative connects community members who have surplus fruit on their trees with volunteers who can help pick and distribute fruit to the FISH Food Bank.
With Ellensburg’s deep agricultural roots, many Ellensburgers care for backyard apple trees. Each autumn, homeowners reach out to FISH. Many are eager to share their surplus fruit, but are unable to harvest it themselves. With the high number of fruit-producing trees in Ellensburg, the labor needed to harvest their fruit often falls short; creating a gap that FISH’s backyard gleaning program now helps fill.
Grace Yang, the Food Rescue Program Coordinator VISTA at FISH, orchestrates these backyard gleans. Each gleaning session lasts about two hours, with FISH providing all the needed materials. Volunteers pick apples carefully by hand or use picking poles for higher branches. The fruit is then sorted by type, packed into crates, and delivered to the food bank. As a reward for their hard work, volunteers can take home freshly harvested apples to make pies, applesauce, or enjoy them fresh.
To support the growth of this fledgling program, Grace wants to streamline the scheduling process ahead of the next harvest season. Many established backyard gleaning organizations use tree registries, which allow homeowners to register their fruit trees and anticipated harvest times. A registry would make it easier to stay in touch with recurring donors, strengthening relationships and streamline pre-glean site visits.
