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Katie G. serving at Hopelink as a Summer Associate VISTA to support their Harvest Program, a program connecting with local farms to provide fresh and nutritious produce to individuals accessing services at any of their five Food Market locations. 

I jumped right in day one with a morning glean at Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center where we welcomed six volunteers. After going over a few safety instructions, over the next three hours we ended up harvesting a total of 327 pounds of radishes, bok choy, broccoli, and broccolini. Even at a mild temperature it was physical work, lifting and carrying crates up and down the rows and to the truck. Approaching the end of the volunteer shift, we loaded everything into the truck and evaluated the produce, determining that broccoli was good as it was but the radishes and bok choy had some noticeable bugs on them so we rinsed everything thoroughly before bringing transporting it back to the food center to be distributed out locally. It’s easy in an urban environment to sometimes feel disconnected from the environment in which the fresh fruit and vegetables we consume everyday are grown but gleaning was a great way to help me feel more connected to local food systems.

Additionally, while supporting one of the Food Market’s produce lines last week I observed a young child exclaim that the dirt on the produce was gross. However, when their parent reacted enthusiastically to the noticeable soil and roots on the butter lettuce emphasizing to their child how cool this was and this meant the lettuce was grown in the earth and then freshly harvested, the child’s perception completely changed. These kinds of direct service activities have highlighted the value of access to fresh food. As a Gleaning Coordinator Summer Associate, I look forward to continuing to gain hands-on experience on farms, reducing barriers and strengthening food access for local communities by making sure all the hard work and energy farmers and volunteers put into growing fresh produce does not go to waste.