The Boston Food Hub has existed in some form or another for Boston Area Gleaners over the past few years but has expanded greatly alongside the purchase of Stonefield Farm, which allowed BAG to transition the program into a wholesale buying program, as well as…
The Year 2 AmeriCorps member for Boston Area Gleaners worked on creating a communications plan for BAG that would serve as a current and future document, to exist beyond the AmeriCorps member’s term of service. The plan serves to reach the goal of communicating the…
For the capital campaign, the purchase goal included preserving the value of Stonefield Farm. The fundraising goal of $4.1 million included not only the full purchase of the 51.5 acres of farmland and conservation land on Stonefield Farm, but also includes the cost of improvements…
GRANTSThe Development Team works all year to source and write grants that will fund Boston Area Gleaner’s programs. In the past few years, BAG has received large government grants (including a USDA hunger relief grant during COVID-19) that funded BAG’s large distribution programs. Grants were…
The Henry Beauchamp Community Center is found in Southeast Yakima at 1211 South Seventh Street. The facility offers a wide range of services, including a food pantry, a GED program, weekly food distribution, and youth and senior programs. A health clinic, kitchen, computer lab, gym,…
Volunteer Process and Systems Overview Gleaning isn’t the only way to volunteer at OIC of Washington. Volunteers can donate their time at the OIC Food Bank, located at 1419 Hathaway Street in Yakima, Washington. The food bank is a part of the OIC campus, so…
BMAC Food Bank is engaged with multiple programs that aid in food waste reduction and support local agriculture systems. Food banks are highly dependent on donations from grocery stores, individual contributions, and government contracts for fresh produce. BMAC operates a weekly grocery rescue program, collecting…
BMAC, in partnership with The Sustainable Living Center, is creating a new model for a community garden. Since the pandemic, Assumption Garden has lost momentum and volunteers. Located on Assumption Church’s property, the garden has the infrastructure including ADA accessible beds, an automated drip line,…
Coordination Coordination starts with contacting farmers via phone or in person, whichever is most convenient, to ask if they have excess crops or are finished harvesting for the year. Some farmers have annual gleans with crops like apples, melons, or pumpkins. Other farmers who have…
Key Points In rural areas, working with local volunteer groups, especially ones with similar missions, is often easier than recruiting volunteers by other means Having quality volunteers requires an established incentive structure for gleaning events (i.e. volunteers need to know they will be allowed to…