Once you have established a gleaning program and have fresh vegetables and fruits coming through your food bank doors, it is important to make sure that clients know how to prepare and cook with the produce. When you develop a great gleaning partnership, it is…
The Thurston County Food Bank hopes to one day have a full food bank farming operation, but in the meantime, they have a very successful relationship with a local service club to manage a food bank garden project. The Kiwanis Club of Olympia has garden…
In some communities, especially in rural and residential areas, a major source of produce will fall from trees for a few months out of the year. If you do a good job of advertising your gleaning program, this food can be gathered before it falls…
The current gleaning program in Thurston County began in 2009 with an AmeriCorps member placement at TCFB. Previous to this, Olympia had a gleaning coalition independent from the food bank, but eventually, the main volunteer departed and gleaning projects hibernated. The current model is a…
Tips on starting a new gleaning program. Take a volunteer management class, at least a full day in length, before you start putting your program together. Assess the following: Your organization’s ability to store fresh produce (How much can you bring in and how often?…
Assess Potential Volunteer Sources Identify organizations and institutions in your area. Do they already do volunteer work? Hunger relief is an easy sell to organizations. When you tack on the added benefit of waste reduction it is even more enticing to environmentally conscious groups. If…
The TCFB Gleaners worked closely with 7 small farmers in Thurston County, most of which grow diverse row crops for market or CSA (community supported agriculture). It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the growing season and the crops that these farmers will…
A few tips on marketing to attract volunteers and donors. Target your audience. Who makes up your gleaning volunteers? At TCFB the main demographics are Generation Xers and Baby Boomers with extra time on their hands, whether they are retired, stay-at-home parents, or in between…
Volunteers are the most essential piece of a functioning gleaning program. Keeping a well-trained and supported group of gleaning volunteers will lead to its success. The first thing to remember is that volunteer recruitment is never done. Gleaning is physically demanding, subject to bad weather,…
Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) was launched in 1995 as a public service program of the Garden Writers Association. Garden writers encouraged their readers/listeners to plant an extra row of produce each year and donate their surplus to local food banks, soup kitchens,…