Hopelink has engaged in produce recovery from farmers markets near their service centers for many years. If you would like to recover produce at the market, you will need to contact the Farmers Market Coordinator to determine if they have an established process or if…
Promoting nutrition requires more than just providing food. It also involves education and outreach. Food bank clients have a diversity of knowledge, skills, and experiences with food that may vary by region, culture, or family. It is important to understand the needs of the people…
The largest contribution of gleaned food at Fish Food Bank came from cull pick-ups. After farmers markets, growers usually have produce that will not last until the following market, which can be culled. These cull pick-ups were regularly scheduled for Monday or Tuesday – as…
In its first year, the PCGP gleaning coordinator tabled and gleaned a weekly farmers market in downtown Tacoma. It was a great way to outreach to local farmers and resulted in 7,300 pounds of gleaned produce, milk, and bread for St. Leo’s. In its second…
Drawing inspiration from Seattle gleaning groups such as Lettuce Link’s Community Fruit Tree Harvest and City Fruit, the PCGP coordinator organized a fruit harvest in five neighborhoods in Tacoma, based on neighborhood council boundaries. While the second year of harvesting fruit trees has reaped more…
In addition to gleaning from farms and encouraging gardeners to plant extra for their food banks, Pierce County is home to its own Food Bank Farm operated by EFN, Mother Earth Farm. A handful of food banks in Pierce County also boast their own gardens….
The Share the Harvest program coordinator (job description here) supports interested community gardens in developing plots in a community garden designated for a local food bank/shelter also known as “Giving Gardens”. While many counties may not be able to support a new position, the Share…
It is important to not only increase the availability of fresh, local produce in food banks but also to help educate the food bank population on how to cook, prepare, and store gleaned produce. This is particularly important when gleaning more unusual crops. First and…
The greater Moses Lake area has quite a few u-pick farms that have opened in recent years and are still struggling to get off of the ground. By allowing Community Services of Moses Lake to glean, a u-pick farm is able to increase their publicity…
Central Washington has an abundance of commercial orchards and fields, which provide a vast opportunity for produce recovery. The largest hurdle to partner with commercial orchards is the scale necessary to handle such opportunities. For example, a gleaning event took place at a 600-acre orchard….