Record-Keeping may not be the most exciting topic, but keeping good records is critical to the long-term success of any gleaning program. Records will allow you to easily reference what happened in previous years, help you show progress to sponsors and funders, and provide easy…
Field Training and Farm Etiquette Every glean includes field training for volunteers and reviewing farm etiquette, as well as any special harvesting instructions from the farmer. (*Note: all gleaning coordinators should check with the farmer for special instructions on harvesting crops.) The success of a gleaning…
The first attempt to recover produce from the Thursday night Chelan Farmers’ Market yielded mixed results. The Farmers Market Manager was enthusiastic about gleaning produce, and also allowed the use of the Farmers Market information table for Community Harvest materials. A donation box was set…
The Clark County Food Bank gleaning program began in 2012 with the help of 90 enlisted volunteers, 20 growers, 12 donors, and 9 gleaning event hosts. They are always working to expand their farm base in “keeping it local.” Volunteering with a gleaning project is…
There are seven farmer’s markets in Clark County. Currently, there are two produce recovery stations: one at the downtown Vancouver Farmers market and another at the Salmon Creek Farmers Market. Together, these markets have over 300 vendors and attract thousands of patrons every year. This…
During the summers of 2014 and 2015, Clark County Food Bank participated in Harvest Against Hunger’s (formally Rotary First Harvest) Farm to Food Pantry Program, which provided a small grant to purchase produce from local farmers. The grant money served multiple purposes. First, Clark County…
https://youtu.be/uuZIkEHx1OY The Clark County Food Bank exists to “alleviate hunger and its root causes in Clark County, Washington.” Farm and garden projects like the 78th Street Heritage Farm and gleaning programs help to do that by increasing the amount of fresh, nutritious food entering the…
Field trips are a great opportunity to connect with different student age groups, introduce them to local food issues, and even recruit future volunteers! For the last three years, Clark County Food Bank has hosted around 125 second-grade students from a nearby elementary school to…
There are over 150 farms in Clark County that sell to produce distributors, restaurants, and at farmers markets. Many of these farms are dedicated to growing only a number of selected crops and often run a surplus towards the end of the season. One example…
Education is a large part of outreach and brand recognition at City Fruit. Trainings and community courses help raise awareness about the urban fruit tree canopy and can reduce food waste from productive trees. These classes are available to the public and marketed through social…