Developing strong, positive, and professional relationships with farmers is imperative to the growth of your program. In the first year, focus on establishing relationships and trust with the farmers by being reliable and consistent in your interactions. Once a solid partnership has been established between…
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 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…
The majority of Boston Area Gleaners’ volunteer work is gleaning row crops in farmers’ fields. When managing groups in the field, the main priorities are ensuring that everyone is informed and engaged, maintaining the safety of volunteers and the land, and keeping the task running as efficiently as possible to maximize the harvest.