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…
Sorting and packing gleaned produce is a crucial part of produce recovery and an important off-farm volunteer task.
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.
Boston Area Gleaners relies on marketing and communications not only for garnering support but also for advocacy, community-building, and solidifying a local organizational identity.
• Extending gratitude for the farm’s commitment to reducing food waste and increasing food access
• Citing the total amount donated by partners, in pounds & servings, and telling a story of where the produce went—with testimonials from partner agencies
• A rundown of the donation totals for the particular farmer. This is an official tax document and must include key language and data. Annual copies of this documentation are saved in the shared “Operations” folder on the BAG server.
Partnerships with agricultural donors are all about personal relationship building and trust.
A successful gleaning program is largely dependent on the engagement of a base of committed and enthusiastic volunteers.