 |
|
|
||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|||||
Call (360) 221-6454 for additional information regarding the food bank, thrift stores, volunteer opportunities, making a donation, or scheduling an item pick-up. Food Bank Location: Phone: 360-221-6454 Hours: Tuesdays: Wednesdays thru Saturdays: Sundays: Closed
Item Drop-Off: Mondays: Tuesdays thru Fridays: Saturdays: Sundays: Closed
|
Gleeful GleanersGleeful Gleaners Home | Volunteer to Harvest | Donate Fruit | Harvest Coordination | Photo Gallery Gleaning is the term for collecting food that would otherwise go to waste. In June 2010 a small group of South Whidbeyites created Gleeful Gleaners, in partnership with Good Cheer, to connect people willing to share their extra unsprayed fruit and people in need who would thoroughly enjoy the bounty of this fresh, local produce.
People all over the world have created projects to harvest and share extra fruit from backyard trees, and we're excited to join this commonsense movement. We envision a future in which all fruit trees are cared for and harvested and where fruit withering on the tree or rotting on the ground is a thing of the past. What Can You Do?Share fruit! If you have a tree with more fruit than you can use, let us know, and we'll see if we can help you harvest it. Volunteer as a tree donor. Help harvest! We're also looking for people to harvest, transport, or proccess food for distribution or to give or lend fruit-picking equipment (ladders, fruit pickers, and bags). Volunteer to help with the harvest. After the harvest is done this year, we'll start planning for pruning trees next year—and we'll need help with that, too. Why Bother?We'll help get local, healthy food to the members of our community in need of it. We'll enjoy the pleasure of a convivial outing with a team of like-minded people. We'll reduce the sanitation and pest problems unharvested fruit can lead to. We'll use, rather than waste, a valuable resource. It just makes sense. We'll have some fun while doing some good! 
Don't want to climb a ladder but still want to help? We have jobs that don't involve climbing: scouting trees, transporting fruit or raking fallen fruit. Join us in having fun while doing good. Volunteer as a tree donor, volunteer to help with the harvest, or feel free to contact us. |
Gleaning NewsSeptember 2nd: Totals to date: 10 tree owners, 24 harvest volunteers and 494 pounds of fruit! August 23rd: Busy day! In addition to harvesting fruit from plum and apple trees, we held our second orientation session. We continue to find new volunteers and trees. Photo gallery. We'll post photos as we get them on our new gallery page.
Cover story. The South Whidbey Record ran a feature story about the Gleeful Gleaners on August 7, 2010. August 9, 2010: First orientation meeting. Seven volunteers participated in our first orientation meeting. Some were experienced fruit growers, all were enthusiastic, and we were delighted to see everyone. What a great start! Related news article. A New York Times article from June describes similar projects around the country. |
We've started organizing teams for fun fruitful picking excursions and to channel South Whidbey's extra tree fruit into the joy-stream instead of seeing it drop into the waste-stream. We'll start by gleaning apples, pears and Asian pears this year.
