Need help harvesting your fruit tree? New Stanislaus County program will send volunteers
The East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District is piloting a program to help food pantries in the county get more fresh produce, and to help residents harvest their trees of unreachable or unneeded fruit.
The district has three more “gleanings” to do through September, as part of a wider farm-to-pantry initiative that’s funded through the county’s Health Services Agency, said Gavin Bruce, the district’s community programs manager.
Here’s how to volunteer for the project or have volunteers pick fruit from your yard:
Gleaning in Stanislaus County
Gleanings are new for the conservation district, Bruce said. The first one was completed in early spring.
The four total gleanings the district is doing as part of its contract with the Health Services Agency are for research purposes, he said. The district will use trial and error to figure out the best practices for organizations that want to do their own gleaning programs.
“Of course, the produce from these ‘research gleanings’ will be donated to local food pantries,” Bruce said.
The program is available for residents countywide, Bruce said.
The list of pantries that are accepting donations from farmers and backyard gardeners can be found on AmpleHarvest.org.
Residents interested in signing up to have volunteers pick their fruit for donation or who want to volunteer can contact Bruce at gavin@eaststanrcd. org or 209-484-5933.
What is gleaning?
Gleaning, in short, is the practice of collecting and donating excess foods, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Excess fresh foods can be collected from sources including farms, gardens, farmers markets, grocers, restaurants and state or county fairs.
Over 100 billion pounds of food are thrown away each year in the country, according to USDA. Gleaning helps address that, in addition to America’s 49 million people who are at risk of going hungry.
Another benefit of gleaning, according to the department, is that it helps foster strong local community food systems because it requires coordination among various groups of people.
This story was originally published July 31, 2023 at 11:44 AM.
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