The importance of gleaning is more clear to us than ever before.
We are currently witnessing drastic disruptions to the economy, and the food supply chain on both a global and local level. Large portions of the food industry including manufacturers, restaurants, schools and institutions have made the decision to close or suspend operations,
stranding large volumes of nutritious food and creating
tremendous waste.
Simultaneously,
the
need for basic services
continues to skyrocket
, and many food pantries have been forced to close or operate at reduced capacity as they try to quickly adapt procedures to maintain the safety of their staff, volunteers and clients.
We have made the decision to jump (safely) into action, taking into consideration the biggest impact we can have in the short and long term.
We are providing trucking and logistics support for producers with surplus food and community based organizations, connecting the dots in the face of a broken supply chain. We are also re-imagining our on-farm gleaning operations for the upcoming growing season to protect our staff and volunteers, as well as to scale up infrastructure for the greatest impact.
We anticipate an unprecedented demand in urban areas for food assistance and access to fresh fruits and vegetables for the foreseeable future.
We anticipate resuming on-farm gleaning in July with modified procedures to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers, and recipients. Gleaning opportunities will be posted as crops become available in late spring / early summer. Our glean team is looking forward to working with you to address hunger through a collaborative and systems based approach. Soon enough we will resume harvesting high quality, nutritious produce and equitably distributing it throughout our communities.
Thank you for your ongoing support, both in the fields and from afar. Your encouragement, commitment, and generosity sustain us in doing this work, now and in the season to come.
With gratitude
,
The staff of Boston Area Gleaners