Gleaning – get some fresh air and help the hungry at the same time!

Yes, that tractor wheel is taller than me!

I’ll get back to the beer review shortly – hope you’re enjoying – but I wanted to take a brief pause to share what I did on Saturday just because it was so neat. My church had a service day and I went “gleaning.” For those who have never done it, it generally means going to a farmer’s field post-harvest and picking up what is left over for donation to a food bank. That is neat enough, but Saturday was even better.

We went way out into the country to a farm called “First Fruits.” This farm was actually established 20 years ago expressly to feed those in need. So here, we weren’t gathering the left-overs, but the primary harvest – which is planted, tended and harvested all by volunteers and then ALL donated to feed the hungry. It’s really an amazing thing and has grown from 1 or 2 acres when the family started, to over 130 acres today.

What a way to spend a Saturday!

Honestly it doesn’t matter what your faith or politics may be – it is just a wonderful, very basic way to serve. And selfishly, I got to spend the day in a beautiful fall setting, getting fresh air and exercise while helping others. What more could you ask for?

I’m definitely going to do it again, so if you’re in the DC area, let me know and I’ll tell you when we have more groups going out. I also have permission to share the contact information for our trip’s coordinator. For more info you can contact Jennifer at brofam2001@yahoo.com.

Otherwise, here are more interesting links on the topic:

NPR story on gleaning:

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/133059889/gleaning-a-harvest-for-the-needy-by-fighting-waste

Society of St. Andrew – active gleaning network, mentioned in NPR article

http://www.endhunger.org/gleaning_network.htm

Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Network

http://www.midatlanticgleaningnetwork.org/

They also announce events via their announcements hotline (703) 370-0155

The USDA is even involved in promoting opportunities

http://www.usda.gov/news/pubs/gleaning/appb.htm