As concerns over food waste, food security and sustainability increase, gleaning – or harvesting food that would otherwise go to waste – is becoming recognized as a viable practice to increase access to healthy food for all.
That’s why this year alongside its successful Fruit Tree Program, Let Us Share the Harvest (LUSH) Valley is launching a Farm Gleaning pilot program to augment and increase the diversity of local fresh and healthy food supplied to those in need.
On Saturday, June 9, LUSH Valley is launching a post-market pick-up and Farm Gleaning Program at the CV Farmers Market.
“We will have a community table where you can learn more about the program from 9-1,” said LUSH Valley executive director Maurita Prato. “Based on the successful model of our Fruit Tree Program, we will pick up post-market produce as well as organize volunteers to harvest, gather, sort and distribute products from local growers to those in need.”
Fruit Tree Program
Since 2002, LUSH Valley has run a Fruit Tree Program. The program organizes and trains volunteers to harvest backyard fruit trees across the region and then redistributes that fruit back to the community.
“Over the past 16 years, LUSH Valley has picked well over 250,000 pounds of local fruit,” said James McKerricher, Fruit Tree Program and Farm Gleaning co-ordinator. “The produce is then distributed three ways: a third to tree owners, a third to volunteers and a third to social services clients. We have over 15 community partners which include: K’ómoks First Nation, CV Transition Society, CV Food Bank, CV Family Services and schools across SD71.
Volunteers needed
“Both the Fruit Tree and Farm Gleaning programs are volunteer run. We need a lot of hands to make light work of all of the harvesting. Last year we had a little over 200 volunteers helping us. This year with the added Farm Gleaning program we are looking for even more volunteer support particularly as ‘pick leaders.’”
Anyone interested in volunteering to harvest, signing up our tree or registering your farm for a free gleaning service is urged to sign up at www.lushvalley.org or to contact James at fruit@lushvalley.org.
The Fruit Tree Program Volunteer Orientation sessions will be held Wednesday, June 13 from 6-7 p.m. and Saturday, June 16 from noon-1 p.m. at the Courtenay Public Library.
LUSH Valley thanks VIHA, Comox Valley Community Foundation, BC Gaming, City of Courtenay and Peninsula Coop for their support of its 2018 gleaning season.
Find out more about LUSH at lushvalley.org, or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @lushvalleyfood