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Gleaning is all about picking leftover food that farmers, homeowners or the city don’t harvest, which often just go to waste. Sometimes these crops aren’t picked because they look a little “imperfect,” there’s too much to sell, homeowners are unable, or legacy fruit and nut trees are on city property. Instead of letting all that good food rot, gleaning lets us gather it up and share it with the community for free.
By redistributing this food, we help make sure people have access to fresh produce without having to buy it, which can really make a difference for folks dealing with food insecurity. Plus, it’s a win for the environment—keeping food out of landfills where it would otherwise release greenhouse gasses as it breaksdown. Gleaning just makes sense, bringing food directly to those who need it while cutting down on waste.
Valeria Cisneros says, "something I’ve learned from my almost two months at Butte Environmental Council is that opportunities for community engagement can come from anyone, anywhere, anytime. Sherry Butler, our Chico community member, came up to BEC during a tabling event to ask for some help in aiding another community member’s grape vine garden. She passionately talked about how her friend was looking for some helping hands in picking grapes to be turned into different jams and wines. Of course us Climate Corps Fellows, can never turn down an opportunity to help out and distribute food from being wasted. Luckily, the morning of the gleaning ended up being a beautiful Chico fall day, one of the first coming out of the extreme heat and enduring summer months."
#ExtremeHeat
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