Gleaning America's Fields ~ Feeding America's Hungry

Type of practice Reuse for food

Name of practice Gleaning America's Fields ~ Feeding America's Hungry

Name of main actor Society of St. Andrew

Type of actor(s) NGO

Location United States of America

Stage of implementation End-of-life

Year of implementation 1988

What was/is being done? Gleaning is the traditional Biblical practice of gathering crops that would otherwise be left in the fields to rot, or be plowed under after harvest. The Gleaning Network coordinates volunteers, growers, and distribution agencies to salvage this food for the needy. Tens of thousands of volunteers from churches, synagogues, scout troops, senior citizen groups, and other organizations participate each year in Society of St. Andrew gleaning activities. Each year, tens of millions of pounds of produce are salvaged and given to the poor at no cost to them.

Outcomes and impacts On average, more than eleven gleaning events, with 8-9 volunteers each, take place every single day of the year. Since it was established, the Gleaning Network has brought nearly 400,000 volunteers into America's fields to glean more than 164 million pounds of food for America's hungry.