Gleaning Gives

‘An innate need to give’

Farm-fresh produce gleaned for Virginians in need is a complicated, expensive, but worthwhile effort

BY NICOLE ZEMA

After the biggest ears of sweet corn were harvested for retail at Parker Farms in Westmoreland County, 30 volunteer gleaners spent a Saturday morning combing the stalks for smaller, but equally nutritious, ears left behind.

Father Brian Bashista, pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church in Prince William County, said the charitable handson experience goes beyond writing a check.

“We’ve had it on our heart to farmglean for a couple years and finally connected with the wonderful folks here,” he said, tossing fresh corn into his satchel. “There are very generous farmowners who allow this to happen.”

With such abundance in this country, he said, it’s amazing how much goes to waste.

It’s a simple concept—there is enough fresh produce for foodinsecure families in Virginia. But complex logistical challenges must be navigated to get perishable items from farm fields to their plates.

“We believe it is our baptismal call to feed the hungry,” Bastista said. “People have an innate need to give, and we have to create opportunities to do that.”

Adam Marcell was one of many gleaners at Parker Farms in Westmoreland County, where they salavaged ears of corn that had been left behind after harvest.

NICOLE ZEMA

Church parishioner Christa Owen was picking corn that morning with six of her family’s nine children.

“Our children are so blessed and fortunate, and they need for nothing, so it’s great to have these opportunities to serve—and we have to choose joy when we do it,” she said. “The kids were cranky getting out of bed, but we’re having fun!”

The corn was piled into pallets and loaded onto box trucks for distribution.

Good health connected to fresh produce

It makes sense that food banks have historically stocked processed products that are shelf-stable. Yet more than 1 million Virginians who are most likely to experience food insecurity are at higher risk of dietrelated chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, according to the Federation of Virginia Food Banks.

“Increasingly, we’re seeing the connection between health outcomes and diet,” said Katie Mandes, director of marketing and strategic initiatives for the federation, an umbrella organization serving food banks statewide. “We are pushing hard to create a more nutritious diet for those who visit food banks. However, the turnaround time all has to fall into place with fresh food that requires refrigeration, so there are a lot of logistical components.”

Creating equitable access to fresh produce is a solution that demands strategic execution.

The federation’s seven food banks work with 1,500 partner agencies like community and church pantries that pick up the food for local distribution. Behind the scenes, food-sourcing specialists, growers and gleaners coordinate with a flurry of phone calls, a flow of dollars and countless volunteer hours to make it happen.

No such thing as a free lunch

Mandes said the food bank world has previously relied on grocery store donations of excess fresh product, but pandemic-related supply chain problems cut into that source. The food bank network was forced to buy fresh food in 2020 and spent $31 million.

“One of the lessons we learned because of the pandemic—if you can have fresh food that is local there is less opportunity for that supply to be interrupted,” she said.

Ramping up efforts to work with the farming community to source fresh, regionally grown food has become a strategic priority for the federation. Its leaders work with legislators to develop policy tools that help farmers offset the costs of gleaned produce, like the Virginia Ag Food Assistance Program bill signed by Gov. Ralph Northam in June. The legislation works in tandem with Virginia’s food crop donation tax credit by making funds available to farmers to cover the harvesting, processing, packaging and transporting of surplus product.

“Farmers are often willing to donate their excess product, but it’s not free,” Mandes explained. “We’d love to see the farming community plant extra crops in advance, where a percentage goes to food banks, and these dollars will offset the cost for Virginia farmers.”

‘You’re constantly on the phone’

In Richmond County, Healthy Harvest Food Bank’s agricultural gleaning program reaches up to 60,000 individuals annually through an extended distribution partnership with Feed More, Virginia Peninsula Food Bank, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. Each year, the organization saves 450,000 to 650,000 pounds of fresh produce from being plowed under.

“It’s our signature program, and a very complex one,” shared Mark Kleinschmidt, president and CEO of Healthy Harvest. “But I’ll be honest, it’s the biggest pain-in-the-butt program we have. You’re constantly on the phone. It’s numerous conversations, so much coordination, and it’s a very, very expensive program to run. Most food banks don’t do it because it’s cheaper and easier to buy produce, even if it’s not as fresh. But we work to try to get it out of the fields.”

With the help of volunteers, produce is gleaned and delivered directly to partners quickly.

“What is picked this Saturday will be taken to the food bank by Monday— from the field to the plate within 48 hours or less,” Kleinschmidt said.

To learn more, visit Vafoodbanks.org, or call Katie Mandes at 804-433-2550.