Today is National Gleaning Day!

Marin Organic Launches the First-Annual National Gleaning Day, September 20^th!

Founded by Marin Organic, National Gleaning Day unites communities, farms and schools across the nation for a day of harvesting healthy food for kids! As part of Project Lunch Week: MARIN, today the Marin Organic Glean Team and our partners across the nation will glean extras from the fields of local farms to take back to schools throughout the county, and country.

The Marin Organic Glean Team regularly harvests extra food from local farms - food that does not meet strict market requirements and would otherwise be left in the field, or plowed under – and donates the harvest to local schools and resource centers. To date, Marin Organic has delivered more than 140,000 pounds of free, certified organic potatoes, squash, kale, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, lemons, apples and lettuces, plus donated meat, eggs, milk and yogurt! With help from our amazing volunteers, school administrators and chefs, as well as our incredible farmers, this wholesome food offsets the cost of purchasing additional local, organic, ingredients for cafeterias by 20-25%. It’s a win-win for our kids and our farms!

Would it be possible to feed every student in the US better by simply gathering this extra food together? We think so!

A Shout Out to the following Friends and Partners joining us on National Gleaning Day:

Valley Stewardship Network gleans organic produce from 1-2 farms each mo. for public school, food pantries and residents of a senior housing facility.

Backyard Bounty, a program of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, has harvested over 330,000 lbs to date of under-utilized produce growing throughout the community for distribution to residents in need.

Faith Feeds in Lexington KY will glean from local farms for donation to Kid's Café for school lunches and after-school programs.

Benzie County Schools in Bensonia MI will glean apples from local ranches for their own school food services.

Society of Saint Andrew, based in VA, and with gleaners across the US, will glean from several farms and markets to then deliver to regional schools and food pantries.

Urban Gleaners in Portland OR glean a few times each week from farmers' markets for delivery to local schools.

Valley Stewardship Network's Kickapoo Harvest in WI will glean extra cherry tomatoes for their local school district lunches.

Marin Organic is rallying student volunteers from 8 schools to visit 4 organic farms in Marin to harvest extras for their own school lunches.

Windfall Farm in Petaluma, CA, will glean apples, tomatoes, lettuces and figs for distribution by Elim Lutheran church in Petaluma.

Thanks gleaners!

Now…. let’s go get our hands dirty!

See you in the field,

Chester Densmore

Marin Organic School Lunch and Gleaning Program Associate