Welcome! During the winter, our gleaning program is on hiatus. But you can email gleaning@breadforthecity.org to sign up for next year’s gleaning schedule.
Through Glean for the City, Bread for the City rescues tens of thousands of pounds of fresh, free surplus produce. Gleaning is an ancient practice of salvaging food that would otherwise go to waste in a food system. This innovative program has made our community healthier and happier – thanks to the volunteer commitment and donations of hundreds of supporters like you.
Glean for the City has three different components: gleaning from regional farms, gleaning from local farmer’s markets, and gleaning from trees within the District of Columbia. Contact Megan Cairns at gleaning@breadforthecity.org to learn more!
Regional Farm gleaning
We’ll be heading to farms within 20-40 minutes of DC during the months of July-October. Farm gleaning groups consist of 10-20 volunteers who provide their own transportation, meet our Gleaning Coordinator at the farm, and work for 2-3 hours to fill our cargo van with produce. These groups generally work on Saturdays. If you are interested in organizing a gleaning trip, please contact Megan Cairns, Gleaning Coordinator.
Farmers Market gleaning
Through our partnerships with markets like West End in Alexandria and Bloomingdale in Ward 5, we pick up thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables that farmers don’t sell at market. If you’d like to help with our weekly farmer’s market trips, contact Megan Cairns, Gleaning Coordinator.
Urban Fruit Gleaning
In the fall of 2011, we’ll expand Glean for the City to include local urban fruit trees. We are currently identifying the location of the fruit trees that we will glean for our pantry, and we need your help. If you have apple or pear trees on your property that produce more fruit than you and your family can harvest, we want to hear from you! Also, we need volunteers to scout for trees, organize neighborhood harvest parties, and help pick the fruit and deliver it to Bread for the City. If you are interested in helping with this project, email Megan Cairns, our Gleaning Coordinator.
