Giving Back

As with the rest of the world, I am a Facebook addict. I have reconnected with so many lost friends and been amazed by some of the changes in their lives. One friend in particular is a truly great human. He spends his free time devoted to giving back to our community and families who have been devastated by disasters, etc. I have contacted him in hopes of helping me with a project that I hope will provide food to many needy families in our area.

When Jeff and i went to the Strawberry Expo this year, I stopped at a vendor's booth that was giving out information about gleaning. I was unsure what this entailed but got the literature and did a little research on line about it and became immediately motivated about this project. I contacted my Facebook friend who is very interested in this project and is willing to work with me to get it going. I am so excited!!

Gleaning involves people coming onto the farm and stripping the plants of all vegetation left. Most farms as with ours are set up to hopefully make a profit. But consumers don't want to pay for bruised or "ugly" fruits or vegetables. Although there is nothing wrong with the produce-it would not be of sellable quality. Last year, what was not pretty enough to sell, I used for my personal canning and freezing. It is amazing how much food goes to waste when a crop is simply plowed under because there's not a dollar value to it. I am hoping to not waste anything from our farm.

I can not express how excited I am about this project. I am hoping that Darryl and I can come up with a group that would provide this food to those in need in our area. The closest area that had a group is in Charlotte. There are people in need everywhere, I know. It seems as if more money, time, and effort are spent helping those in need in larger cities rather than the rural areas. I would love for this project to snowball and all the area farmers will join in. I have never taken on anything of this nature and i am hoping that Darryl has more ideas and more concrete information for me.

The gleaning process is simple-a group of people/volunteers will come to a farm once the crops have been harvested to the farmers standards and this group will pick what is left. The actual plant itsself is left for the farmer to plow under to put the nutrients back into the soil but the fruit and vegetables that are not of sellable quality are harvested and given to those who need it. How many of us have left a tomato on the counter to ripen only to have to cut out a soft spot before eating? We don't think twice about it. That same tomato could be sitting in a field somewhere waiting to be plowed under or it could be picked and given to a family that might not be able to afford fresh vegetables. Donating cash and canned goods is a great thing but think how much better it would be if these families could get enough beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, etc to can or freeze and put back for the winter.

I hope that my enthusiasm is contagious because I really feel that this could be a worthwhile project for our area. Some farmers may be hesistant about letting others onto their farm but some kind of rules or guidelines to follow will have to be put in place to insure that safety of the farmer's property. they may feel like this group of people will come onto their farm and simply ransack the fields. That is not the idea I had in mind at all. I want it to be beneficial to both sides of the project.

I can't wait to talk to Darryl and see what he has in mind about this project. There may be something similar in place already and I just haven't been able to find it. If there is I am joining our farm in giving back. If not, then I am going to do everything possible to get this project started. If anyone reading would like to contribute any advice, questions, or just a note please feel free. I would love some feed back.