About

Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. Some ancient cultures promoted gleaning as an early form of a welfare system.

Gleaning has been practiced since biblical times.

“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger.”   Leviticus xxiii, 22.

Today, gleaning is an underutilized source of assistance for those in need. The Haywood County North Carolina Gleaners are all volunteers who work hard to utilize the bountiful fresh food resources available in our community in order to share with the hungry in our county. In other words, Haywood Gleaners rescue fresh produce and other foods that would otherwise be wasted and donate it to feed the hungry.

GROWERS

Generous growers donate fresh food from fields, orchards or gardens for gleaning. Gleaning can also be from Farmer’s Markets and grocery outlets. We glean all kinds of fruits, vegetables and more!

VOLUNTEERS

Faith groups, civic organizations, schools, and people of all ages alleviate hunger by volunteering in the gleaning effort. In addition to farmers and individuals offering produce and those actually doing the picking, volunteers are needed for many different roles. To find more about how you can get involved as a Haywood County gleaner, check out the Get Involved page.

The Haywood Gleaners Organization is apolitical with no direct religious affiliations and open to everyone in our community.

HISTORY

In early 2013, Jim Geenen attended a conference where he met Bill Walker with the Society of St. Andrews. Jim saw the possibilities gleaning presented in a county with such a rich agricultural core as Haywood County. He and Bill Walker hosted an organizational meeting at the Open Door kitchen in early spring 2013, and Haywood Gleaners was born!

In our first year (2013), Haywood Gleaners gleaned and distributed over 20,000 pounds of rescued food to the hungry in our county.

We acknowledge the tireless assistance and guidance from our Core Committee members who oversee and manage the Haywood Gleaners.

VISION

Haywood Gleaners is an evolving organization of compassionate volunteers engaging the community to increase food security in Haywood County.

MISSION

The mission statement of Haywood Gleaners is to engage volunteers and community resources to rescue and distribute surplus food to the food insecure and to promote healthy eating in Haywood County.

POLICIES

• Food cannot be sold but must be given free of charge.
• Gleaners may take and use part of what they glean but must share with others. Please be sure to have any produce you are taking with you weighed with the total gleaning so we have complete numbers for each glean.
• Haywood Gleaner members are not allowed to “cherry-pick” the best for themselves while giving produce of lesser quality to others.

COVID-19 POLICIES (2020-21)

All of us with Haywood Gleaners are practicing safety during our activities by using hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, or anything else that protects everyone involved. We provide hand sanitizer and masks if needed while volunteering with Haywood Gleaners.