The Chatham-Kent Food Policy Council is looking for area farmers to take part in a campaign to get more local food into area food banks.
Organizer Lyndsay Davidson says the Gleaning Project aims to collect leftover produce from farms after the rest of the crop has been commercially harvested.
“All of that produce is brought back into the communtiy, taken to our local food banks, soup kitchens, community groups,” Davidson says. “What we’re looking for right now are volunteers to be trained, and we’re also looking for farmers to connect with us and allow us out into their fields.”
In 2018, 30 trained volunteers helped to glean 14 different crops from 13 different producers with 17 local agencies receiving the produce.
“We’re looking for volunteers that are either physically able to harvest the produce, or volunteers that are able to transport the produce from the fields to the agencies that need it.”
If you would like to help out with the Gleaning Project, either as a producer or a volunteer, get in touch with Davidson at lyndsayd@chatham-kent.ca or by phone at 519-352-7270 x2478.