Kind and thoughtful humans have been gleaning for thousands of years.
Technically, the word refers to the process of collecting leftover crops or food and redistributing them to the less fortunate. There’s a reference to it in the Bible. People did it throughout the medieval ages. Van Gogh and other famous painters memorialized the act on canvas numerous times.
Here in modern-day Healdsburg, the act of gleaning is alive and well — thanks to a local organization called Farm to Pantry. The organization celebrates its 10th anniversary next month, and it now serves 23 different organizations every week. Currently, the group delivers to five different low-income senior and disabled housing complexes, a variety of after-school programs and four different churches.
All told, the nonprofit group redistributes about 60,000 pounds of food — roughly 250,000 servings — each year.
According to Program Director Dani Wilcox, most of this work is done by volunteers. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, gleaning crews team up with volunteers from Becoming Independent to hit local farms and harvest surplus produce by hand.
Every Saturday, Farm to Pantry volunteers pick up surplus items from the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market. The group also makes house calls — if, for instance, a private resident has a walnut tree and a bumper crop of walnuts, all they have to do is shout.
At this time of year, when the weather changes and private gardens are winding down, Wilcox says it’s especially important to think of others before tossing plants and unwanted produce in the recycle bin.
“The idea is to make the most of produce that otherwise would be wasted by the person or people who grew it,” says Wilcox. “People with limited access to food always can use a little more.”
In recent months, Farm to Pantry has redoubled efforts to glean food for wildfire survivors from around the region, and has teamed up with the Redwood Empire Food Bank and Catholic Charities to achieve this goal.
On a recent Saturday, toward the end of the farmers’ market here in Healdsburg, Santa Rosa resident Melissa Barnett patrolled the aisles looking for food to give to residents of the FEMA camp at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
Barnett herself is a survivor; she lost her house in Larkfield and has lived at the camp since January.
Every week, she takes what she’s able to glean from the market, brings it back to the camp and sets it up again under a white canopy for residents to take for free.
“The camp is a real snapshot of the community: Old, young, couples, families with kids,” she said, noting that it started with 270 units but is now down to 70 — a sign that, slowly but surely, displaced neighbors are finding new homes. “The (two things) everybody has in common [are] a shared sense of loss, and a shared need for help. Receiving this extra food makes a huge difference in their lives.”
Organizations such as Farm to Pantry couldn’t exist without volunteers, and Wilcox says the group always is looking for more hands on deck. To get involved (or to donate food or money), call 415-717-2365 or visit the organization online at farmtopantry.org.
Matt Villano is a writer and editor based in Healdsburg. His column spotlights good people in the community doing great things. To learn more about him, visit whalehead.com.
