Do you want to help local farmers feed the hungry? As area farms and orchards finish harvesting each crop, there is always leftover, not-quite-perfect, produce still in the field. That’s where After the Harvest (ATH) volunteers make a difference.
Volunteers are needed to help with gleaning the fields, especially in the fall when orchards are also harvested. Gleaners pick fruits and vegetables that may otherwise go to waste from farms and orchards.
So far this season, volunteers have gleaned 80,000 pounds of fresh produce from area fields and donated it to food pantries like Harvesters. Since its inception in 2014, ATH has donated 9.5 million pounds of produce to Harvesters to feed hungry people, making it the largest produce donor.
Most gleanings take place within 45 minutes of Kansas City for three hours in the morning on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with occasional pop-up gleanings on other days.
Volunteer gleaners can be all ages, families, civic groups and faith-based organizations. This fall they will be picking apples and digging sweet potatoes.
To sign up as a volunteer, go to After the Harvest or contact Sandy Vivian at [email protected] or 816-550-5631.