Come Harvest on Local Farms with Urban Gleaners

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Harvest Volunteers Needed!

Are you drawn to the idea of spending time on a farm, surrounded by lush nature in a peaceful setting? Do you have a curiosity about the origins of your food and a desire to connect with a community of passionate individuals committed to creating a more just food system? If so, Urban Gleaners invites you to join our farm glean team.

Farms often have some surplus or unmarketable produce that they wish to distribute to communities with limited access. However, the associated costs of labor, packaging, and transportation pose a significant financial burden. This is where gleaners come in. By venturing out to small, local farms with organic practices and harvesting or picking up excess produce, volunteer farm gleaners help bridge the gap between nutritious surplus food and underserved communities.

In 2023, Urban Gleaners successfully gathered over 3,500 pounds of produce through weekly gleaning trips to a single small farm. This healthy, fresh food was distributed to families through our network of free food markets across Multnomah and Washington counties. As the demand for food support in our communities continues to rise due to increasing living costs and reduced federal benefits, Urban Gleaners needs your help to expand this program to a broader network of farms.

If you're ready to take some direct hands-in-the-dirt action to get more free food out to the community, please sign up to be a harvest volunteer through our Mobilize page. No experience required; we will provide tools and training for all volunteers.

We have the following schedules available:
Full Cellar Farm- Every other Thursday: https://mobilize.us/s/V74LXV
Wild Roots Farm- Every Tuesday: https://mobilize.us/s/OR1H6

We will also have one-off harvest opportunities wit other farm partners like Working Theory Farm and Thimbleberry Farm. Sign-up for our Harvest Volunteer Group to hear about one-off or special harvests here: https://www.mobilize.us/urbangleaners/event/614338/

All of our farm gleaning days run from 9:30AM-12:30PM, though any given day may wrap up as early at 11:30AM, depending on harvest availability and number of participants. Participants are expected to notify the Farm Program Coordinator if they will be late or have to leave early.