The Gleaning Network (free food from leftover harvests)
If you’ve never heard of ‘gleaning’, then you don’t know your Bible! It’s basically the ancient practice of harvesting leftover produce from the fields, then giving it to hungry people, to stop it going to waste.
Gleaning Network is not religious, but influenced by the ancient Biblical custom of ‘not reaping the corners of a field nor going over the field again after the first harvest’ to let those in need, ‘glean’ what’s left behind.
The food often comes from excess produce grown on local allotments, which are dropped off to give to those in need. Volunteers turn surplus farm produce into free meals, and once even cooked a dinner to ‘feed the 5000’. Jesus would be proud!
Read our post on food safety for people and pets. If growing food on allotments etc, read our posts on pet-friendly gardening and no-dig gardening (avoid netting to protect wildlife).
Linked to ‘Leftover Bread’ Beer!
If you’re familiar with the beer company Toast Brewing (that brews vegan ale using leftover bread), you’ll be pleased to know that these two organisations are linked.
All profits from the beers go to Feedback Global (the food waste charity started by the founder of Toast Ale – he remains on the board, to ensure it can never be sold to Unilever!)
What Greta Thunberg is doing for the planet, Tristram Stuart is doing to cut food waste. Shocked when he found out that all the food thrown out in the world each year, could feed every single hungry person on earth.
He has a lot of influence, where his TED Talk has been viewed over a million times (see it on his site). He’s very posh (from Sussex) and has made it his mission to help all the impoverished people worldwide, who have no food, due to westerners throwing it away. Read his facts twice:
- 20% to 40% of all UK fruit and veg are rejected, even before they reach the supermarkets.
- UK households throw away enough bread and cereals, to lift 30 million hungry people out of being malnourished.
- 24% to 35% of school lunches end up in the bin.
- 40% to 60% of all fish caught in Europe are discarded.
Food Recovery Network is the worldwide movement. Many regions have dedicated gleaning networks, making it simpler than ever to join in. Just imagine spending a day in the great outdoors, helping those in need, while enjoying the fresh air. Just remember to leave some food for wildlife.
Download a free Gleaning Toolkit to start something similar in your area, to deliver excess farm food that would otherwise go to waste.
