Gleaning Orientation Sessions

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Saturday, July 7th, 2012

Once again, Community Gardens and Nanaimo Foodshare are cooperating to offer the Gleaning Program for its 10th year. Nanaimo has an abundance of fruit, nuts and vegetables growing in backyards and farmers fields throughout the region. Often gardeners and farmers grow more than they can use or share and the surplus goes to waste. In our current economic climate, hunger and poverty are a serious concern and people line up at local food banks. The Gleaning Program was launched in 2003 to help community members access and share surplus produce. Volunteer gleaners pick produce and share some with family, friends and neighbours. A significant amount of produce is donated to local agencies such as the food bank (approximately 30% of overall harvests).To date, the program has harvested more than 125,000 pounds of fruit, vegetable and nuts and last year 18 community agencies have received food.

After completing a brief orientation session and signing up as member, you are registered as a gleaner for this year and will be assigned to a pick team with a pick leader. As the surplus fruit and produce becomes ripe, your pick leader will call you to see if you are interested in picking. Because space is limited on each pick, we ask that you commit and show up on time. Generally, gleaners meet at the Foodshare Centre and carpool to the site. The pick leaders transport ladders to the site using the NCGS truck. Those who walk or bike to the site can generally get a ride to the pick. At the end of the pick a portion of the produce is given to the landowner (if they want any), and the rest is divided among pickers. We encourage you to take as much as you need for your family and to give the remainder to friends and neighbours. The surplus remaining is distributed to food banks and other agencies, or gets processed into juice and pies to generate revenue for the project.

All you need to do is attend an orientation. These are about 45 minutes in length. We will meet in the gazebo at the Pine St Community Garden located behind the Foodshare Centre at 271 Pine St. Children are welcome to play in the garden while you attend. Dogs must be leashed as we have newly hatched baby quail at the garden. Orientations have been scheduled for the following times:

� Monday July 2 at 6pm
� Wednesday July 4 at 4pm
� Saturday July 7 at 10am
� Monday July 9 at 6pm
� Wednesday July 11 at 4pm
� Saturday July 14 at 10am

Be sure to bring your membership fee (sliding scale $10-$25) and family and friends if they might want to pick with you occasionally. Cherries are starting to turn pink on the trees so the earlier you sign up, the better your chances of attending a cherry pick.