FreeHelpCK is now leading the Chatham-Kent Gleaning Project under the new name Harvest to Home. Please visit their website for further details. Harvest To Home – FreeHelpCK
Background
What is Gleaning?
- Gleaning is one initiative that works to support community food security by increasing local food availability, food access, and food use. Gleaning is commonly understood as the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested, or collecting produce from individual homeowners who have excess in the gardens or on fruit trees. The Chatham-Kent Food Policy Council determined that food access is a priority area and have developed a gleaning project for Chatham-Kent. Thus, to reduce the amount of edible food that is wasted in the food system the CK Gleaning program links food producers and community agencies to divert food that would otherwise be left in the field, to people and organizations who can use it.
How did the CK Gleaning Project begin?
- June 2014, a forum was held to bring together individuals who were interested in hearing what had been done in other communities.
- Summer 2015, we conducted a pilot project and this was expanded into a full program during the 2016 harvest season.
- Spring 2024, during the CKFPC’s Strategic Planning session, they identified the need to enhance the gleaning program.
- Spring 2026, the CKFPC in partnership with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent’s Employment and Social Services provided a grant to one organization in the community to expand the gleaning program; after reviewing applications, the grant was provided to FreeHelpCK