Harvest Blog

Strengthening agency partnerships through survey feedback

Harvest VISTA Meredith Days serves as the Outreach and Communications Assistant at Boston Area Gleaners, located in Acton, Massachusetts. Boston Area Gleaners is a food recovery organization dedicated to harvesting surplus farm crops, preventing waste, and nourishing local families in Eastern Massachusetts. Boston Area Gleaners

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Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr’s Legacy Through Service

Gabe Gibbens is an AmeriCorps service member, serving as the Gleaning and Education Coordinator VISTA for OIC of Washington. Located in the Yakima Valley of Washington, OIC operates a food bank and distribution center, community center, rental assistance programs, GED courses, career training, and more.

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Tailoring Purchasing Plans to Client Preference

Dani Dolphin serves as the Community Food System VISTA at Blue Mountain Action Council in Walla Walla, WA. As the Food System Coordinator, Dani works closely with farmers, non-profit partners and community members in the Walla Walla Valley to combine efforts and strengthen the agricultural

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The Complexities of Farmer Pricing Models

Ellis Fahsholtz serves as the Farm to Community VISTA at Harvest Against Hunger (HAH) in Seattle, Washington. Farm to Community is an umbrella that encompasses three of HAH’s farm to hunger relief programs, including Farm to Food Pantry, King County Farmers Share, and the PCC/NFM

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All About Sunchokes!

Samara Elaine González, MSN, is the current Fresh Express Mobile Market Community Liaison at the Tacoma Farmer’s Market through Americorps VISTA. In Samara’s early days with Tacoma Farmers Market in April 2021, she attended as many Fresh Express markets as she could to get a better

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Welcome, Marie-Yvonne!

Marie-Yvonne is a VISTA Leader for the Harvest VISTA Program, which works in tandem with Harvest Against Hunger. The Harvest VISTA Program recruits and places Americorps VISTA members at local hunger relief agencies across the country. These members provide and create opportunities for produce collection,

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City Fruit: Celebrating the End of the Harvest Season

Every fall, to commemorate the end of the harvest season, and thank volunteers, donors, and community partners, City Fruit hosts a fundraising event called “Celebrates.” From this event, City Fruit raises money to fund their Harvest Program. Previously, Celebrates was an in-person cider tasting event,

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Turning to Monthly Giving as a Reliable Income Source

Aaron New is a VISTA Leader with Harvest Against Hunger in Seattle, WA. In his role, he aids the program by developing outreach and fundraising strategies to expand Harvest’s capacity to work toward their mission. He also provides mentorship and professional development opportunities to the

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Saving Muscadines with Concrete Jungle

Melanie Jones serves as the AmeriCorps VISTA with Concrete Jungle in Atlanta, Georgia. As the Communications Coordinator, Melanie manages the social media channels for Concrete Jungle as well as the website and newsletter. She’s also helping to increase Concrete Jungle’s connections to small-scale distribution sites

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A Summer in the Life: Another VISTA Perspective

Kyleigh Humes served as a Summer Associate VISTA at Kitsap Harvest in Bremerton, Washington. She helped further Kitsap’s mission to connect “abundance to need by reducing food waste, nurturing community, and providing equitable access to fresh, locally grown food.” Below, Kyleigh reflects on her summer,

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A Summer in the Life: One VISTA’s Perspective

Ife Asabi served as a Summer Associate VISTA at City Fruit in Seattle, WA. City Fruit harvests and gleans thousands of pounds of fruit each year from Seattle’s public and private orchards, and distributes it to local food banks, food programs, restaurants, bakeries, and farmers

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Welcome, Melanie!

Melanie Jones is excited to be working with Concrete Jungle in Atlanta, Georgia this year! Melanie is a runner, hiker, gardener, and general outdoor enthusiast. While her professional background is in fundraising and bookkeeping, she was ready to make a turn and learn more about

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The Great Fruit Distribution: City Fruit’s Processes

Kaitlyn Ganrude serves as a Summer Associate VISTA at City Fruit in Seattle, WA. City Fruit harvests and gleans thousands of pounds of fruit each year from Seattle’s public and private orchards, and distributes it to local food banks, food programs, restaurants, bakeries, and farmers

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Bringing a Community Together with Gardening

Gabriel Gibbens is a Harvest VISTA serving at the OIC of Washington in Yakima, WA. As the Gleaning and Education Coordinator, Gabriel connects with Yakima Valley farmers to coordinate gleaning events and works alongside the SNAP-Ed education program to promote healthy eating within the community.

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