Volunteer Specifics If gleaning in an orchard, most of the fruit will likely be in clusters only accessible by ladder, but some should still be accessible from the ground. Most groups or individuals participating in gleaning will come out for a few gleans and training…
In Yakima, the program has three types of gleaning volunteers: out-of-town groups, in-town groups, and individual volunteers. Our recruitment and management strategies are different for each: Out-of-town groups, or mission trips, are usually students and leaders who come to the Yakima Valley in the summer…
Ag Shows Because the Yakima Valley and Central Washington have a large number of commercial producers, the area hosts a variety of agricultural trade shows (ag shows) each year. These shows are an opportunity for growers and packers to talk about new research, technology, and…
U-pick orchards are a great gleaning resource because they are easy to access and often have harvesting materials on-site for your use. Also, U-pick growers can be a great asset for volunteer management because they work regularly with inexperienced pickers. The Yakima Valley Produce Harvest…
A Pick-A-Thon is an event that allows for two organizations to benefit mutually. A produce recovery organization benefits from a gleaning event for a day or multiple days, while the other organization has an event in which they can raise money. Northwest Harvest Yakima and…
Volunteer Specifics If gleaning in an orchard, most of the fruit will likely be in clusters only accessible by ladder, but some should still be accessible from the ground. Most groups or individuals participating in gleaning will come out for a few gleans and training…
In 2012, Northwest Harvest piloted a donation booth at the Yakima Farmers Market. The booth operated as a partnership between Northwest Harvest and a different hunger relief program each week (food bank or meal program). These organizations, referred to as partner programs, used the opportunity…
he Yakima Valley Produce Harvest gleaning program, hosted at Northwest Harvest’s Yakima warehouse, started in 2009. The Yakima Harvest VISTA position has been the driving force for the development of a produce recovery project and has primarily focused on resource capacity-building (e.g. identifying and recruiting agricultural donors, organizing…
Dealing with Overabundance Yakima County is first in the nation for the number of fruit trees. The region produces more apples, mint, winter pears, and hops than any other county in the US; other major crops include cherries, apricots, peaches, beef, wheat, and wine. In…
Northwest Harvest’s Culls for Community program utilizes commercial growers’ existing disposal systems to recover edible but unmarketable produce (culls) in large quantities. Commercial farms typically sort produce in the field or in the packing shed to avoid accruing costs by shipping unmarketable produce to their…