How Can We Help?
Laying the groundwork for an effective and resilient network involves a few key components, beginning with building relationships. This is not a quick or clear process, yet without trust, the Washington Gleaning Network cannot possibly have the larger conversations needed to create a collaborative space that truly serves the needs of gleaners. 
In the network development process, The Washington Gleaning Network has found two important insights. First, that novelty is a strength: nobody has this place, this community, this culture, this history, these traditions. Each organization involved in this network can offer their own unique values and perspectives. Secondly, it was found that organizations are more alike than they are dissimilar. Many of the challenges organizations face and the strengths that they acquire are the same across geographic boundaries. The Washington Gleaning Network believes that harnessing collective strengths while addressing challenges leads to the kind of collaboration that ultimately puts more fresh, local food into the hands of those who need it most.
An example of these values put into action was the way meetings were conducted. Each meeting began with 15-20 minutes of rapport-building activities that allowed the participants to get comfortable with each other. In fact, the feedback from participants was that this was one of their favorite things about these meetings and that they looked forward to the interaction. These activities were essential because without trust between members, it is difficult to build a network that uses trust, rather than control, to govern, and it is hard for organizations to put the mission of the network above their organization. Without these relationships, the network may be centered around the organizations with the most influence. The Washington Gleaning Network’s goal was to decentralize this control through interconnected relationships, so that every organization has a voice. In other words, the foundational goal of this network is to build constellations, not stars.