Washington Gleaning Network

Gleaning is the practice of collecting excess food from farms, gardens, and other sources to donate to those who need it. This can include food that is close to it’s  “sell by” date or crops that have been harvested but are maybe to small, too big or the wrong shape for the market, but are perfectly edible. 

The Washington Gleaning Network began as a brainstorm with AGO in 2021 on how to support the gleaning movement in a holistic way with regional or state-wide networks. The first pilot began in 2023 here in WA state between AGO and HAH. WA is particularly well suited with, as you will be aware, a very forward thinking hunger relief culture and some really robust agriculture. The gleaning movement is strong in WA state – where most have 3 or 5 or maybe 10 gleaning organizations, WA state has more than 40!`

We connect gleaners to resources. We connect farmers to gleaners. We connect volunteers to opportunities. As a network, we are regularly learning about important gleaning topics like safety in the field, distributing foods and gleaning from the farmers point of view. During the harvest season, we get together and get our hands in the dirt and glean, bringing that food back to our communities. And we allow a space for gleaners to come together to support each other with their challenges and their strengths. 

Check out the Gleaning Resources part of this site to see our growing collection of resources for gleaners.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter! Fill in the form below the map at the bottom of this page.

We are always looking for collaborative opportunities, to share resources and to connect folks together. So, please let us know when your organization needs help and we can work to redirect resources. Contact: gleaning@harvestagainsthunger.org